High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been gaining traction in the fitness world, with more and more gyms offering this training on a regular basis. For everyone who might be unfamiliar with HIIT, it is a workout that alternates between bursts of intense activity and recovery periods composed of low-impact activity or even rest.

For example you can sprint for 1 minute, and then follow it up with 2 minutes of walking before you repeat the process again. If this 3-minute HIIT is repeated 5 times, you will undergo a 15-minute workout session.

    So what benefits does this type of training afford participants? That is what we will be looking at below.

Ten HIIT Workout Benefits

HIIT is Efficient

The HIIT workout is exceptionally time efficient, making it perfect for all individuals with a busy schedule. You can fit this workout during your lunch-break or even before a big event.

And if you are wondering whether a short workout time is efficient, let me alleviate your worries. Studies have proven that 15 minutes of interval training performed three times a week allows for more progress than an hour on the treadmill.

In fact, 2 weeks of HIIT was shown to improve aerobic capacity by the same amount as 6-8 weeks of endurance training.

HIIT Burns More Fat

If you are looking to burn fat in your workouts, then HIIT is perfect for you. The intense exercise burns more calories than the average workout, while working to activate Exercise Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) in the body.

EPOC is an increase in the rate of oxygen intake after participation in a strenuous activity, in attempt to erase oxygen debt in the body. EPOC causes the release of fatty acids which are used as fuel for our bodies during the recovery period, allowing our bodies to burn fat for over 24 hours after the HIIT is complete.

HIIT Promotes a Healthy Heart

Have you ever experienced a point in your exercise routine where you cannot breathe and your heart feels like it is about to burst out of your chest? If you haven’t, you are one of many people who do not enter the anaerobic zone during workouts.

However, HIIT guarantees that you will push into the anaerobic zone, in turn causing your heart to grow stronger and healthier.

HIIT Does Not Call For Equipment

While equipment is great, it is often bulky and expensive. Thankfully, no equipment is necessary during HIIT. HIIT uses our body as a medium of exercise, with jumping lunges, high knees, and fast feet working well to increase our heart rate without the addition of equipment.

HIIT Is Convenient

In continuation from the previous point, HIIT is convenient. Whether you are at home, at a gym, in a hotel, or on a boat, you can take part in your training. The reason that HIIT can be adapted so easily is because the concept is simple and no equipment is necessary.

HIIT Allows You to Lose Weight

Whenever there is a high-intensity workout, people always fear that they will lose muscle mass together with fat. Thankfully, HIIT allows participants to lose weight coming from fat stores while preserving muscle.

HIIT Increases Metabolism

As we mentioned earlier, HIIT results in EPOC which speeds up our metabolism so that we can burn fat for up to 24 hours after the workout. This increase in the metabolic rate is also accompanied by an increase of up to 450% in the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production, which increases caloric burn while working to slow down aging.

HIIT Helps Eliminate Metabolic Waste

HIIT trains our body to efficiently eliminate the metabolic waste that is found in our muscles during the intervals between intense activities. This effective elimination of waste byproducts like lactate is the reason that you can perform multiple sets of intense exercises in a short period.

HIIT is Challenging

Many steady-state exercise routines offer few results, and this is because they challenge aerobic fitness while forgetting about anaerobic fitness. However, HIIT challenges the anaerobic system, and the result is a dramatic improvement in muscle power, calorie burning, weight loss, and endurance.

HIIT Can Be Tailored To Your Goals

HIIT can be tailored to target the muscles of your choice, including your glutes, triceps, back muscles, lower extremities, and abs to name a few.

With this information you can clearly see why HIIT is so popular among fitness enthusiasts. If you were not convinced before, now I am sure that you are just itching to try out HIIT. Good luck as you embark on this exciting journey!