Spotlight on HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training

 

by Heather Holtschlag

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Between work, kids, after school activities and family meals, who has time to get in a workout? YOU DO!  

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) maximizes workouts by providing intervals of high intensity exercise followed by a shorter duration of active recovery, repeated several times – a typical HIIT workout can last anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes.

Why HIIT? According to the American Fitness and Athletics Association, home to one of the fitness industry’s top group exercise certifications, one of the main reasons HIIT has become so popular is because of its efficiency. In other words, you can get more done in less time. Having a real-time motivational coach helps ensure that you are performing the exercises correctly and at your best effort level to achieve results.

Try it out with Coach Heather’s HIIT class at noon on Tuesdays!

Although the results vary from person to person, some of the more common benefits include:

  • Burning a lot of calories in a short amount of time. When compared with other forms of endurance training, a 2015 study by Falcone and colleagues found that HIIT burned 25 to 30 percent more calories in a workout of equal duration.

  • An increase in post-workout metabolism, with low time restraints compared to jogging and weightlifting. One study found that the increase in metabolic rate over the 24-hour period post-workout for a half-hour running session was comparable to a two-minute HIIT workout with sprinting (Hazel et al. 2012).

  • A decrease in body fat. According to a 2012 study by Heydari and colleagues, participants that engaged in HIIT workouts for 12 weeks had decreased body fat, including reductions in the visceral fat associated with many non-communicable diseases.

  • An increase in muscle mass: While weight training continues to be the main way to build lean muscle mass, HIIT workouts can also contribute to muscle growth, although to a lesser extent when compared with weight training (Damas et al. 2015).

To accomplish a HIIT workout on your own, head outdoors for a walk or bike ride, or jump on your treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical at home. Increase your pace or speed for about 30 seconds, and then decrease for about 15 seconds. Repeat that cycle as often as you want. You will be reaping the benefits of HIIT in no time!

Want to learn more? Follow 2 Claps 1 Snap on Instagram for our Wellness Wednesday Series, where we provide weekly exercise and health tips and videos.

References

Damas, F., Phillips, S., Vechin, F. C., & Ugrinowitsch, C. (2015). A review of resistance training-induced changes in skeletal muscle protein synthesis and their contribution to hypertrophy. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(6), 801–807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0320-0

Falcone, P. H., Tai, C. Y., Carson, L. R., Joy, J. M., Mosman, M. M., McCann, T. R., Crona, K. P., Kim, M. P., & Moon, J. R. (2015). Caloric expenditure of aerobic, resistance, or combined high-intensity interval training using a hydraulic resistance system in healthy men. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 29(3), 779–785. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000661

Hazell, T. J., Olver, T. D., Hamilton, C. D., & Lemon P, W. R. (2012). Two minutes of sprint-interval exercise elicits 24-hr oxygen consumption similar to that of 30 min of continuous endurance exercise. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 22(4), 276–283. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.22.4.276

Heydari, M., Freund, J., & Boutcher, S. H. (2012). The effect of high-intensity intermittent exercise on body composition of overweight young males. Journal of obesity, 2012, 480467. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/480467