BENEFITS OF HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING

High intensity interval training, or HIIT, involves pushing the body outside its comfort zone for a certain duration of time. The goal is to work at a higher rate of perceived exertion (RPE), compared to steady state cardio. Each round is followed by a rest period, both the length of rounds and length of rest can be changed depending on goals, availability, and skill level. Generally, the work to rest ratio is 2:1, so for every minute of work there is 30 seconds of rest. There are a number of other benefits to doing HIIT, but below are a few.

Increased Performance

While steady state cardio taxes the aerobic system, HIIT workouts can improve both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. This leads to better stamina as well as better performance in workouts.

Calories Burned

One of the biggest benefits of HIIT cardio is the ability to burn calories throughout the day to get your body back to where it was prior to working out. This is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. The harder you work during the workout, the longer it is going to take your body to return to normal, meaning you will be burning calories long after you're done with the workout.

Shorter Workouts

Because you're working very hard, you get the benefits of training in less time than you would from slower, longer workout sessions. One study published in The Journal of Sports Science and Medicine showed that as few as three 10 minute sessions a week can make your body more efficient at delivering oxygen to your body as well as improving your metabolic health.

HIIT has grown in popularity over the last few years because it is seen as a more advantageous way of doing cardio and working out. There are a variety of ways to perform HIIT, the most known being Crossfit. However, there's also high intensity interval bodybuilding (HIIB), which includes bodybuilding movements paired with a form of cardio such as rowing or jumping rope.