HIIT — high-intensity interval training — has been around for many years. Initially used by serious athletes to improve performance, it has become a popular fitness technique for exercisers at all levels. The benefits of HIIT are many and varied, and weight loss is definitely one of those benefits. Check with your doctor before trying an HIIT workout.
What Is HIIT?
HIIT is an exercise technique in which you alternate short bouts of high-intensity exercise with equal or slightly longer recovery bouts. Many types of exercise are conducive for use in an HIIT workout. For example, running, biking, jumping rope and many exercise machines are all good mediums for an HIIT workout. When doing an HIIT workout, start with a five- to 10-minute warmup. Next, do one minute of exercise at a very hard pace. By the end of your high-intensity interval, you should feel as if you cannot go any longer at that level. Perform your recovery interval at a much lower intensity. It should last at least one minute, and up to three minutes. Do 10 to 12 complete cycles of high-intensity and recovery intervals. Finish with a five-minute cooldown.
HIIT and Weight Loss
Incorporating HIIT workouts into your fitness regimen will help you lose weight. Alternating high-intensity and low-intensity exercise is very effective for weight loss. HIIT doesn't just help you lose weight, it helps your body burn fat better, which means the weight loss will come from stored fat. When you do HIIT, your body burns more fat during the workout, but it also continues burning fat more efficiently long after your workout as well.
Other HIIT Benefits
Weight loss is not the only benefit of HIIT workouts. HIIT also produces rapid improvements in your cardiovascular fitness. Exercisers who incorporated HIIT into their fitness regimen saw marked improvements in the area of endurance. A final benefit of HIIT is that you see results from it very quickly. In just two weeks, exercisers noticed improvements in endurance and increased fat burning. Because HIIT provides such quick results, you are likely to stay motivated and exercise more faithfully.
Tips for using HIIT
To successfully implement HIIT, follow these tips. Start slowly with fewer interval cycles, working your way up to the suggested 10 to 12 interval cycles. Also it is recommended that you only do HIIT workouts two times per week. Allow your body at least one day in between each HIIT workout to recover. Finally, while many types of exercise work well for HIIT workouts, consider starting on an exercise machine. Elliptical trainers, treadmills and stair machines make it very easy for your to control your intensity level. They also have built in stopwatches you can use to time your intervals.
References
- American Council on Exercise; What Is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and What Are the Benefits?; Pete McCall, M.S.
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Two Weeks of High-intensity Aerobic Interval Training Increases the Capacity for Fat Oxidation during Exercise in Women; J.L. Talanian, et al.; December 2006
- "The New York Times"; A Healthy Mix of Rest and Motion; Peter Jaret; May 2007
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