Cardio · Goal Setting · Health & Fitness · Weight Loss · Workout Inspo ·May 31, 2022

What is HIIT?

Do you dread your cardio workouts? If the answer is yes, then you better keep reading because we are about to change your life for the better! HIIT training is the latest and greatest fitness trend that'll turn your cardio workouts on their head!

What is HIIT?

HIIT, also known as high intensity interval training, is a form of cardiovascular exercise that involves short bursts of maximum effort over a short period of time.

The reason so many of us rave about this type of training is because it can help you achieve amazing results, fast!

For some perspective on the effectiveness of HIIT, research has shown you can burn roughly the same amount of calories in a 20-30 minute HIIT workout than you can in a 50-60 minute steady state run. Yep, you read that right. This means you can burn up to 450 calories in 30 minutes!

What are the benefits of HIIT training?

Brunette man doing kettlebell swings outdoors

High intensity interval training has a HUGE range of benefits. One of the greatest being that you can easily combine cardio and strength training into a single workout. Although it traditionally uses lighter weights compared to a typical strength session, HIIT can be an extremely effective way to reduce fat and increase lean muscle mass.

If you are new to lifting weights, HIIT training can also help you overcome gym intimidation. Once you've perfected weight lifting exercises in your HIIT sessions, it's likely you'll feel much more comfortable lifting heavier loads in the weights room.

Another benefit of HIIT is that it requires little to no equipment, and a short time period. So, if you're someone who is lacking time or has restricted access to gym equipment then HIIT could be the way to stay on track with your fitness goals!

To quickly sum it up, here are a few of the many benefits to HIIT training:

Can help you burn lots of calories in a short period of time.
Effective for fat loss and building lean muscle mass.
Can help improve your cardiovascular endurance.
Can incorporate strength and cardio training into a single workout.
Can help you overcome gym intimidation.
Can help to teach you proper weight training techniques.
Requires little to no equipment.
Workouts require little space and can be done in a range of different environments.

Is interval training good for weight loss?

Studies have shown that interval training is more effective for weight loss compared to continuous training. This is because high intensity exercise exhausts the oxygen being delivered to our muscles, causing our bodies to utilise fat as its energy source.

Is HIIT better than cardio?

Depending on your goals, HIIT could be the better cardio workout for you.

If your goal is to lose fat, then HIIT is a more effective workout compared to steady-state cardio. As we mentioned before high intensity interval training burns more calories during your workout compared to LISS (low intensity steady state) training. However, it also helps you burn more calories AFTER your workout as well. This is because engaging in such intense exercise ramps up our recovery systems, putting them into overdrive. This then leads to us burning more calories in the 24 hours after exercise has ceased.

HIIT is also better for building muscle compared to steady-state cardio. A morning jog or a cruisey ride on your spin bike doesn't utilise any weights. With HIIT on the other hand, you can easily incorporate dumbbells, slam balls, battle ropes and pump sets into your workouts to add in some weighted work.

Types of HIIT training

Some common examples of HIIT training include TABATA and EMOM.

TABATA

TABATA typically involves 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, for any given number of rounds.

Below are examples of two different TABATA workouts.

EMOM

EMOM stands for ‘every minute on the minute’. When utilising this type of HIIT training, you have one minute to complete ‘X’ number of reps. If you finish before the minute ends, the remaining seconds are your rest period.

For example: your first EMOM exercise might be 50 mountain climbers, if you complete this in 25 seconds, you then have 35 seconds rest. You will begin the second exercise when the new minute begins.

An example of an EMOM workout is below: