FitnessWorkouts

Everything You Need to Know About HIIT Heart Rate Zones All in One Place

HIIT heart rate zones are a great way to guide your workouts. Here, learn the benefits of HIIT training and keeping your heart rate in mind.

alt
Photo: Getty Images/ Jelena Stanojkovic
Updated Oct 11, 2024

Written by 

Lindsay TigarRebecca Norris

Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission

No workout gets your heart rate up like a HIIT sesh. Short for high-intensity interval training, the metabolism-boosting, muscle-building, and heart-strengthening workout is a favorite of trainers and programs like Barry’s, Orangetheory Fitness, and Peloton for achieving a long list of benefits in a fraction of the typical time.

Experts in This Article

DeBlair Tate

personal trainer

Devan Kline

co-founder and CEO of Burn Boot Camp

Len Kravitz

coordinator of exercise science at the University of Mexico and author of HIIT Your Limit

Lindsay Ogden

certified personal trainer with Life Time in Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Tony Ambler-Wright

NASM master instructor, senior practitioner for Fusionetics, and movement coach with Movement Edge

The key to reaping such rewards? Tapping into your ideal HIIT heart rate. The short bursts of moves should challenge your beats per minute (BPM) to an intense level before a brief recovery. Keep reading to learn why your heart rate plays such an important role, what your goal BPM is, and how to use your HIIT heart rate to get the most out of your workout.

But first, what is HIIT?

HIIT workouts are characterized by intense intervals of activity followed by short breaks. In the case of Barry’s and OTF, this sequence is repeated throughout a 50-minute class. However, shorter HIIT workouts exist, too. In fact, you can enjoy health benefits from even just 15 to 20 minutes of HIIT movement. 

“HIIT is a method of cardiorespiratory training that involves relatively short periods of near maximal or maximal efforts alternated with lower exertion recovery periods,” says NASM master instructor Tony Ambler-Wright, MS.

“These alternating intervals of work and rest can vary in duration depending on the intended goals and structure of the training session. Generally, ratios ranging from 1:1 to 1:5 (work: rest) are used to provide adequate recovery within each interval,” he says.

For example, you might sprint for a minute then walk for a minute; perform burpees for a minute then do a plank for a minute.

Why does heart rate matter in HIIT?

If you wear a heart-rate tracking device, take a peek at it throughout your next sweat sesh. You’ll likely be surprised at how much it ebbs and flows as you cycle through periods of maximum work and recovery. Paying attention to your HIIT heart rate is important because your BPM can illustrate if you’re actually pushing yourself or not.

Generally speaking, your HIIT heart rate should stay on the steeper side throughout the whole workout, according to DeBlair Tate, a certified fitness coach. Ensuring you’re in the right range will help you reap the most benefits from your exercise—not only in the thick of it but afterward, too.

“The greater the intensity of the intervals, the greater the demand for the oxygen needed for you to recover. This forms an oxygen deficiency in our body and increases our metabolism for up to 48 hours after working out,” Tate says.

advertisement

What should your heart rate goal be for HIIT?

A good guideline is to strive for 70 to 90 percent of your maximal heart rate during the high-intensity sessions, and 55 to 65 percent during recovery, according to Len Kravitz, PhD, coordinator of exercise science at the University of Mexico and author of HIIT Your Limit. “The level of intensity during the work intervals stimulates many positive changes in the heart as well as positive changes in the muscle cells,” he shares.

The most basic way to find your max heart rate is to subtract your age from 220 and then apply the percentages. So someone who is 30 years old would have these targets:

High-intensity: 133 to 171 BPM

Low-intensity: 105 to 124 BPM

(Note that these are basic generalizations, and every body is different so your actual max could vary from this, and can only truly be determined in a lab.)

If you don’t have a heart rate monitoring device, you can monitor your effort by checking your breathing instead. If you can chat with your friend while you’re in the middle of your HIIT workout, you likely have enough energy to increase your output and speed up your heart rate.

How long should you stay in the high heart rate zone?

