HIIT for greater weightloss results!

I've recently added HIIT to my workouts and can already see amazing results. HIIT can be used especially, to get you over a plateau. Doing hours of cardio, week after week gets very taxing and the bad part is, your body gets used to the workload, adapts and your workout goes stale.

What is HIIT Training?


HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT workouts are usually split into two interval periods of work and recovery. For example, a 60 second sprint would be the work and a 2 minute walk would be the recovery interval. These intervals are then repeated (the number of times depends on your goal, fitness level and the length of your intervals) until the end of your HIIT session.

How effective is HIIT?

HIIT training is extremely effective at increasing your fitness level quickly and helps you to lose weight faster. Studies show that your metabolism is raised for 12-48 hours after a HIIT session and this is where more of its fat loss benefits come from. This process is known as Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption.

Where and With What Equipment Can You Do HIIT Training?

Pretty much anything and everything! You can do intervals on the treadmill, bike, rowing machine, etc. Use it on your road runs, with weights, with your bodyweight, up and down stairs - the options are endless!

What are the cons to HIIT training?

HIIT really takes you to some place way outside of your comfort zone, which many of us aren't used to. The first thing we want to do when we step out of that zone is go back in where we feel most comfortable. My advice is to go into it slowly, maybe just start off with 1-2 sessions per week. Do short intervals if you havn't done them before and get used to the intensity. You want to be working at about an 8 out of 10 intensity during your work intervals (where 10 out of 10 feels like your heart is about to explode!). Then gradually progress to longer workouts when your body adapts.


HIIT or Low Intensity Cardio?

When performing low intensity cardio workouts, a greater percentage of the total calories burned will be from fat. However, if we look at the bigger picture, this is not the best option for fat loss. The reason is that although a bigger percentage of fat is burned with low intensity cardio, you're likely to burn more calories in total (and usually in less time) if you were doing High Intensity Interval Training. This means the percentage of fat burned was less, yes...BUT the total amount of fat calories burned is maximized with HIIT.



With HIIT you also get that 'afterburn' effect (ie.Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption) that keeps your metabolism raised long after the end of your workout. This, in my opinion, is a definite plus and makes HIIT the ultimate fat-burning cardio. This isn't for the light-hearted though and of course it isn't for everyone. If you're looking for something a little more exciting, I recommend you give it a try.
 
Let me know what you think.