The 6 Best Ways to Pace Yourself During a HIIT Workout

Sam Karl, CPT, co-founder of HIIT-focused Kamps Fitness, says the worst HIIT error is coming in too hot. That may be because some of these 15-minute exercises look brief.

1. Start Slow, Finish Strong

Because HIIT is so short, it might seem like a few minutes of warming up doesn't matter, but that assumption is like a recipe for mid-workout exhaustion, Karl says.

2. Make Warming Up a Priority

To measure intensity, use the "talk test," as suggested by Rocky Snyder, CSCS, author of strength training book "Return to Center."If you can articulate a six-to-eight-word sentence.

3. Track Your Heart Rate and Exertion Level

As an additional method for determining whether or not your pace is appropriate, Snyder suggests that you do a balancing test during one of your rest periods.

4. Perform a Balance Test

Despite the fact that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) incorporates a wide variety of actions, it often include some sort of leaping, such as box jumps and burpees.

5. Switch to HILIT

Reda Elmardi, CSCS, creator of The Gym Goat, says it's hard to check in with your body during complicated actions like kettlebell snatches, but it's crucial for technique and tempo.

6. Pay Attention to the Present Moment