Cardio ? HIIT ? dictionary?
 

I'm currently occupying myself with bodybuilding, because I want to be in shape once it's summer ;)

I'm german but surf english-speaking sites as well (as you might see ;)). Now the bodybuilding-slang is still virgin soil for me, so I'm looking for an online-bb-dictionary or something ?!

Let's start just here: what means cardio and HIIT ?

When in doubt, google is your friend. Googling for ''<term> definition' will usually pick up the right answer. But for the two you mentioned...

Cardio: short for cardiovascular. By definition, this is any exercise that is done to increase your heart rate (as opposed to weight lifting which is done to increase your strength); by usage, this is exercise that is done to burn calories. Examples are: running, swimming, biking, stair-climbing, most sports, etc.

So when someone says they do 30 minutes of cardio on their off days, they're saying they run, bike, swim, etc, for 30 minutes.

HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training. The basic idea is instead of (as an example) running for 30 minutes at a moderate pace, you run for 15 minutes, alternating between a moderate pace and maximum effort. See here for more: http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp

Not everyone believes HIIT works.

Tell that to football receivers and running backs, bodybuilders, sprinters, or John Stone at http://www.johnstonefitness.com/index.html because they all know it works.

HIIT is great for shedding fat and maintaining muscle (it actually encourages muscle growth). A combination of HIIT and moderate intensity cardio sessions during the week are ideal. Just like any other exercises you do, it is best to change things up and keep your body guessing but as far as HIIT working, there is no question that it does.

There are different methods and intervals you can do for HIIT, and it is by far nothing new to the fitness world, just might be new to you.

HIIT is good the way I see it, you keep the variation going so you don't get into a 'groove' and you keep burning the calories.

I strapped on the heart rate monitor I got for my birthday last night for my weekly game of ultimate frisbee. My rate never dropped below 140, and peaked at 180 throughout the hour of game time. Great workout, lots of fun. Strange to think I've been doing HIIT for about a year now and not really noticed it ;)