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Zak Zahner

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July 14, 2025

Unleashing Strength with HIIT: Power Up Your Workouts at Well Street Fitness

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a game-changer for those looking to build strength, boost endurance, and maximize workout efficiency. At Well Street Fitness in Hollister, MO, we’re all about helping you achieve your goals, and HIIT offers a dynamic way to elevate your strength training routine. In this blog, we’ll explore what HIIT for strength is, its benefits, how to combine it with strength training, and provide a sample workout to get you started.

What is HIIT for Strength?

HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by brief rest periods, traditionally known for torching calories and improving cardiovascular fitness. When tailored for strength, HIIT incorporates explosive, muscle-building movements like weighted squats, kettlebell swings, or dumbbell thrusters, performed at high intensity with minimal rest. This approach challenges your muscles in a unique way, blending the power of strength training with the efficiency of HIIT, making it perfect for busy individuals looking to get stronger in less time.

Benefits of HIIT for Strength

HIIT isn’t just about cardio—it’s a powerful tool for strength training with a range of benefits, backed by research:

  • Builds Muscle Endurance and Strength: HIIT can enhance muscle endurance and promote muscle growth, especially for beginners or less active individuals (Healthline, 2025).
  • Boosts Metabolism: HIIT triggers Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), burning calories long after your workout, supporting fat loss and muscle definition (Muscle & Fitness, 2025).
  • Improves Oxygen Use: By increasing VO2 max, HIIT enhances your body’s ability to use oxygen, improving performance and recovery for strength athletes (UC Davis Health, 2025).
  • Saves Time: HIIT combines strength and cardio in 20-30 minute sessions, ideal for those with packed schedules.
  • Enhances Overall Health: HIIT can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels, making it a holistic fitness approach (Healthline, 2025).

A 2018 study found HIIT resistance training led to significant strength improvements across multiple exercises, outperforming medium-intensity training while supporting fat loss (Dalleck et al., 2018).

How to Combine HIIT and Strength Training

Integrating HIIT with strength training is straightforward and can amplify your results. Here are five ways to make it happen (ISSA, 2025):

  1. Add strength moves like bent-over rows or lunges during HIIT rest intervals to keep muscles engaged.
  2. Use weighted exercises like dumbbell thrusters or kettlebell swings for high-intensity intervals.
  3. Shorten rest periods in strength workouts (e.g., from 2 minutes to 30-60 seconds) to boost intensity.
  4. Focus on compound movements like squats, deadlifts, or pushups to work multiple muscle groups.
  5. Use moderate weights (e.g., 50% of your 10-rep max) with fewer reps for high-intensity strength sets.

These strategies align with Well Street Fitness’s focus on functional, results-driven training, helping you build strength for everyday activities.

Sample Workout: HIIT 100s for Strength

Ready to try HIIT for strength? The HIIT 100s program (Muscle & Fitness, 2025) is a 6-week plan combining high-intensity strength training with fat-burning efficiency. You’ll perform 10 sets of 10 reps for each exercise at 50% of your 10-rep max (10RM), with rest periods decreasing weekly from 60 seconds to 0 seconds by Week 6. Below is a sample Week 1 workout for one session, tailored for Well Street Fitness members:

  • Bench Press: 10 sets of 10 reps at 50% 10RM, 60 seconds rest between sets
  • Wide-Grip Pulldown: 10 sets of 10 reps at 50% 10RM, 60 seconds rest
  • Plank: 10 sets of 10 seconds, 60 seconds rest
  • Finisher: 3 sets of 30-second Kettlebell Swings, 30 seconds rest
How It Works:
  • Use a weight that’s 50% of your 10RM (the weight you can lift for 10 reps with good form).
  • Rest for 60 seconds between sets in Week 1, decreasing rest weekly (40s in Week 2, 30s in Week 3, down to 0s in Week 6).
  • Test your 10RM the week before starting to select appropriate weights.
  • Aim for 2 sessions per week, targeting different muscle groups (e.g., chest/back/abs, legs/triceps/calves).

This workout builds strength, endurance, and burns fat, aligning with our community’s goal of efficient, results-driven training.

Tips for Success

To make the most of HIIT for strength, follow these expert-backed tips (Healthline, 2025; ISSA, 2025):

  • Start with 2 HIIT sessions per week to avoid overtraining.
  • Focus on proper technique to prevent injury, especially during high-intensity movements.
  • Listen to your body and modify exercises or take extra rest if fatigued.
  • Begin with a 5-10 minute dynamic warm-up (e.g., leg swings, arm circles) and end with a cool-down stretch.
  • Work with a trainer if you’re new to HIIT or have health concerns.
Safety First

HIIT for strength is demanding, so prioritize safety. Always warm up to prepare your muscles and joints, and cool down to aid recovery. If you’re new to HIIT or have health conditions, consult a healthcare professional or one of our trainers at Well Street Fitness before starting.

Conclusion

HIIT for strength is a powerful way to elevate your workouts, combining the intensity of interval training with muscle-building exercises. Whether you’re aiming to get stronger, leaner, or more efficient, this approach delivers results in less time. At Well Street Fitness, we’re here to guide you through programs like HIIT 100s, helping you unleash your full potential—try it and watch your strength soar!

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