disclaimer: this is a collaborative post. the author, Maggie Hammond, is a retired nurse & freelance writer; as an advocate for public health, along with her nursing qualifications, she is passionate about raising awareness & sharing her knowledge. she can be reached at: maggiehammond57@gmail.com. I felt this info interesting and worth sharing; thank you for understanding and taking a read!
Hello to one of my favorite things ever!
With the business of holidays, the pop up parties, and extra time spent at the mall to find the perfect gift — a HIIT workout is perfect for when you are short on time. HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training, is a form of exercising where you apply maximum effort for short intervals of time followed by short recovery periods. But what is so special about HIIT and why does it work?
the science behind HIIT. One the biggest benefits of HIIT is that it can improve metabolic rate. The boost you get from a single high intensity interval training session can last for a long period after you’re finished.
Since HIIT is relatively new, they took things a step further; while research on HIIT is still fairly new, it looks promising. Hakan Westerblad, a pharmacology and physiology professor at Karolinska Institute, took muscle samples from cyclists who performed 6 separate 30 seconds sessions of maximum intensity pedaling on a stationary bike, followed by 3 minute breaks. They had some pretty awesome results; the HIIT training triggered molecular changes in the participants’ muscle structure that could be detected 24 hours later. Dude! The muscles essentially adapted themselves to the intensity of the interval workouts, and showed significant gains even if the training periods were relatively short.
what are the benefits of HIIT. HIIT is extremely efficient (helloooo short intervals) and allows you to get a good workout in a limited amount of time (yes, please!), which is perfect for people with busy schedules (as I raise both hands). Furthermore, HIIT is an excellent fat burner and can do wonders for your cardiovascular health. And for many forms of high intensity interval training, absolutely no equipment is needed and HIIT exercises can be performed virtually anywhere, making them perfect for professionals, those that have to travel for work, or if you wanna break a good sweat on vacay. Lastly, HIIT has been shown to naturally increase human growth hormones in the body, which are essential for slowing down the aging process, fracture healing, stronger bones and muscle strength.
what are the best exercises for HIIT? Sprinting, cycling and boxing training are all great forms of HIIT that anyone can practice. The important part is that you have to make sure you reach the highest intensity possible between breaks and that the breaks are not too long in between sessions.
You can also do simple exercises like jumping jacks, burpees or use a jump rope. For instance, you could jump as fast as you possibly can for a period of 30 seconds, followed by a 30 to 90 second break. This is a great workout that will not only leave you energized, but boost your heart rate and metabolism long after the session is over.
When done right, high intensity interval training is a great way to burn fat fast. It will allow you to burn calories for hours, is very satisfying, and you won’t have to go through long sessions of excruciating pain to get the same results. It is also great to boost endurance, stimulate muscle growth and improve your heart’s health. So, if you haven’t tried yet, you should definitely look into HIIT more in details and see if it is for you.
