5 Benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

While most of the people know that physical activity is healthy, it's estimated that about 30% of individuals worldwide aren't getting enough (1Trusted Source).

Unless you've got a physically demanding job, a fanatical fitness routine is probably going your best bet for getting active.

Unfortunately, many of us feel that they do not have enough time to exercise.

If this seems like you, maybe it is time to undertake high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

HIIT may be a broad term for workouts that involve short periods of intense exercise alternated with recovery periods.

One of the most important advantages of HIIT is that you simply can get maximal health benefits in minimal time.

This article explains what HIIT is and examines 5 of its top health benefits.

What Is High-Intensity Interval Training?
HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods. Interestingly, it's perhaps the foremost time-efficient thanks to exercise (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).

Typically, a HIIT workout will range from 10 to half-hour in duration.

Despite how short the workout is, it can produce health benefits almost like twice the maximum amount of moderate-intensity exercise.

The actual activity being performed varies but can include sprinting, biking, jump rope, or other bodyweight exercises.

For example, a HIIT workout employing a stationary exercycle could contain 30 seconds of cycling as fast as possible against high resistance, followed by several minutes of slow, easy cycling with low resistance.

This would be considered one "round" or "repetition" of HIIT, and you'd typically complete 4 to six repetitions in one workout.

The specific amount of your time you exercise and recover will vary supported by the activity you select and the way intensely you're exercising.

Regardless of how it's implemented, high-intensity intervals should involve short periods of vigorous exercise that make your pulse speed up.

Not only does HIIT provide the advantages of longer-duration exercise during a much shorter amount of your time — but it's going to also provide some unique health benefits.

1. HIIT Can Burn tons of Calories during a Short Amount of time
(You can burn calories quickly using HIIT).

One study compared the calories burned for a half-hour each of HIIT, weight training, running, and biking.

The researchers found that HIIT burned 25–30% more calories than the opposite sorts of exercise.

In this study, a HIIT repetition consisted of 20 seconds of maximal effort, followed by 40 seconds of rest.

This means that the participants were only exercising for 1/3 of the time that the running and biking groups were.

Although each workout session was a half-hour long during this study, it's common for HIIT workouts to be much shorter than traditional exercise sessions.

This is because HIIT allows you to burn about an equivalent amount of calories, but spend less time exercising.

2. Your rate Is Higher for Hours After Exercise

One of the ways HIIT helps you burn calories comes after you're done exercising.

Several studies have demonstrated HIIT's impressive ability to extend your rate for hours after exercise.

Some researchers have even found that HIIT increases your metabolism after exercise more so than jogging and weight training.

In the same study, HIIT was also found to shift the body's metabolism toward using fat for energy instead of carbs.

Another study showed that just two minutes of HIIT within the sort of sprints increased metabolism over 24 hours the maximum amount as half-hour of running.

SUMMARY:
Due to the intensity of the workout, HIIT can elevate your metabolism for hours after exercise. This leads to additional calories being burned even after you've got finished exercising.

3. It Can assist you Lose Fat

Studies have shown that HIIT can assist you to lose fat.

One review checked out 13 experiments and 424 overweight and obese adults.

Interestingly, it found that both HIIT and traditional moderate-intensity exercise can reduce body fat and waist circumference.

Additionally, one study found that folks performing HIIT 3 times per week for 20 minutes per session lost 4.4 pounds, or 2 kgs, of body fat in 12 weeks — with none dietary changes.

Perhaps more important was the 17% reduction in visceral fat, or the disease-promoting fat surrounding your internal organs.

Several other studies also indicate that body fat is often reduced with HIIT, despite the relatively low time commitment.

However, like other sorts of exercise, HIIT could also be best for fat loss in those that are overweight or obese.

4. you would possibly Gain Muscle Using HIIT

In addition to helping with fat loss, HIIT could help increase muscle mass in certain individuals.

However, the gain in muscle mass is primarily within the muscles getting used the foremost, often the trunk and leg.

Additionally, it is vital to notice that increases in muscle mass are more likely to occur in less active individuals, to start with.

Some research in active individuals has did not show higher muscle mass after HIIT programs.

Weight training continues to be the "gold standard" sort of exercise to extend muscle mass, but high-intensity intervals could support a little amount of muscle growth.

5. HIIT Can Improve Oxygen Consumption

Oxygen consumption refers to your muscles' ability to use oxygen, and endurance training is usually wont to improve your oxygen consumption.

Traditionally, this consists of long sessions of continuous running or cycling at a gentle rate.

However, it appears that HIIT can produce equivalent benefits during a shorter amount of your time.

One study found that five weeks of HIIT workouts performed four days per week for 20 minutes each session improved oxygen consumption by 9%.

This was almost just like the development in oxygen consumption within the other group within the study, who cycled continuously for 40 minutes per day, four days per week.

Another study found that eight weeks of exercising on the stationary bike using traditional exercise or HIIT increased oxygen consumption by about 25%.

Once again, the entire time exercising was much different between groups: 120 minutes per week for the normal exercise versus the only hour per week of HIIT.

Additional studies also demonstrate that HIIT can improve oxygen consumption.