Time is important and it is scarce. We hardly have enough time to do anything for ourselves and as a result, our workouts are compromised. Other days, we just do not feel like doing anything. But you need not necessarily spend hours at a fitness center.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts allow you to get the benefits of exercise in small amounts of time. HIIT is defined by spurts of high-intensity physical activities followed by short periods of recovery. HIIT workouts keep your heart rate at more than 80% of the maximum rate, which allows you to reap the benefits of working out in less time.
Studies suggest that your body may continue to burn calories after a HIIT workout. It improves blood pressure levels, reduces fat and weight, and lower cholesterol in addition to improving overall fitness. Join FITPASS and attend HIIT workouts at several gyms in your area or even when you’re traveling.
Benefits of HIIT
1. Burns lots of calories
The body uses the energy reserves during anaerobic interval training and the metabolism stays elevated even after the workout. The body continues to burn calories up to an hour after the workout. The intense nature of the workout leads to the ‘excess post-exercise oxygen consumption’ (EPOC) effect due to which your body does not only burn calories during a workout but continues to do so as your body replaces energy and repairs muscle proteins that are damaged during the workout.
The body burns up to 5 calories per liter of oxygen consumed. Including exercises in your regime that increase the demand for oxygen in your body will increase the rate at which calories are burned during and after a workout. HIIT requires a tremendous amount of oxygen during the work interval and recovery periods.
2. Fast recovery
The benefits of HIIT workouts include significant production of metabolic wastes, which include lactic acids and hydrogen. Short recovery intervals help remove these waste products and enable the muscles to continue working at high-intensity. A HIIT workout trains your body to be able to sustain itself and recover well after high-intensity workouts.
3. Short & effective
If 1 means low intensity and 10 means the highest intensity of exercise, you should perform HIIT workouts at a level of 8 or above till you are out of breath or for 30 seconds, whatever comes earlier. Your recovery interval should allow you to get your breath under control – they can be as long as the work interval. A good HIIT workout should include 5-7 minutes of warm-up to increase heart rate, followed by at least 5 high-intensity work intervals and a 4-6 minutes cool-down periods to ensure proper recovery.
4. Increased muscle growth
HIIT benefits the muscle tissue by putting significant stress on them. As a result, the body produces high amounts of human growth hormone – testosterone and insulin – to repair damaged muscle proteins. Therefore, attending HIIT Classes increases muscle size and definition.
HIIT disproves the misconception that you need to spend hours at the gym or fitness studio to lose weight and get big & strong muscles. HIIT is a new way to work smarter rather than work longer. However, do not go for HIIT classes more than thrice a week or your body won’t get enough time to recover.