According to Tate, when you’re at your peak performance, you’re in the top heart rate zone. Throughout a 45-minute to one-hour workout, she says you should spend 10 to 20 solid minutes at high-intensity levels to see results. “You burn more calories per minute than with the lower heart rate workouts,” she shares.

However, there are two times when this is difficult: when you’re first starting out and when you’re an advanced athlete. Newbies may struggle to push themselves to an uncomfortable level, while experienced fitness enthusiasts will have to exert much more energy to reach those sky-high BPMs. Ogden recommends beginning with shorter high-intensity intervals and longer low-intensity intervals so you can get through the workout.

advertisement

What happens if you go above your max heart rate?

If you’ve ever taken an OTF class, you may know the thrill and/or fear of surpassing 100 percent HIIT heart rate. What will happen? “Technically, if you go above your predicted max heart rate, then it wasn’t truly your max,” Ambler-Wright says. 

Morbidly, if you truly surpass your actual max heart rate—particularly if you have a history of arterial disease or heart attack—you could overload your heart. That’s the worst-case scenario though, not to mention extremely uncommon.

What are the benefits of HIIT?

HIIT workouts are typically full-body workouts that offer a host of physical and mental benefits. What’s more, since they don’t take as long to perform as steady-state cardio, they’re great for folks with limited time to move their bodies. “One of the greatest benefits of HIIT is time efficiency; you can reap myriad positive health outcomes consistent with regular physical activity in a fraction of the time,” Ambler-Wright says. “With that said, it’s not easy.”

During the tough intervals, you should feel every part of your body putting in the work. Or, as Devan Kline, the co-founder and CEO of Burn Boot Camp describes it: You put all of your effort into your muscles, making your heart pump harder, thus improving the overall blood circulation to your body. As a result of exercising the heart muscle, your heart becomes stronger and healthier, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease.

Another benefit of heart rate training is increasing your VO2 max. This refers to the maximal amount of oxygen your body can utilize. “It’s commonly used to test the aerobic endurance or cardiovascular fitness of athletes,” says Lindsay Ogden, personal trainer and small group program manager for Life Time health clubs. “VO2 is important for heart health as it represents how much oxygen your heart can pump and how much of that oxygen the rest of your body can use.”

Ambler-Wright adds that HIIT benefits also include improved resting metabolic rate, substrate metabolism, body composition, insulin sensitivity, and cognitive functions. HIIT workouts have also been shown to decrease the risk for cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer, metabolic syndrome, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis known to cause lower back pain—all of which were detailed in a 2021 scholarly review1. 

How often should you do a HIIT workout?

When people start geeking out over tracking their heart rate, they may start to do tons of HIIT workouts to see faster results. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. According to Kravitz, if you feel exhausted and over-the-top sore after your routine, it may mean you’ve trained too hard or too long.

advertisement

“Most people can tolerate the varying intensities of HIIT quite well, but they just need to modify the workout for their fitness level,” he explains. His recommendation is to perform no more than three HIIT workouts per week on non-consecutive days.

Also, Tate reminds fitness fans that heart rate tracking isn’t only about cardio. In fact, you can amp up that BPM through many forms of exercise, including bodyweight strength training, typical weightlifting sessions, sports-centric workouts, and so on.

“Most people do HIIT cardio, but you can also go full intensity for any type of workout,” she says. “Remember that the purpose of HIIT is to go full steam—80 to 95 percent of your max heart rate—for a short time, followed by a period of low intensity. No matter how you do it, the goal remains the same.”

Frequently asked HIIT heart rate questions

Will my heart rate decrease as I get fitter?

According to Ambler-Wright, your max heart rate won’t necessarily dwindle as you get fitter. “What you may find is that as you become more fit, the relative intensity required to reach your maximum heart rate might be much higher than it was when you were less fit,” he says. “In essence, at a given workload, your heart rate will be lower the more fit you get.”

What is the ideal HIIT workout length?

