What is HIIT?
If you workout or have friends who workout, you have probably heard the term, high intensity interval training also known as HIIT workouts, but what exactly is it? HIIT involves repeated bouts of high intensity effort followed by varied recovery times. The intense work periods may range from 5 seconds to 8 minutes long, and are performed at 80% to 95% of a person’s estimated maximal heart rate, the maximum number of times your heart will beat in a minute without overexerting yourself. The recovery periods may last equally as long as the work periods and are usually performed at 40% to 50% of a person’s estimated maximal heart rate. The workout continues with the alternating work and relief periods totaling 20-60 minutes. HIIT workouts can be performed on all exercise modes, including walking, swimming, cycling, elliptical cross-training and stair climbing.
Benefits of HIIT
Some of the excitement surrounding HIIT is that it can be a super efficient workout in terms of time commitment. HIIT can be done anywhere and usually doesn’t require equipment. This type of intense training causes a sort of metabolic disturbance, which can result in the body burning calories at a higher rate up to 48-72 hours later. HIIT workouts provide similar benefits as continuous endurance workouts, but in shorter periods of time. The reason for this is because HIIT workouts tend to burn more calories than traditional workouts, especially after the workout. This post-exercise period is called “EPOC”, which stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. This is generally about a 2-hour period after an exercise bout where the body is restoring itself to pre-exercise levels, and thus using more energy. HIIT training has been shown to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness, blood pressure, cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity (which helps the exercising muscles more readily use glucose for fuel to make energy), cholesterol profiles and weight management.
The body has to heal after this type of training so it is not recommended that you perform HIIT every day-usually it is recommended to perform this type of training a maximum of 1-3 days per week. It is also important to mention that not all exercise programs are suitable for everyone so prior to beginning any exercise program it’s recommended to seek medical evaluation and clearance from your doctor.
Links to workouts:
http://dailyburn.com/life/db/hiit-workouts-for-beginners/
https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/fat-burning-hiit-cardio-workout
Contributed by Kasey Portilla, Dietetics Student
References
ACSM | ACSM Blog. American College of Sports Medicine. http://www.acsm.org/public-information/acsm-blog/2014/10/09/high-intensity-interval-training-its-a-hiit! Accessed April 17, 2018.
ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal: High-Intensity Interval Training: A Review of Physiological and Psychological Responses. September/October 2014 – Volume 18 – Issue 5 – p 11–16doi: 10.1249/FIT.0000000000000067
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