Do You HIIT Train?
Now days we have a little more time to exercise during this national crisis and that doesn’t mean we should always be doing long runs or walks. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has gained popularity as a quick and effective way to exercise, and it offers many of the same health benefits as other types of exercise.
It’s FREE!
HIIT also requires no equipment or gym membership, so people can do it anywhere at a time that suits them. Which comes to a huge relief as we have all been relocated to our home gyms or neighbor sidewalks.
Increased Fat Burn
Anaerobic interval training uses the body’s reserves of energy and, after a workout, metabolism stays elevated and continues to burn calories for hours after the workout. Not only does your body metabolize fat for fuel during the workout, during the post-exercise recovery period after HIIT exercise the body will tap into fat stores for the energy required to restore it to its normal resting state
Intensity
Exercise intensity can be measured with a scale of perceived exertion, where 1 is low intensity and 10 is the highest intensity you can tolerate. For the greatest benefits, HIIT should be performed at an eight or higher for periods lasting 30 seconds or less (or to the point of breathlessness). Recovery intervals should be as long or slightly longer than the work interval (or until breathing is quick, but under control). An effective workout should have a five- to seven-minute warm-up period to elevate heart rate, a minimum of five high-intensity work intervals and a four- to six-minute cool-down period to help start the recovery process.
Efficient
Research shows you can achieve more progress in a mere 15 minutes of interval training (done three times a week) than the person jogging on the treadmill for an hour. And according to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, just two weeks of high-intensity intervals improves your aerobic capacity as much as six to eight weeks of endurance training.
Keep Your Gains
While steady-state cardio seems to encourage muscle loss, studies show that both weight training and HIIT workouts allow dieters to preserve their hard-earned muscles while ensuring most of the weight lost comes from fat stores. Win/win!
Endurance
Your V02 max is a measure of endurance. It calculates the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use and is also a big signifier of overall health. Several studies have come to the same conclusion. High-intensity interval training leads to significant improvements in V02 max compared to other forms of exercise in a shorter time.
My Experience (Wes)
When I was at my peak physical shape I was performing 4-5 HIIT training sessions a week for 10-15 minutes. My splits would be 30 second seconds sprints with a 30 seconds rest. What I noticed was a fast decrease in belly fat and love handles (muffin top). I recently dipped back into HIIT training with weights and track sessions since the stay at home orders. I can say that when I have gotten away from this type of accessory training my body has never felt or looked the same.
Written by: Wes Steel