Remember: You don’t have to exert yourself for a full 50 minutes to enjoy the benefits of HIIT. “The ideal HIIT workout varies anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes in length,” Ambler-Wright says. 

advertisement

The reason you can get away with these shorter workouts is due to the intensity of the movement. “The benefits of HIIT are truly derived from the intensity at which you’re challenging yourself, so it’s imperative to be able to go hard for the recommended duration and be able to repeat it for the recommended number of times,” says Ambler-Wright. 

You want to hit that target heart rate—that’s why 30 minutes is the sweet spot. “Extending the total workout length often comes at the expense of maintaining that high intensity necessary for each work interval; so, what was intended to be a HIIT session ends up being more of a moderate-intensity session, which commonly makes up most a large portion of people’s exercise activities.”

Who will get the most out of a HIIT workout?

Everyone can benefit from HIIT workouts. The beauty of the workout modality is that its modifiable. “High intensity is relative to the person, so they can determine just how hard they want to go,” Ambler-Wright says. “In fact, researchers have found that benefits can be realized by doing as few as three rounds of 20-second intervals2 at the hardest tolerable intensity followed by two minutes of recovery. Tack on a two-minute warm-up at the beginning, and a three-minute cool-down at the end, for a total of just 10 minutes of exercise.”

Who shouldn’t do HIIT workouts?

HIIT workouts require an intense exertion of energy. As such, you need to be up to the task if you’re going to engage in it.

“Individuals who are injured or who have bone or joint pain should perform HIIT using a mode of exercise that minimizes impact forces on the body and/or doesn’t involve the affected body part,” Ambler-Wright says. (Cycling, working out on an elliptical, and swimming are all great examples.) “Additionally, those individuals who are at higher risk based on their cardiometabolic health status should seek medical advice and clearance prior to initiating a HIIT program.”

That can include smokers, as well as people with diabetes3, high cholesterol, and/or high blood pressure.

Overall, HIIT is a challenging, inspiring workout modality for most to consider. If you have increased cardiometabolic risk factors, though, Ambler-Wright says that the biggest safety consideration is that you may be at an increased risk of an acute cardiovascular event, like a heart attack. There’s also “the potential for increased musculoskeletal injury depending on the mode, frequency, and volume of HIIT one performs,” he adds.

Ready to get started? Click play on the video below for a HIIT workout at home:

  1. Atakan MM, Li Y, Koşar ŞN, Turnagöl HH, Yan X. Evidence-Based Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Exercise Capacity and Health: A Review with Historical Perspective. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 5;18(13):7201. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18137201. PMID: 34281138; PMCID: PMC8294064.

    ↩︎

  2. Gillen JB, Martin BJ, MacInnis MJ, Skelly LE, Tarnopolsky MA, Gibala MJ. Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. PLoS One. 2016 Apr 26;11(4):e0154075. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154075. PMID: 27115137; PMCID: PMC4846072.

    ↩︎

  3. Francois ME, Little JP. Effectiveness and safety of high-intensity interval training in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Spectr. 2015 Jan;28(1):39-44. doi: 10.2337/diaspect.28.1.39. PMID: 25717277; PMCID: PMC4334091.

    ↩︎

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.

FitnessWorkouts

Adult Ballet is on the Rise—And Yes, You Should Totally Try it

Here's what to know before your first class.

Published Feb 26, 2025

Written by 

Lauren Wingenroth

Maybe it's the reemergence of balletcore, or maybe we're all just trying to discover our inner child, but ballet classes for adults are majorly on the rise. 

advertisement

Former Miami City Ballet dancer Miriam Landis has seen the adult ballet boom firsthand in her adult beginner classes at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle. “My classes have grown up to the point where I’ll have 50 people in one class,” she says. “Especially since COVID, people really have this need for connection and shared sense of purpose. It’s really different from going to an exercise class—it’s a little bit of a meditation.” 

While many adults are finding community, creativity and purpose in ballet classes, there can also be an intimidation factor. After all, it’s an art form often depicted as elite and exclusive. But Landis says the vibe of most adult classes couldn’t be further from the cutthroat worlds of Center Stage or Black Swan. 

