3 Benefits of HIIT
High Intensity Interval Training
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If you are anything like me, you may have been working out pretty hard and frustrated with the lack of results.
You’ve been running mile after mile, spending your precious time on a treadmill or hitting the pavement. You don’t even like running, but you know that it burns calories...so you do it, like the good little cardio bunny you were taught to be.
Only, you aren’t really seeing a ton of results. You did lose some weight initially, but now, you seem to have hit a plateau. You aren’t seeing any type of body composition change and you are bored.
Which is exactly why you should consider HIIT training with effective strength training instead of all that chronic cardio.
I know what you’re thinking…
HIIT sounds intense...scary...too much to handle.
Well, it is intense, but it doesn’t have to be scary, I promise! And, if you want results HIIT is the way to go.
Here are 3 reasons why you should swap your long-form cardio sessions for HIIT sessions.
They burn fat more effectively.
HIIT burns calories while working out, but continues to burn calories long after working out. The simplest explanation for this is that you are requiring more of your body during high intensity intervals in terms of the way your body gets and uses oxygen. After your workout is done, your body continues using that same pathway as it is repairing your muscles.
In addition, HIIT keeps your body guessing, which keeps your body working. Over time, your body becomes more efficient at running. For example, the first time you stepped on a treadmill to run, you probably found it a bit more challenging than the 20th time. That’s because your body adapted and was able to use less energy (calories) the 20th time than the 1st time. That’s why you see a lot of weight come off when you initially start running, but then eventually see a plateau...unless you run longer!
Research has also shown that HIIT workouts increase your body's resting metabolic rate for 24 hours after your workout is complete. Simply put, your metabolism speeds up for 24 hours after your HIIT workout. Who doesn't want to speed up their metabolism even when they’re not working out?!
HIIT keeps your body guessing, never letting it become fully efficient, so you burn more calories during a shorter workout. It also requires more from your body after a workout, which means you will be burning calories hours and hours after your workout is complete.
2. They take way less time.
Because of the nature of HIIT, you can’t do it for too long. It is designed to be effective and efficient. The short bursts of high intensity exercise are meant to bring you to the edge of your oxygen stores so that your body is forced to dig deeper. This means, most HIIT sessions won’t last much longer than 20 minutes, with some being as short as 4! That sure does beat an hour a day on the treadmill.
3. They won’t get boring.
Unlike long form cardio, HIIT comes in a variety of styles. You can do everything from sprints to burpees. No two workouts ever have to be the same which means you won’t ever be bored. You can do a Tabata one day, a sprint set another, then a plyo series the next. The same HIIT principles apply, but the workout can be varied!
Unless you absolutely love going for long runs and hitting the treadmill for hours, there really is no reason to do either of those things in order to burn fat and get lean. Replacing your runs and hours on the treadmill with some quick HIIT workouts and incorporating strength training will go a long way to helping you meet your health and fitness goals!
If you are interested in learning how to pair your nutrition with effective HIIT and strength training workouts to get the best bang for your effort, check out The Refine YOU Program. It has everything you need to burn fat effectively, increase your energy levels, and build the body you want!
