What is HIIT? HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training and includes short bursts of intense exercise in combination with low-intensity or rest periods. According to some researches, HIIT is the most time-efficient form of exercise.
Interval training usually last between 10 and 30 minutes, no matter how short the training is, it can result in 2 times more benefits than medium-intensity training. The best thing is that many exercises can be part of HIIT. For example, a HIIT on an exercise bike can consist of 30-second high-intensity periods with 30-second rest periods.
Let's see some benefits of HIIT
1. HIIT burns a lot of calories in a short time
One research compared calorie burn between 30-minute medium-intensity training and HIIT (biking and running). HIIT consisted of 20-second maximum power bursts and 40-second rest periods.
Results showed that HIIT group burned 25-30% more calories than the control group which means that by performing HIIT one can burn more calories by exercising only 1/3 of the time. That is the main reason why HIIT usually last shorter than other forms of training.
. Fat burn
Taking into consideration that HIIT burns more calories and that it speeds up metabolism, it also helps burn fat faster. One research on obese people showed that 3 20-minute HIITs per week in a period of 12 weeks resulted in 2 kg fat loss without any change in diet. That usually means that if you want to lose fat, you don't necessarily need to cut your calorie intake, you may just start exercising and enjoy your food.
3. Better oxygen usage
By oxygen usage we mean the amount of oxygen muscle can use per one minute. More oxygen means more power and better muscle performance. For better oxygen utilization, people often perform conditioning exercises that last very long. It is proven that HIIT can offer the same effect in much shorter time. 20-minute HIIT has the same effect as 40-minute conditioning training.
4. Lower heart rate and blood pressure
HIIT helps lower blood pressure and resting heart rate. It is very helpful for obese people and those who have a high blood pressure. 20-minute HIIT has same effects as 40-minute regular training.
In the next blog, I will provide you with some HIIT workouts :-)
Author: Martin Matešić