“People do feel like it has an exclusive aura,” she says. “But we’re really trying to include rather than exclude. I’ve had students say they were always too scared to come, but they were so glad they did. When people discover it, it really becomes something meaningful in their life.”

Inspired to hit the ballet barre? Here’s what veteran teachers and adult ballet regulars think you should know before you go, plus the benefits you can expect to get out of ballet as an adult. 

What to know before your first adult ballet class

“Beginner” doesn’t always mean beginner.

Confusingly, just because a class is labeled “beginner” doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for first timers, says Landis. Instead, look for classes called “absolute beginner” or “fundamentals” to learn the basics. “It’s like a language,” says Landis. “It’s not like a yoga class where you can go in and follow along.” 

If you aren’t sure, call the studio to ask if a class is intended for first timers. Or, some studios will even let you observe a class before you try it, says Dawn Hillen, who teaches absolute beginner ballet at The Ailey Extension in New York City. “Go see the teacher, and watch how they interact with the students,” she says. “That’s the single best way to know if it’s a good fit for you.”

It isn’t a fitness class.

Yes, ballet is a form of exercise. But a ballet class is not a fitness class. Plenty of first timers come in with that mindset, only to have their understanding deepen over time, says Landis. “There’s a real artistic aspect to it that doesn’t exist in an exercise class,” she says. “You’re going to be thinking about every part of your body, not just executing a step, but how you execute the step; the quality of it.” (FYI: Though barre classes often claim to be ballet-inspired, real ballet classes are actually very different.) 

Expect your ballet teacher to speak in metaphors and imagery more than you may be used to. (For instance, Landis might tell students to hold their hand as if they have “a million diamonds on their fingers.”) There’s also the focus on moving to the music, and on performing for an imagined audience. “Everything is taught based on how your audience is going to receive it,” Landis says. “How are you going to offer your cheek to the person sitting in the third ring so that what you’re projecting reaches them?” 

Though you’ll likely gain strength, coordination and flexibility from a ballet practice, ultimately ballet is about learning a craft, says Landis. 

advertisement

You don’t have to splurge on leotards—unless you want to.

If your adult ballet dreams involve a leotard, pink tights and a ballet skirt, that’s great. Hillen says for some students, feeling like they look the part enhances their experience. But if you don’t feel comfortable in traditional ballet attire—or you don’t want to spend money for an activity you aren’t sure you’ll stick with—she says anything you can move in is fine to wear. Form-fitting activewear is ideal, she says, so that teachers can see the alignment of your body, but she understands that some beginners might feel better in looser clothes. 

Shoes are a different story. Street shoes are typically not allowed in dance studios, so you’ll either want to invest in ballet shoes (jazz shoes are also fine, says Hillen) or wear socks. But be aware that socks can be slippery, says Landis, who often sends new dancers to the school’s lost and found to try and find a pair that’ll work for them.

Be respectful, but don’t worry too much about “ballet etiquette.” 

If you’ve watched enough ballet movies, you may be familiar with the concept that ballet culture contains countless unspoken rules and etiquette norms. While there’s some truth to that, in the low-stakes world of an adult ballet class, you don’t need to worry about much that isn’t common sense or similar to what you’d encounter in a fitness class.

For instance, you’ll be in close proximity to others, so be mindful about personal hygiene and not wearing heavy perfumes, suggests Landis. Arrive early, try to avoid having to leave and reenter the class, and keep your phone in your bag and on silent. 

Spatial awareness is key: Avoid standing too close to anyone else, or standing directly in front of anyone while working in the center of the room. Landis says that it’s common for regulars to use the same barre spot during every class, so it’s a nice courtesy to ask someone if a spot is available before parking yourself there. And when you’re doing steps that travel across the floor, “maintain the traffic pattern, even if you mess up the steps,” says Hillen. “If you come to a dead stop and people are traveling behind you, people can get injured.”

