High Intensity Interval Training And Weight Loss?Ok you may have heard of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and how many researchers are claiming it is the key exercise to give you maximum weight loss results. The weight loss industry is very exciting and new formulas and exercises are developed day in day out to try to find the ultimate in weight loss exercise. So what is HIIT and does it live up to its status as the key exercise for weight loss.

High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT as the shortened version, is an exercise strategy combing both anaerobic exercise (High Intensity) with aerobic exercise (Moderate Intensity) in a very short period of time usually no longer than 20 minutes. Now it consists of a warm up and cool down both before and after the workout lasting approximately 5 minutes each. Then the workout itself consists of maximum intensity efforts with lower intensity recovery periods. The workout was devised for advanced exercisers and with combining anaerobic and aerobic exercises into the workout researchers have found in turn burns more calories.

HIIT is a short workout and taking out the warm up and cool down the workout itself only lasts no longer than 15 minutes depending on how long you can maximise to your full potential. It consists of short sharp sprints for on average no longer than 30 seconds followed by a longer recovery period of up to 2 minutes of a fast walk or really slow jog. Then you repeat for around 15 minutes. The workout as you can see is very short indeed but don’t be fooled by the speed in which the workout is done. HIIT is for advanced exercisers and is a gruelling 15-20 minutes but the sheer benefits of that workout are plain to see and worth that 15-20 minutes of sheer pain.

The principles of weight loss are quite simple within the HIIT workout. Lower intensity workouts work on the aerobic system and by introducing the anaerobic system by pushing your body to the limits in short sharp stints causes metabolic adaptations which create a higher calorie burn before and after workouts. Studies have shown that HIIT increases your RMR which is your Resting Metabolic Rate meaning when you have finished your workout and you are resting it up at home you metabolism is increased meaning you burn more calories when resting maximising the results. This is all down to your body not being able to adapt to the training as it’s a mixture of both aerobic and anaerobic systems and not as simple as one or the other.

The point of the workout is to work at your maximum intensity for as long as you can meaning not to over do it on the short sharp stints. This will give you greater benefits. HIIT is proven to provide weight loss results and a lot of high profile trainers swear by the results and gains the workout gives the individual. But as mentioned before HIIT is designed for advanced exercisers and if you don’t class yourself as necessarily advanced it is advised to work up to the workout rather than jumping straight into it right away.