HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training, and it is very popular because of its many benefits. HIIT is a form of exercise that drastically increases your metabolic rate, burns calories, and transforms your body in no time.
In this post, you will learn what it is, why people like it and how you can benefit from it.
What is High-Intensity Interval Training?
All types of training have a positive effect on your metabolism and help to burn the calories. However, there is this specific training method that has been proven to maximize burnout: High-Intensity Interval Training, commonly known as HIIT.
As the name suggests, the workout involves various intervals of high intensity that ensure you get the maximum benefits from your workout.
The high-intensity intervals are exercises that you perform at 80 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate, usually for a duration between five seconds and eight minutes. The higher the intensity of the exercise, the shorter the interval. The workout intervals are alternated with times of complete rest (or active recovery performed at 40% to 50% of your maximum heart rate) that have the same duration. Resting time can be longer or shorter, depending on your fitness level.
You can adapt HIIT according to your fitness levels and your goals, and that is one of the reasons this type of training is so widespread. You can do HIIT in the gym, using equipment such as treadmills, static bikes, and rowing machines (for cardio HIIT), or through exercises, such as press-ups (for bodyweight HIIT).
The calorie burn per minute during the workout is significantly increased, and the metabolic rate is maintained at a high rate for a longer time and continues to burn calories for several hours after training. In the long run, the higher average intensity (i.e. higher heart rate per minute of effort) trains the cardiovascular system to adapt faster and cope more easily with daily life.
Why choose High-Intensity Interval Training?
– HIIT boosts your metabolism and burns tons of calories in a short period of time. HIIT helps you consume more oxygen than a standard workout routine. The additional amount of oxygen increases the rate of your metabolism, which in turn helps to burn more calories faster. According to studies, 15 minutes of HIIT burns more calories than jogging on a treadmill for one hour.
– It allows for improvements in endurance, with less daily training time. According to studies, people training using the HIIT method for eight weeks were able to double the time they could ride a bicycle, while keeping the same pace. Training with high intensity adapts to the cellular structure of your muscles and enables you to increase your endurance with any type of exercise.
– Full body workout. Your whole body is activated at a higher level: the heart, vessels, respiratory and muscular systems. Training for 20 to 30 minutes two to three times a week, you will achieve impressive results.
– HIIT relieves stress. HIIT exercise increases the endogenous production of endorphins in the brain, substances that improve your mood, boost your psychology, relieve stress, and help you feel good.
– Burn calories even after you leave the gym. With HIIT, your body’s repair cycle goes into hyperdrive. This means that hours after the workout, your body is still burning calories and fat compared to conventional programs – up to 10 times more.
– Time-saving. Just 20 minutes of HIT have the same effect as 60 to 90 minutes of any other low-intensity cardiovascular program — no need to waste your time.
– Equipment isn’t necessary. HIIT workouts require zero equipment, which makes them very practical and cost-efficient. During a HIIT workout, you utilize your own body weight, in a way similar to plyometrics and all the jumping exercises. Any workout that gets your heart rate up quickly can be included a HIIT program. The only prerequisite you need is an open space.
– Impressive Efficiency. HIIT improves cardiopulmonary endurance, helps you maintain muscle mass, and lose fat faster. Combined with proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, you get fit in record time.
Challenge: Get outside!
Doing HIIT outdoors, with activities such as walking, jogging in a park, forest or on the soft sand at the beach, brings additional mental benefits. Contact with nature, especially if there is a change of appearance, makes training more enjoyable and, combined with exposure to sunlight, helps to manage excessive stress, improves depressive mood, and can motivate you to incorporate healthy habits in your regular lifestyle.
Therefore, it is easier to maintain a habit of regular exercise in the long run, which is ultimately the goal of promoting health.
High-Intensity Interval Training in the Caribbean
On the beachfront in the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic, there is eXtreme Fitness Cabarete offering various Fitness Retreats that include a variety of exercise regimes, including HIIT. At their sweet Tiki Gym near the sea, the friendly trainers will help you with any type of exercise. You can follow a standard fitness routine, but HIIT is also included in the program if you wish to give it a try.
HIIT in the Caribbean will be an excellent start to a holistically healthy lifestyle.
References
Science Focus, HIIT is changing the way we work out, here’s the science why it works, https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/hiit-is-changing-the-way-we-workout-heres-the-science-why-it-works/
Self, High Intensity Interval Training: What Is HIIT, And How Do You Know If You’re Doing It?, https://www.self.com/story/what-is-high-intensity-interval-training-benefits
Islandfit, Top 10 Health Benefits of HIIT (High- Intensity Interval Training), https://islandfit.fit/top-10-health-benefits-of-hiit-high-intensity-interval-training/
Vox, How to get the most out of your exercise time, according to science, https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/1/10/18148463/high-intensity-interval-training-hiit-orangetheory
