Is your HIIT training better done inside or outside? Our Gym vs Outside series weighs up how we exercise indoors and outdoors.

Outdoor Sprints

Hills, stairs, roads, the park or simply up and down your street, sprints can be done anywhere and everywhere and are one of the best ways of cranking up your heart rate.

A simple and easy way to take your HIIT outside is by doing sprints. Doing sprint intervals on a treadmill can be great, but it can also be dangerous. Running on a treadmill always comes with a caution as you could slip or miss your footing and end up flying off the end of the conveyor as it carries on spinning. By taking your sprints outside you are making your training safer and you also benefit from the fresh air and freedom of the open road.

Related: Benefits Of Outdoor Training

Outdoor Training: 100m Sprints

The simplest way to measure out roughly 100m without a tape measure is to walk 130 steps. Mark your start and finish with something you have on you, such as a jacket and a water bottle.

Aim to complete 10 rounds. Exploding off from your start point and running as fast as you can.

Rest 30 - 90 seconds or until your heart rate recovers to around 130 bpm.

Take advantage of your surroundings; if you have stairs or a hill, crank up the intensity and push yourself all the way to the top. Sprinting outside on uneven ground is far more challenging than the flat of a treadmill.