By Kayla Hartson
Student Fitness Coordinator
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has become a very popular form of exercise because it is quick and intense.
HIIT consists of intervals of all-out effort followed by intervals of recovery. Because the workout is performed with such great effort, it can be completed in a much shorter amount of time.
Here are some benefits of HIIT:
You burn a ton of calories.
Because of the high intensity, HIIT causes the body to burn both fat and carbohydrates at a fast rate, which causes you to burn more calories compared to a moderate intensity workout for a longer duration. HIIT also causes you to continue burning calories for hours after your workout.
It can improve oxygen consumption and has a lot of other physiological benefits.
HIIT training provides so many health benefits! It improves the efficiency of the heart, which allows more blood to pump through your body and helps the muscle and other tissue easily utilize oxygen. HIIT also has been shown to improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
It is time efficient.
Because exercise is being performed at maximum effort, you do not have to work as long to complete a full workout. HIIT is great for people who live busy lives and do not always have an hour to set aside for exercise each day.
Because HIIT workouts are performed at such a high intensity, two to three HIIT workouts a week is enough. It is important to give the body time to rest and recover in order to avoid injury.
Also, it is important to include other forms of exercise into your lifestyle, such as strength training and moderate intensity activity, to create a well-balanced weekly exercise routine.