It’s customary to thank your teacher (and pianist, if there is one) at the end of class, but Hillen recommends also saying hello before class begins, to introduce yourself, explain that you’re new, and flag any injuries you may have. 

Embrace the corrections. 

Unlike in a yoga class, where you may get one or two hands-on adjustments, or a fitness class, where the coach may give some general form suggestions, in ballet, teachers give individualized corrections near-constantly. 

When a teacher gives you a correction, rather than dwelling on the fact that you’re doing something wrong, try to see it as an opportunity to learn and grow, says Hillen. Often, she says, teachers give corrections because they see potential and they want to help you reach it. “If a teacher turns their eye to you, it’s a gift,” she says. That said, if you feel the environment of the class is such that corrections aren’t well-intended or are making you uncomfortable, you may want to find a teacher who is a better fit for you.

“I always tell students that they can mess up in front of me; that this is a safe space and I’m here to support their journey,” says Landis. “Even if teachers aren’t skilled at communicating that, their role is to help you learn the skill you’re there to learn.” 

advertisement

The benefits of adult ballet classes 

Practicing ballet as an adult has myriad benefits, depending on what you’re hoping to get out of it. First, there’s the physical: A ballet class is a form of anaerobic exercise, says Hillen, meaning there will be short bursts of movement that get you huffing and puffing, followed by rest as you learn the next combination. She says ballet also develops strength, flexibility, mobility, coordination, balance and good posture. 

There are also the mental benefits, she says, like greater spatial and body awareness. “You’re constantly being asked to remember new things,” Hillen says. “So you’re making a healthier brain by learning something quickly and producing it physically.”

For Beverly Lippman, a regular at Hillen’s class, ballet helps her “focus on the moment,” she says. “Everything else goes away. It’s a very restorative space.” Landis agrees. “The ability to slow down, listen to music, be in your body and be present is incredibly valuable,” she says. “That is so missing from our general lifestyle.” 

Often, adult ballet classes are highly social, welcoming spaces, says Adrienne Chan, who takes Landis’ class at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. “I’ve made a lot of friends—it’s been wonderful,” she says. “Everyone cheers each other on.”

For Melissa Castañeda, who teachers adult beginner ballet at the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance in New York City, there’s power in learning that you are capable of something new as an adult. “It’s always a joy to see students discovering something they didn’t know about themselves,” she says. “It’s common for people to discover that their bodies are able to move in ways they never thought they could move. Your confidence will increase if you’re training with a good instructor who allows you to discover that in yourself.”

“They’re just immeasurable,” says Hillen on the benefits of ballet. “It expands your life.”

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.

All Stories

Food
Cooking
Recipes

25 Immune-Boosting Comfort Food Recipes

Cozy, comforting, *and* full of all the vitamins and minerals you could need to get yourself to spring happy and healthy? Look no further.

by Christina Manian, RD
on Mar 8
soba noodles
Shopping

Yes, You *Do* Need a Pair of Barrel Jeans—Because They Look Amazing on Everyone

If you think barrel-leg jeans seem too bold for your wardrobe, don't knock 'em until you've tried 'em.

by Jamey Powell
on Mar 8
barrel jeans trend
Shopping

The Best Wellness Sales This Weekend: Athleta, Cozy Earth, and More

Bargain shoppers, Well+Good is surfacing the best sales this weekend that you won’t want to miss. Ready, get set—shop!

by Khuyen Dinh
on Mar 7
alt
Health

It’s Time To Stop Believing These 7 Myths About Endometriosis

The biggest? That your pain is normal.

by Tabitha Britt
on Mar 7
person lying on their back on their bed while wearing a white tank top and light blue jeans, holding their stomach and worrying about endometriosis myths keeping them from getting diagnosed
Food
Nutrition

Hold Up: Is Your Nutrition App Working Against You?

Here are 6 warning signs experts say to watch out for when using nutrition and fitness apps.

by Korin Miller
on Mar 7
High angle shot of fitness young Asian sports woman relaxing after working out, lying on yoga mat and using her smartphone against sunlight in the morning, reusable water bottle and headphones by her side.