BENEFITS OF HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING
HIIT, also known as high-intensity interval training, is commonly described as a workout technique that focuses on quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short recovery periods. HIIT is holding strong as a fitness trend on the rise, due to its proven ability to burn more fat in less time.
Despite all the hype around HIIT, if you still need convincing, check out these facts about HIIT that you might not have known before and reasons why it’s so easy to start incorporating this type of training into your regular workout routine:
1. Increases Your Metabolism
Human growth hormone or HGH is responsible for our body’s ability to pack on lean body mass, keep energy levels high and increase healing capacities. We often refer to this as our metabolism and unfortunately, it naturally decreases after adolescence. HIIT stimulates HGH production which translates to a boost in your metabolism for up to 48 hours after a completed high-intensity interval exercise. Before you know it, you’ll start to look at feel years younger!
2. Lose Fat, Not Muscle
Steady cardio is associated with losing muscle. HIIT workouts combine weight training (the weight being your body) with and quicker movements, which will effectively allow you to preserve your muscle gain while still shedding unwanted fat.
3. No Equipment Needed
The main focus of HIIT exercises are to get your heart rate up and keep it there. All you really need for an effective HIIT workout are plyometric exercises, like high knees or lateral jumps. These workouts result in optimal muscle building and muscle retention, coupled with fat loss and increased calorie burn.
4. Quick and Efficient
HIIT is great if you have a limited amount of time to work out. Instead of spending 60-90 minutes at the gym, cut it down to 30 minutes of high-intensity interval training. By doing this, you will accomplish more work in less time. Another popular workout similar to HIIT is Tabata training where you are on for 20 seconds, off for 10 seconds, repeated for four minutes. )
5. You Can Do It Anywhere
Another great thing about HIIT exercises is you can adapt them to whatever time and space constraints you have. HIIT exercises require little to no equipment and can be done in a relatively small space; this will eliminate your before or after work commute to the gym. You can do it as a form of sprints, boxing, skipping, rowing…
What Does This All Mean?
The bottom line is, if you are short on time and want to get active, consider trying high-intensity interval training. Keep in mind, because these workouts are considerably short, you will be working hard the whole time, but it will be well worth it. Not only is HIIT a great way to keep your workouts exciting, high-intensity interval training produces many of the same health benefits as other forms of exercise.
Have a nice week.