4 Awesome Benefits of HIIT & Why You Should Do It

“What type of exercise is the most beneficial?”  

A question I get ALL THE TIME.   

The Answer?   

It depends on your goals.   

Are you trying to lose fat? Tone up? Get in better shape in general? 

Well, if your goal is any of the above then HIIT workouts are for you! 

What is HIIT? 

High-Intensity Interval training (HIIT) is simply alternating periods of high intensity with periods of low intensity. The main goal of interval training is to bring your heart rate up, then bring it back down.

You can do this in a variety of ways whether it be swimming, running, cycling, or strength training. That is the beauty of interval training! You can literally do it just about anywhere doing just about anything!

Benefits of HIIT

HIIT burns lots of calories.

 High-intensity interval training is, well, INTENSE. Because of this you typically burn a large amount of calories, not only during your workout but also up to hours after. This is due to a fun thing called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). After an intense workout, your body consumes lots of energy trying to get your body back to normal functioning levels or homeostasis.

HIIT will take up less of your time.

 Generally, HIIT workouts last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Why the short duration? Because interval training is more intense, your body fatigues faster due to depletion of energy and accumulation of lactate. Fortunately, 10-30 minutes is all you need to get the health and fitness benefits and get in great shape!

HIIT will get you fit fast.

Several studies have shown that interval training is superior to steady state cardio for improving cardiovascular fitness. Interval training improves your VO2max and lactate threshold. What does that mean? Let’s just say that the person with the highest VO2max and lactate threshold is the person that will win the race every time. It means you are fit AF. That and it HIIT increases your ability to burn fat!

[bctt tweet=”Studies have found that HIIT improves your ability to burn fat. AWESOME. “]

HIIT keeps your heart healthy.

A study done in March of 2015 found that HIIT was better at reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and inflammation than moderate intensity cardio. HIIT was also shown to increase vascular function, overall heart health, and performance.

Now that you know of all the benefits of HIIT, try out this workout! 

Sources:

1. Physiology of Exercise, Pat Vehrs
2.  The Impact of High-Intensity Interval Training Versus Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training on Vascular Function: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Joyce S. Ramos, Lance C. Dalleck, Arnt Erik Tjonna, Kassia S. Beetham, Jeff S. Coombes