The popularity of high-intensity interval training is on the rise. High-intensity interval training sessions are commonly called HIIT. This type of training involves repeated bouts of high-intensity effort followed by varied recovery times.
Modern life has a way of making us feel time-crunched and pressured to find the most efficient ways of using the precious hours when we’re not sleeping. The trendy fitness regimen high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, epitomizes this feeling.
HIIT promises the best workout in the least amount of time. Runners have used interval training for more than 100 years, alternating between sprints and jogging to improve their endurance. But HIIT didn’t really go mainstream until about a decade ago when exercise physiologists started to come out with study after study demonstrating that intervals could deliver the biggest health improvement for your exercise time.
1. It Burns Fatter
Not only do you burn more calories during a high-intensity interval training workout than steady-state cardio, but the effect of all that intense exertion kicks your body’s repair cycle into hyperdrive. That means you burn more fat and calories in the 24 hours after a HIIT workout than you do after, say, a steady-pace run. So, if you’re looking to get out of a morning jog with your roommate, just tell them all about this benefit of HIIT. HIIT is renowned for burning lots of calories and fat.
In fact, it reportedly burns 13 calories per minute by pushing the body to meet the demands of the heart’s maximum rate. Opting for this type of training is great for those looking to lose fat, but should be balanced with a healthy diet that provides enough calories for sufficient fuel. A more recent study found that HIIT workouts using a hydraulic resistance system may burn more calories than equal periods of steadier forms of exercise. These findings suggest that HIIT may help people burn more calories in less time.
2. Improves Cardiovascular Health
Many studies are now showing that HIIT workouts promote greater improvements Most people aren’t used to pushing into the anaerobic threshold when your body needs to recruit energy stores already available without the assistance of oxygen. But HIIT training asks you to enter this anaerobic zone often as there is limited time for rest. The short bursts or sprints of work require your muscles to burn glucose (energy) anaerobically as there isn’t enough time for oxygen to help produce additional ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is your body’s main energy source.
And high-intensity interval training helps your heart and body improve their anaerobic threshold. One study found that after eight weeks of doing HIIT workouts, people could ride their bikes twice as long as they could before they started doing HIIT workouts. General fitness abilities compared to steady-state exercises. By pushing your heart rate high during periods of intense workouts, you’ll be able to increase your cardiovascular ability and strengthen your heart. During the short rest intervals, you work on recovering more quickly and needing less time to rest, helping you to build stamina over time and perform the physical exercise more efficiently.
3. Improving Mental Health
Although all exercise may benefit mental health, HIIT training may be especially helpful. The Trusted Source suggests that HIIT can provide a range of benefits for people with mental illnesses, including reducing the severity of depression. Also, the effects of HIIT training on people with chronic schizophrenia are very good. The research found that many people with psychiatric conditions had low motivation to exercise and felt that exercise was too time-consuming. Short HIIT workouts could help overcome difficulties with motivation and finding time to exercise. The study recorded the effects of an 8-week program of HIIT workouts in people from a psychiatric day care unit.
The program consisted of three workouts a week, each of which was 15 minutes long with 5 minutes warming up and cooling down on either side. Of the 20 participants, 18 completed the program. The results showed the following mental and physical improvements:
- Decreased Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Lower Resting Heart Rate
- Lower Pulse Pressure
- Decreased Body Weight
- Improved Mental Health Scores, including reduced levels of depression and social avoidance
4. There’s No Equipment Necessary
Running, biking, jump roping, and rowing all work great for HIIT, but you don’t need any equipment to get it done. High knees, fast feet, or anything plyometric such as jump lunges works just as well to get your heart rate up fast and reap the benefits of high-intensity interval training. Here are a few no-equipment HIIT workouts to get you started.
5. It can help Regulate your Blood Sugar Levels
Research conducted in Denmark showed that people with type 2 diabetes had better-controlled blood sugar levels after 12 weeks of HIIT. For people living with diabetes, this could make a huge difference in their lives, helping them to keep their blood sugar levels at a healthy rate. It’s good news for people who aren’t diabetes sufferers, too, as regulating blood sugar levels helps to maintain energy levels and avoid that mid-afternoon slump. Studies have shown that resistance-based HIIT benefits blood flow and blood vessel dilation. An examination of fifty studies found that HIIT reduces blood sugar and improves insulin resistance more than traditional continuous exercise. This highlights that HIIT is particularly beneficial for those at risk of type 2 diabetes, with some studies on sufferers showing the success of HIIT in improving blood sugar.
How to Start
One of the benefits of HIIT is that people can do it anywhere, including at home or in a park. Although there are likely to be HIIT classes on offer at a local gym, no classes or equipment are necessary for this type of training. People can use their preferred form of exercise for the exercise intervals. They may wish to cycle, sprint, or use a skipping rope. If a person is using exercise equipment, they can increase the resistance for extra intensity and then reduce it again for the rest period. People can also do a variety of exercises using just their body weight, such as:
- Press ups
- Burpees
- Jumping Jacks
- Squats
- Situps
How Many Times a Week Can You do a HIIT Workout?
HIIT workouts are more exhaustive than steady-state endurance workouts. Therefore, a longer recovery period is often needed. Perhaps start with one HIIT training workout a week, with your other workouts being steady-state workouts. As you feel ready for more challenges, add a second HIIT workout a week, making sure you spread the HIIT workouts throughout the week.
What about the “Afterburn” Effect of HIIT
Many HIIT gyms tout exercise programs that will lead to an “afterburn” or “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” — a period of elevated calorie burn after you exercise. It’s also marginal, not the kind of calorie loss that would lead to lasting weight loss.
Building more muscles, however, can be a little more helpful for the afterburn. One of the variables that affect your resting metabolic rate is the amount of lean muscle you have. At any given weight, the more muscle on your body, and the less fat, the higher your metabolic rate. That’s because muscle uses a lot more energy than fat while at rest.
So, the logic is if you can build up your muscle and reduce your body fat, you’ll have a higher resting metabolism and more quickly burn the fuel in your body. But that takes work, a lot more work than a short aerobic HIIT workout.
Final HIIT Message
Interval training has been an integral part of athletic training programs for many years because a variety of sports and recreational activities require short bursts of movement at high intensities. Interval training is becoming an increasingly recognized and well-liked method of training. The incorporation of interval training into a general conditioning program will optimize the development of cardiorespiratory fitness as well as numerous other health benefits. Give HIIT a try!
