High-intensity interval training called HIIT exercises offers an extraordinary revival if you would like to achieve a complete body transformation and ensure lots of energy. It could be that high-intensity interval training gives much better results in terms of effectiveness and positive effects on your body than training with moderate intensity.
Express burning of excess fat – a leading advantage
According to a study, high-intensity workouts can burn more body fat than steady types of exercises, such as running. You will also gain more muscle mass.
Basic principles of training
These exercises consist of two key elements:
- Short high-intensity interval: do an exercise between 15 to 25 seconds with an intensity of 80 percent of maximum heart rate. The purpose is to do your best in those 15 seconds and give your maximum.
- A long interval of low intensity: relax between 60 to 240 seconds or in different ways accumulate energy for the next high-intensity interval. In the meantime, deeply inhale and calm your heartbeat.
It is important that the training lasts 10 to 30 minutes. You can gradually increase the time range, in which you do the combination of shorter and longer workout intervals with 5 to 8 repetitions.
Higher values of VO2max for better results
Studies indicate that HIIT exercises help the body consume much more oxygen, so there is a very high VO2max value, which indicates the maximum amount of oxygen the body can consume. The data also show that this type of exercise significantly improves the pulse and the output strength of VO2max and oxygen. It means that you can train faster and harder and get results in less time.
More diversity with shorter workout intervals
High-intensity interval training offers you more variety with different exercises, so you can avoid a routine that is a real motivation killer. Due to the short duration of the training, this type of workout is practical for anyone who does not want to commit to longer sessions.
Increased calorie loss in a less time
High-intensity interval training is about efficiency with the best ratio between time spent and final results, especially if you do not have time for one-hour swimming, cycling, running, and other sports. For example, with this type of exercise, you can achieve the same effect in 20 minutes as in one hour of classic cardio training. Studies also show that you can burn more calories in less time, an average of 250 kilocalories, compared to other workout types.
Only three times a week for 30 minutes
According to research, you can improve heart and lung health, increase muscle oxygen supply and calorie loss with just 30 minutes of hiit exercises three times a week, while training in those 30 minutes should include only 10 minutes of high-intensity intervals.
Few examples of the best exercises
It is worth remembering that you should do one exercise with high intensity for 25 seconds, and then rest, breathe, move around the space, etc. for 60 seconds. Repeat one exercise eight times in this structured schedule.
When training, have in mind that you need to warm up well first so that you don’t risk injury and that you can speed up the effect of your workout. Here are some examples of HIIT exercises:
- Ski jumps: with your feet hip-width apart, push yourself off the ground by fully extending your legs and using your hands to keep your balance.
- High skipping: when running on the spot, raise your knees high
- Stumper: turn your palms outwards, bend the elbows, and raise your arms in the chest position, then stump with your feet and push your heels off the floor for a few centimeters.
- Jumping climber: with your palms on the ground, take a position as if you are doing pushups, but with your legs outstretched, push off and at the same time bend the legs as close to your chest as possible.
- Skating step: jump from one foot to the other in a wide gap, as if you are skating fast and using your hands
You can watch all 17 most effective hiit exercises in a video at https://www.perfekterkoerper.com/hiit-training/. However, to burn excess fat even more efficiently and gain muscle mass, nutrition is also essential. With the help of a personalized menu, you will achieve your goals for a fit figure easier and faster.
Bio: Michael Gersic is a personal trainer and author of many weight-loss and muscle-building programs.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.