HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. This type of training program is centered towards maximum effort within a minimum time frame. HIIT programs gets you to coast for a few seconds but force you to act in spurts for a short period of time. It’s all about going from zero to sixty in a heartbeat with HIIT programs and it’s not just a gimmick. No, in fact HIIT programs have a lot of benefits that are actually proven by science.
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Time Efficient
HIIT is the definitive answer to those who always find excuses not to train, often blaming it on the lack of time. As mentioned above, HIIT is based around a continuous but fluctuating intensity of training which has little to no rest periods involved. This makes efficient use of training time and it has potential to be done virtually any time of day.
This could be anywhere from doing a short kettlebell complex or training with a jump rope. You can even just run up and down the stairs during lunch break to get more out of your busy day. There’s even a method called Tabata Training which gets you a decent HIIT workout in under 4 minutes.
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Effective Fat Burner
Fitness programs mostly revolve around one thing and that’s burning fat. Getting muscle, losing weight, these are all great results of burning a lot of unnecessary fat in the body. As far as torching body fat is concerned, HIIT is one of the prime examples of an effective fat burner.
Studies have even shown how 4 – 6 30-second sprints with 4-minute rest periods in between can do better than 60 minutes of incline treadmill walking. Convert that into minutes and you come up with better overall results with 27 minutes of HIIT than 60-minute cardio sessions.
On top of that, HIIT also promotes muscle “callusing” or micro tears which grows the muscles in the body each time you train. The rapid pace and the limited rest time forces the body to try and keep up with this kind of training which facilitates muscle recovery shortly after a single HIIT session.
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Improves Overall Health
Your heart will love you if you do HIIT. As HIIT sessions always puts you at your most effort even for short periods, your body will most likely improve much more than it would with moderate and continuous exercise. This is due to how the body responds to repeatedly dishing out max effort in a continuous cycle, allowing your body to grow stronger and function better after each session.
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Minimalist
One of the best things about HIIT is how it promotes minimalism. Similar to our concept in time efficiency, HIIT is driven by simple exercises that can be completed by using little to no equipment.
You can choose to use a bit of equipment with jump ropes, biking, rowing, kettlebell swings, and running or you can go without equipment with plyometrics such as burpees, high knees, fast feet, and jumping lunges. The fact that it’s also minimalist means you can choose to combine as little exercise as you need to do in one session and increase volume.
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The Afterburn Effect
HIIT can give you a good boost in metabolic rate for a whole day. This is due to how doing HIIT makes us consume much more oxygen than in slower, steady-state exercise. Consuming more oxygen means your body burns a lot more calories even after you’re done training. This is what most people call the “afterburn” effect and this enables your body to burn more calories up to 48 hours after an HIIT session.
Conclusion
Start exploring HIIT programs and find a way to incorporate them into your workout routines. Not only will you be including variety in your training but also drastically improve your overall fitness program. This will translate into a stronger and healthier body and all you added was a few minutes of extra work.
