If you ask any fitness instructor for tips on how to lose weight you will likely find HIIT among the suggestions. But what is high intensity interval training and who should be performing it?
Today we'll teach you the various styles of this form of exercise as well as explaining the various myths which surround it.
While many people are content to jog at a steady pace on a treadmill for hour after hour, there is a large amount of the fitness population who find this approach a little boring. As a result, they tend to put their efforts into resistance training and in many cases they completely neglect cardiovascular exercise.
High intensity interval training represents a middle ground between both styles.
It is rare that a particular training style provides two very different groups of fitness enthusiasts with equal benefits, but this does. Interval training has been proven to increase muscular hypertrophy, which is great for those looking to increase muscle mass. However, the fat loss benefits are equally as impressive so this style has truly universal appeal.
The main reason this type of training is so popular with those looking for the fat loss benefits it offers comes down to something called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, or E.P.O.C. for short. When you perform steady state cardiovascular activity you generally stop burning off calories at an increased rate the moment you finish your activity. With high intensity interval training, however, your body actually continues burning those calories at an increased rate for hours after you leave the gym, therefore increasing fat loss results.
There are several variations on this style of training, so below we'll explain a few of the most established styles for you and you can apply the one you find fits your goals.
* The 4 minute workout developed in Japan, known as Tabata's.
* Performing intervals specifically to improve your performance in a sporting event.
* Weight loss workouts.
The Tabata method is designed for elite athletes or extremely fit individuals who are looking to increase an already high level of fitness. When you reach a level which is considered elite, you will notice gains are far harder to come by. For instance, think how hard a bodybuilder works to add an extra quarter of an inch to a muscle before a contest.
The Tabata method originated from Japan and was able to increase the VO2 Max of a group of elite athletes by a shocking 28% in just a few weeks.
Minus the necessary warm-up and cool-down periods, Tabata's involve working out for just four minutes in total. However, don't let the short time fool you into thinking that this is going to be easy. These four minutes will push you harder than any other form of interval training in existence today. The four minutes are split up into sections of 20 seconds at maximal intensity and 10 seconds of recovery, repeated eight times over.
Sport specific interval workouts can be applied to those looking to train for a particular event or improve performance for a team game. One good example of this can be performed using a rowing machine. Row 500 meters as fast as possible then perform push-ups for thirty seconds. Repeat this cycle five times and you have a great muscle building high intensity circuit class.
The fat loss method is easily the most popular variation, however. If you are looking to use this workout style to increase your fat loss then you should pay particular attention to a recent study from scientists in Canada. They found that the optimal workout length was half and hour, consisting of a time split of 4 minutes moderate work followed by 30 seconds of maximum effort.
So you can now clearly see that there are multiple benefits to performing high intensity interval training. No matter if your fitness goal is build muscle or lose body fat, there are a number of rewards waiting for those who have the determination to push themselves through this type of workout.
Science has changed a lot of aspects of the health and fitness industry over the years and this is just one change which has been widely accepted. If you are stuck in the old routine of performing long, steady state cardio sessions and would like to learn how to lose weight with a bit more of a challenge each time you hit the gym, we highly recommend adopting HIIT into your training routine immediately.
Today we'll teach you the various styles of this form of exercise as well as explaining the various myths which surround it.
While many people are content to jog at a steady pace on a treadmill for hour after hour, there is a large amount of the fitness population who find this approach a little boring. As a result, they tend to put their efforts into resistance training and in many cases they completely neglect cardiovascular exercise.
High intensity interval training represents a middle ground between both styles.
It is rare that a particular training style provides two very different groups of fitness enthusiasts with equal benefits, but this does. Interval training has been proven to increase muscular hypertrophy, which is great for those looking to increase muscle mass. However, the fat loss benefits are equally as impressive so this style has truly universal appeal.
The main reason this type of training is so popular with those looking for the fat loss benefits it offers comes down to something called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, or E.P.O.C. for short. When you perform steady state cardiovascular activity you generally stop burning off calories at an increased rate the moment you finish your activity. With high intensity interval training, however, your body actually continues burning those calories at an increased rate for hours after you leave the gym, therefore increasing fat loss results.
There are several variations on this style of training, so below we'll explain a few of the most established styles for you and you can apply the one you find fits your goals.
* The 4 minute workout developed in Japan, known as Tabata's.
* Performing intervals specifically to improve your performance in a sporting event.
* Weight loss workouts.
The Tabata method is designed for elite athletes or extremely fit individuals who are looking to increase an already high level of fitness. When you reach a level which is considered elite, you will notice gains are far harder to come by. For instance, think how hard a bodybuilder works to add an extra quarter of an inch to a muscle before a contest.
The Tabata method originated from Japan and was able to increase the VO2 Max of a group of elite athletes by a shocking 28% in just a few weeks.
Minus the necessary warm-up and cool-down periods, Tabata's involve working out for just four minutes in total. However, don't let the short time fool you into thinking that this is going to be easy. These four minutes will push you harder than any other form of interval training in existence today. The four minutes are split up into sections of 20 seconds at maximal intensity and 10 seconds of recovery, repeated eight times over.
Sport specific interval workouts can be applied to those looking to train for a particular event or improve performance for a team game. One good example of this can be performed using a rowing machine. Row 500 meters as fast as possible then perform push-ups for thirty seconds. Repeat this cycle five times and you have a great muscle building high intensity circuit class.
The fat loss method is easily the most popular variation, however. If you are looking to use this workout style to increase your fat loss then you should pay particular attention to a recent study from scientists in Canada. They found that the optimal workout length was half and hour, consisting of a time split of 4 minutes moderate work followed by 30 seconds of maximum effort.
So you can now clearly see that there are multiple benefits to performing high intensity interval training. No matter if your fitness goal is build muscle or lose body fat, there are a number of rewards waiting for those who have the determination to push themselves through this type of workout.
Science has changed a lot of aspects of the health and fitness industry over the years and this is just one change which has been widely accepted. If you are stuck in the old routine of performing long, steady state cardio sessions and would like to learn how to lose weight with a bit more of a challenge each time you hit the gym, we highly recommend adopting HIIT into your training routine immediately.
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Publisher: Next, grab your free video to effective hiit workouts. Russ Howe PTI is the UK's most popular personal trainer, teaching countless gym members how to lose weight online each day for free.
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