HIIT TRAINING

Why is it so Effective?

HIIT Training or “High Intensity Interval Training” is all the hype at the moment and is easily among the top fitness trends for 2015-2016. Have you ever wondered why it is so effective at helping you reach your goals, whether that be weight loss or increasing your cardiovascular fitness?

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a training technique that has you push yourself in an all-out effort followed by a short and sometime active recovery, which is then repeated for multiple intervals.

This style of training puts a large stress on your cardiovascular system and increases your body’s need for oxygen during the effort phase creating an oxygen shortage. This shortage tries to replenish itself during the recovery phase, however due to the short nature of the recovery the system doesn’t have time to recover fully before the next interval. This after-burn effect is known as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption or “EPOC” and is the reason to why this style of training is so much more effective at burning calories and in turn fat than your steady state or regular aerobic exercise.

Other benefits from this training can be that it is quick and easy to do, requires little to no equipment and is great at elevating your metabolism for hours after you have finished your workout which means you will keep burning fat long after your session has finished. Below is a quick example of a HIIT session you can try yourself at home, in the park or at the gym… Give it a go and change up your training next time you are looking to train.

Do as many of the below exercises as you can for one minute each and move straight into the next with little to no break. After completing all five exercises have a one minute break and repeat four more times. This workout will only take 30 minutes, however will hit all muscles groups and have your heart rate soaring, ENJOY!

EXERCISE RIGHT’S 30 MINUTE HIIT WORKOUT:

• Push-ups x 1 min
• Squats x 1min
• Dips x 1min
• Mountain Climbers x 1min
• Bridge Hold x 1 min

By Adam Martin, Accredited Exercise Physiologist (for the Original Article)

For more information about HIIT, do not hesitate to contact me