When I first heard of HIIT, I had
no idea what it was all about. I wanted to dig deeper and figure out why HIIT
has been all the rage lately. Turns out, it has so many benefits and anyone can
do it! HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and can be explained as
short bouts of maximal effort exercises followed by a short recovery, or
low-intensity period, in between each exercise. This pattern of high and low
intensity can vary by 30 seconds to 2 minutes for each exercise, depending on
your goal.
Some examples of HIIT include:
·
Running
o
Sprint with an all-out effort for up to 1
minute, lightly jog for about 2 minutes, and then continue with another minute
of sprinting, and so forth
·
Swimming
·
Biking
·
Body weight exercises like push-ups, mountain
climbers, pull-ups, or burpees
·
Tabata
o
Workout with a maximum effort for 20 seconds,
take a 10 second break, and continue this pattern about 8 times or for 4
minutes each exercise.
The biggest benefit is the
efficient utilization of carbohydrates and fat during your workout. During
aerobic exercise, carbohydrates and fat become more available for our body to
use. This allows for carbs and fat to be used as fuel and meet the energy
demands of your workout.
·
Glucagon is a hormone found in the liver that
changes glycogen (stored form of glucose) to glucose.
·
Glucose is our body’s most readily available
form of energy, especially during workouts.
·
With short bouts of exercise, glucagon
production is increased, making more glucose available.
·
With more glucose available during a workout,
fat breakdown is enhanced which allows your body to use fat as an energy
source.
Another benefit of HIIT training
is you don’t need a gym to do it! Body weight is completely acceptable for this
type of workout.
·
Using body weight can be just as beneficial for
a workout. Your body will adapt by increasing muscle size or strength when
using just body weight.
·
Any variation of body weight exercise works. So
long as intensity stays high, your body will continue to adapt regardless of
mode or exercise.
It’s so important to know why each
workout mode is beneficial if you want to know what’s going to work best for
you. So if you’re tired of the same old routine, try out a HIIT workout. See
what gyms around you are offering classes, most will allow you to try a class
for free on your first time.
