High-intensity interval training or HIIT is known worldwide for its variability and challenging nature. Often done in group settings, HIIT is characterized by short bursts of intense exercise followed by low-intensity recovery intervals. If you’re not sure whether it’s right for you, consider these five benefits of high-intensity interval training.
An Efficient Burn
We’re busier than ever these days, and it can be hard to fit exercise into a jam-packed schedule. HIIT burns calories quickly, catering to those who want effective workouts but don’t have much time to spare. Get Raw Nutrition supplements and see how they can amplify your efforts and increase calorie burn during HIIT workouts.
Boosting Metabolism During and After Workouts
High-intensity interval training offers a higher calorie burn during and after the workout—and who doesn’t want that? These workouts boost the burn by keeping your metabolism, or the rate at which the body burns calories, elevated for several hours afterward.
HIIT’s post-workout calorie burn is much higher than that of steady-state cardio. With regular effort, your body will start using fat stores for fuel instead of carbohydrates. These workouts also encourage the production of HGH or human growth hormone, which stimulates cell regeneration, reproduction, and growth. With regular HIIT workouts, you’ll look and feel younger.
Building Cardiovascular Endurance
How long does it take to get tired during a workout? Everyone’s answer is different, depending on their level of endurance. VO2 max is an indicator of cardiovascular fitness that measures the body’s highest rate of oxygen consumption during exercise, and HIIT workouts increase it significantly within a short time.
Why does endurance matter? It improves metabolism, reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease, improves sleep, supports mental health, and lengthens lifespan. Not only will you get all these benefits along with better fitness, but you’ll also do it in about half the time.
Losing Fat and Building Muscle
When losing weight, it can be hard to shed fat without taking a muscular hit. Steady-state cardio workouts encourage muscle loss, while high-intensity interval training preserves these crucial tissues. If you want to drop stubborn fat, HIIT workouts reduce it viscerally and subcutaneously.
Convenience, Flexibility, and Fun All in One
While high-intensity interval training may seem intimidating, it’s more accessible than you think. It’s easy to customize HIIT workouts to your goals, abilities, and fitness level. There’s only one objective to get the heart pumping—and that looks different for every athlete. We don’t accomplish our goals by staying in our comfort zone, and HIIT is a great way to branch out.
Got a Half-Hour to Spare? HIIT the Gym Today and Your Body Will Thank You Tomorrow
Time is one of an athlete’s most significant resources, and it always seems to run short. Sometimes, it’s hard to carve out time for fitness and self-care, and it’s easy to skip the gym because you feel as if you don’t have the time to put forth a worthwhile effort.
With high-intensity interval training, you won’t have to spend hours lifting weights to get the results you want. What are you waiting for? Five-time Mr. Olympia Chris Bumstead knows the benefits of HIIT workouts, shouldn’t you? Visit the gym today and find out what makes HIIT workouts so great for muscular endurance, overall fitness, and lifelong health.