Watch the following video to enrich your class experience.
15 Min Intense HIIT Workout For Fat Burn & Cardio
Introduction
If you’ve looked into fitness routines online, chances are you’ve stumbled upon “HIIT.” Pronounced similarly to “hit,” but drawn out, HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It’s all the rage, and is an incredibly popular form of exercise that seems to be full of benefits.
In essence, HIIT requires exercise in short bursts of maximum (or near maximum) intensity, followed by periods of rest. One example of an HIIT workout might involve running at max sprint pace for 20 seconds, followed by a 10 second rest. This, of course, would be repeated with variations to complete the workout.
Benefits
The first benefit conferred by HIIT workouts is that of time. As the old adage goes, time is money. So, in doing HIIT, you’re able to burn more calories in significantly less time. In order to achieve these benefits, though, HIIT requires short bursts of near-max intensity movements and exercises, followed by rests. Compared to traditional cardio [1], it’s certainly a bit more taxing [2].
Another benefit of HIIT is that it’ll help you improve. Traditional cardio tends to be repetitive in nature, and since HIIT requires near maximal exertion, your body will grow stronger to adapt to these points of exertion [3]. In theory, someone in average shape engaging in HIIT fairly regularly (on a daily basis) might notice changes in as soon as two weeks.
HIIT, being a form of exercise, naturally confers all the benefits of incorporating regular exercise into one’s daily routine. It’ll help you get a boost in metabolism [4], in energy, and have positive effects on your mental health.
Drawbacks
As is the case with anything else, HIIT has its drawbacks. Most significantly, since maximum intensity efforts put a bit of strain on the body, they can be far more draining [5] than a typical cardio workout. For example, while ten minutes of HIIT running has the potential to be as beneficial as thirty minutes of slow jogging, the ten minutes of HIIT will require far more significant exertion in a shorter period of time. It’s only logical, then, that HIIT may increase the risk of bodily injury or strain [6].
Summary
As with all large changes to daily routine, it’s important to consult with a medical professional beforehand. However, should you be curious about HIIT, you might consider checking out a popular HIIT workout, commonly referred to as the “seven minute workout.”