Afterburn: Why High Intensity Interval Training is So Effective

How many hours of your life have you spent on a treadmill hoping for results that never quite arrived the way you intended them to? If the answer is too many, then know you are not alone!

We have been taught that in order to gain maximum results in the gym we need to hit the cardio hard and strength train as well. This could mean spending 90 minutes or more in the gym for each workout. 90 minutes is too long to not get the results you are hoping for!

If you haven’t heard, high intensity interval training, also known as HIIT, is becoming incredibly popular. This is because it is yielding great results but requires a lesser time commitment than those long treadmill sessions. If you are not already, you should be adding high intensity training into your routine several days a week.

What is high intensity interval training?

High intensity interval training is a form of exercise where you have short but extremely intense bursts of cardio and movement. Each burst might last from 30-90 seconds but during this time you are pushing yourself as hard as you can. Have you ever heard the phrase “leave it all on the mat”? This term embodies high intensity training very well. You literally give it everything you have for those seconds of high intensity. You would then recover and quickly return to your high intensity work when ready. These interval sessions can be as short as 25-30 minutes to be effective.

What is the science behind high intensity interval training?

There have been many studies supporting the need for this form of intense training. When you work as hard as your body is able to, you increase your endurance, increase your metabolism, regulate your insulin, and lose body fat. The more intense the exercise, the more intense the fat burning and regulation of body functioning.

While you are burning fat and calories during exercise, because high intensity interval training requires such a high metabolic and oxygen rate, you will burn calories even after you complete your workout. Research has found that you continue to burn as much as six to fifteen percent of the calories you burned in your workout after your workout.

Not only is there science supporting high intensity work, but it is obvious when you do the work how much harder it is and how more muscles are engaged. The exercises involve all different muscle groups, whereas steady treadmill work is hardly engaging your core or upper body to its fullest. Common movements include kettlebell weights, pushups, burpees, jump squats, and other sets that require and build strength in all major muscle groups.  You might hate the work while you are doing it, but you will be far stronger after completing intense training than you would if you were maintaining the same steady heartrate for a long cardio session.

How can I get started with interval training?

If you are ready to kick start your fitness and meet your goals, you can find simple high intensity interval trainings online that you can implement at home or at the gym. Most gyms will also have a boot camp style group fitness class that will implement this modality or they will have a HIIT class that fully embraces it.

Show up and do the hard work for those few seconds that require it. You and your newly defined muscles will thank you later!