Greatest HIITs is a short high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout. It is part of the TurboFire workout program created and led by Chalene Johnson and sold by Beachbody. Unlike Insanity’s Fast and Furious 20 minute bonus workout, Greatest HIITs is not a good example of what to expect with the TurboFire program. Yes, TurboFire has a whole HIIT segment but it is much more varied than Insanity, so the HIIT workouts are just a portion of what you can expect from TurboFire—and definitely not the best portion. The best part of TurboFire (in my opinion) are the Fire workouts. However, Greatest HIITs gives you an example of the HIIT workouts contained in TurboFire, as well as the Fire Drills that are included within a Fire workout. I have done TurboFire workouts many times, so a review of the whole program will be posting soon. However, I am posting this workout separately since it is available separate from the TurboFire program.
Greatest HIITs is available in several ways. If you order the TurboFire program through Beachbody.com it is a bonus workout included with the program. You can also order Greatist HIITs separately through Beachbody.com and it is available separately through Amazon.com. If you order it with the program, it is not included on the workout calendar—so it literally is a bonus workout that you use however you wish. Greatest HIITs is a great little HIIT workout. At 20 minutes, it is a perfect “add on” workout if you need to add some cardio to a strength workout or you just need to round out your workout. Personally, I would never do it by itself as 20 minutes is an inadequate amount of time for a workout.
Greatest HIITs is 21 minutes long; 2-3 minute warm up, 14 minute training period and 4 minute cool down. Greatest HIITs is a compilation of 4 HIIT workouts in the TurboFire program. Greatest HIITs has 4 HIITs, each repeated once for a total of 8 HIITs. Each HIIT is followed by a recovery period equal to the length of the HIIT it follows. Since it pulls from 4 of TurboFire’s HIIT workouts, it starts with the easiest (HIIT 15) and progresses to most difficulty (HIIT 30)–so each HIIT gets longer. It starts with a 2 minute warm up followed by a one minute (low intensity) preview of the first HIIT. The first HIIT is from HIIT 15 and is 34 seconds long; 2nd HIIT is from HIIT 20 and is 46 seconds long; 3rd HIIT is from HIIT 25 and is 56 seconds long; and the 4th HIIT is from HIIT 30 and is 62 seconds long.
The moves included in each HIIT are both low and high intensity. There are burpees, tuck jumps, air jacks, but there is also high/low punches, regular jumping jacks, high knees, etc. So that object is to go as hard as you can for the full HIIT—regardless of whether it is a plyometric move or a hi/low punch. Since it is a compilation, I would expect that the hardest HIITs would be included, but that isn’t the case. In fact, the HIIT pulled from HIIT 20 is the least intense HIIT in that workout! In fact, I have always had to modify that HIIT to make harder when I do HIIT 20! The move is hi/lo punches in a lunge position–8 punches, then jump lunge to the other leg and 8 more punches. Instead of doing that move, I just do non-stop jump lunges to up the intensity. Nevertheless, Greatest HIITs is still a good little add on workout and gives a pretty good (but not 100% accurate) idea of how hard the HIITs are in the other HIIT workouts.
The disk also includes a stretch workout called Stretch 10, which is actually a 12 minute and 30 second stretch. If you purchase the TurbFire program this stretch is included on every disk. It is the perfect little stretch to do after some of the Fire and HIIT workouts. It feels really nice and it isn’t too long. It starts slow, as if assuming you just finished a workout and need to just decompress, with shoulder rolls, then arm circles and on to the neck. You stretch the hips in sumo, then a deep adductor stretch which moves to warrior one, pyramid and a straddle stretch. You move to the floor to do butterfly stretch and an IT band stretch. Next is rotator cuff stretches, chest stretch and the series ends with rounding your spine twice.
