It's A HIIT

The other day I wrote about complications. Yesterday I had a major complication. The Artist scratched his cornea, and we spent the day going to various doctors. He is okay, but it was a very long, emotional day. By the time we got home I was completely exhausted. No interest in working out at all. Rest day!

Today, I almost skipped my workout. I have a show this weekend, and I had to cancel rehearsal yesterday. There was a lot to get done today, and I didn't feel like I had time. But, I stopped and examined my schedule. I didn't want to miss another day if possible. I feel better when I work out, and I have several things to train for this month.

I wanted to work on TKD today, but it had to fit my schedule. I decided to do a HIIT workout and throw in my patterns as well. There are so many things I need to improve on for TKD, and I wanted to focus on some of these today. Namely, speed and jumping. I like endurance - running, hiking, etc. I need to work on my fast twitch muscle fibers.

Here's what I did:

HIIT #1 (1:00 work/ :30 rest)

• jump rope
• side kicks R
• side kicks L
• burpees
• Chun Gi (not timed, just went through it, focused on wave motion)

You know I'm serious when I throw in burpees. And, jump rope. In the same group. Yikes.

HIIT #2 (1:00/ :30)

• one leg jumps (w/ foot on a bench) R
• one leg jumps L
• front kick/back kick combo R
• front kick/back kick L
• Dan Gun (wave motion)

The one leg jumps were suggested by a black belt at the last tournament as a way to speed up chambering. They were no joke, but I actually really enjoyed them. The kick combo was something we were working on in class on Monday. I really enjoyed it, and hopefully I will be able to use this in the next tournament. The second time through I added a back fist, too. It was fun. I love back kicks.

HIIT #3 (1:00/ :30)

• jump rope
• turning kicks R
• turning kicks L
• squat jump / high knee jump (alternating)
• Do San (wave motion & everything else - got to get this one down)

Let's just say the second round of jumping rope was much harder than the first. My legs were exhausted and feeling very heavy. I have a tendency to make my last HIIT easier, but this was not the case today. I really wanted to push it. The squat jumps/high knee jumps were brutal, but I got through it. 

I love HIIT workouts. My legs were tired and heavy and spent by the end. They shook as I tried to walk around the grocery store. The sign of a good workout. I need to keep this up. One of my goals for the summer is to focus more on TKD and the things I mentioned above - speed, jumping, fast twitch movements. Not that I'm giving up distance running or hiking. I plan on doing a lot of both as well. It's going to be a good summer.