5 Key Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training [INFOGRAPHIC]

In 2014, according to a survey by The American College of Sports Medicine, high-intensity interval training was one of the top two fitness trends.

If you don’t already know, let us quickly review what HIIT is all about and talk about what makes it so popular.

High-Intensity Interval Training includes short, quick, but intense bursts of exercise, coupled with short recovery periods.

You are supposed to give it all your effort.
HIIT Workouts

HIIT burns more fat in less time and is known to keep your heart rate up.

As opposed to regular aerobic workouts, the short time for which you make your 100 percent effort creates an oxygen shortage, making the body ask for more during the rest period.

This Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) is the reason behind more calories being burnt.

HIIT has many benefits.

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1. Increases Your Metabolism

HIIT leads to EPOC which helps speed up the metabolic rate.

This metabolism boost remains for about 48 hours after your training session allowing you to even burn fat well after you are done with your training for the day.

2. It’s Efficient and Convenient For Everyone

HIIT is super convenient and efficient to squeeze in a busy schedule.

A mere 15 minutes of HIIT three times a week is more effective in burning fat than running a treadmill for an hour, research suggests.

A 2012 American College Of Sports Medicine study concludes that 2 weeks of HIIT improves aerobic capacity equivalent to 6-8 weeks of endurance training.

3. It’s Anti- Aging!

High-intensity interval training boosts your body’s natural production of human growth hormone (HGH).

The higher your HGH the healthier and stronger you will be.

HGH levels decrease as we age, this drop is part of what drives the aging process.

If we can naturally boost our levels we can fight aging head-on.

4. There Is No Equipment Required And Not Bound By Space

There is no need to go out and purchase expensive equipment for this training.

You can do just as good of HIIT workout without equipment.

Jump roping, running, biking, rowing, and jumping lunges are all great to get your heart rate up.

The point of the training is to do anything that will push your heart rate up, and as long as that is the focus, you are doing it right.

Also, you can do these workouts anywhere. Just make up your mind, find the time, and do them.

You can turn your daily walk into a HIIT workout simply by increasing the speed occasionally.

5. It Helps You Lose Weight Not Muscle

HIIT workouts allow you to lose fat without sacrificing hard-earned muscles.

As I mentioned above, HIIT boosts HGH.

Increased HGH helps prevent muscle loss and therefore, we can burn more calories.

6 Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training

Here Are Some Of Our Favorite HIIT Workouts

I first learned about HIIT workouts a few years ago from Dr. Mercola.

He has a simple peak fitness routine on his website that can be used with running, bicycling, jumping rope, or cardio machines.

When I do his simple routine on the stationary bike consistently my endurance increases.

David (my husband) enjoys the HIIT workouts by Darebee.com  (previously Neilarey.com).   

You can view David’s HIIT workouts here.

Darebee.com has several 30-day programs that you can do at home with very little equipment.Fitness TrampolineFitness TrampolineFitness Trampoline

I know sometimes, it’s hard to see how HIIT can work when the workouts are short but believe it, they work.

You Can Even Use A Trampoline

I love doing my HIIT workout on the trampoline.

I usually jump for a few minutes to warm up then go all out for 30 seconds then rest about 1-minute.

I repeat this cycle about 5-8 times.

I vary the jumps with squat jumps, side jumps, one-legged hops, and high knees.

It is amazing how winded I get after just a couple rounds of that.

Try this  HIIT To Burn Fat Around Your Waist

This workout by darebee.com may look simple but it will get your heart rate up and burn fat.

HIIT workout for Abs

Follow Along With Free Workout Videos

A site we found with high-quality free HIIT videos is Fitness Blender.  

Even our girls like them and I never have to worry about skippy outfits or strange music.

Kelli and Daniel provide excellent instructions that make it easy to follow along at your own pace.

They also have some paid programs you should check out.

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Get Better Results When You Eat Right

High-intensity interval training is one of the best exercises to shed fat

Couple that with the proper nutrition and you have a winning combination.

Don’t feed your body toxins and junk and then expect awesome results from your workouts.

Take quality supplements and extra protein to optimize your results.

Our favorite nutritional and lifestyle program is the Isagenix 30 Day Nutritional System.

So tell me, does HIIT sound like a workout you could enjoy? 

Keep Reading:

9 Ways Tips to Start Losing Weight This Week

5 Easy Ways To Protein Shakes And Bars Can Help You Lose Weight

 

Sources:
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/11/30/exercise-anti-aging-impacts.aspx
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/trampoline-exercises-weight-loss-11714.html