High-Intensity Interval Training or HIIT training has become a very popular form of exercising and is an excellent technique to burn more calories, build endurance and lose weight fast. HIIT involves alternating between high-intensity exercise followed by a short period of rest or recovery periods. High-intensity interval training is effective and works because it puts your body into a calorie-burning mode when you put it through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods.
Health experts highly advocate for this effective way of combining high intensity with interval training, not only because the techniques are quick and convenient and can be done anywhere for as little as 30-minutes, but also for the following health and physical benefits:
Boosts metabolism
Our bodies burn calories in several ways and metabolism, which is the rate at which our bodies disburse energy or burns calories, plays an important role in weight loss. While our bodies are designed to store excess energy in fat cells, individuals with a sluggish metabolism can benefit greatly with HIIT exercises as the most effective ways to not only burn fat fast but also to improve physical performance and most importantly, boost metabolic function hours after working out.
Improves oxygen consumption
Endurance training relies mainly on oxidative metabolism for energy supply, and short yet explosive bursts of exercise have been shown to be more effective in improving cardiovascular fitness (V02 Max) to help you elevate your blood oxygen levels, use oxygen more efficiently and increase exercise performance.
Retain lean muscle mass
In addition to cardiorespiratory fitness, when high-intensity interval workouts combined with bodybuilding or weight training are performed correctly do offer potential benefits to preserve or retain lean muscle mass and help you lose fat mass at the same time to improve body composition and help you achieve that sculpted look.
Improves glucose metabolism
Even 30-second training sessions of high-intensity training with short recovery periods each day has been shown to increase glucose metabolism in muscles and boosts insulin sensitivity and improve stamina especially for people with type 2 diabetes.
Anti-aging benefits
Recent studies have shown that high-intensity interval training with quick recovery periods may have anti-aging benefits at the cellular level due to its ability to boost mitochondrial capacity. The cell’s ability to take in oxygen and produce energy through HIIT workouts can maintain healthy mitochondrial capacity, increase the activity of ribosomes, and consequently reverse signs of aging. Performing HIIT exercises does also help the body adapt to new physical demands so as to promote overall health as we age.
Boosts energy and burns fat
Performing 30 minutes of HIIT exercises regularly can help overweight individuals to achieve gradual weight loss. HIIT also has a positive effect on a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNF) that’s responsible for brain-cell repair, mood regulation, and cognitive functions such as memory and learning.