HIIT
– A little bit of pain for a lot of gain?
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What is HIIT?
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High intensity interval training (HIIT) involves alternating periods of short, intense exercise with short recovery periods. HIIT is becoming increasingly popular as it is a time-efficient strategy to induce numerous metabolic adaptations usually associated with traditional endurance training.
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So, if you’re not already on board with HIIT, read on to get motivated and see why you should be!
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Physiological Benefits
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Research has shown that HIIT can increase skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and endurance performance and alter metabolic control during aerobic-based exercise (2). One of the most remarkable findings from recent studies is the dramatic improvement in exercise performance despite the very low training volume. HIIT can increase your bodies ability to consume oxygen, as well as lowering your resting heart rate and blood pressure (1).
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VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilise in a set amount of time. This is dependent on how many red blood cells you have, how adapted you are to endurance activities, and how much blood your heart can pump. Essentially, your VO2 max is a measure of how economical your body is during sport and exercise (2). HIIT increases your VO2 max, essentially, HIIT is an extremely effective way to increase your fitness.
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Calorie Burning
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HIIT training maximises your Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), meaning that you get a greater ‘afterburn’ effect from this style of training. This means that your body continues to burn calories after a workout as it rests and recovers from the stress placed on your body during exercise (3). The intermittent bursts of intense exercise increase caloric expenditure and your body continues to burn fat for up to two hours after you have finished your workout. If your goal is to change your body composition and burn fat, then it is pretty clear that HIIT is an extremely effective style of training (4).
Endurance athletes have appreciated the role of high-intensity interval exercise as part of a comprehensive training program for a very long time. Evidence suggests, in young, healthy people, HIIT is a time-efficient strategy to stimulate several skeletal muscle adaptations that are comparable to traditional endurance training.
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Time-efficient Training
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Time is so often a barrier to exercise. How many times have you skipped a workout because you didn’t have time to go to the gym that day? With HIIT, because of the intense nature and the increased afterburn effect, 30-45 minutes is all you need to get an effective workout! No need to spend hours in the gym to get the benefits of training.
Training that is Flexible and Interesting
Because of the nature of HIIT, there is more to it than just cycling or running. It is much easier to stick to a training program when it’s enjoyable. HIIT can be performed as a series of sprints, intense body-weight circuits, cycling intervals or even full-body weight lifting intervals.
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With all of this in mind, get out there and try HIIT today. I have attached a beginner, no-equipment required, training program for you to try. Be sure to let me know how you go with it!
HIIT Beginner Circuit
40 seconds work:20 seconds rest
Complete 4 rounds
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Burpees
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Bicycle crunches
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Squat jumps
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Mountain climbers
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Push ups
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Straight leg raises
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