There’s a lot to be said for interval training. My clients in Ottawa find it extremely effective. HIIT—high intensity interval training—is one where you workout at high intensity, for a few minutes and then have a slightly shorter recovery period and back to the high intensity. Regular interval training combines two or more activities, one right after another. Sprint interval training—SIT—-uses ten to thirty seconds of an all out burst of energy followed by three to four minutes of restful recovery. The difference between SIT and HIIT is the shorter, yet more intense periods of heightened activity with SIT and the longer recovery period.
You don’t have to make it fancy, any workout can be an interval training workout.
If you move briskly from one exercise to another without resting, it’s interval training. If you run at high speed for a few minutes with a few minutes of rest, it’s HIIT. Push yourself harder on the intensity for a few seconds and then make the recovery long and it’s SIT. It doesn’t matter what the exercise, it’s how you do it that counts.
Studies show that you’ll get more benefits with even shorter workouts with interval training.
If you want to get in shape faster and boost your endurance, try interval training. One study showed that just thirty minutes three times a week of interval training was equal to sixty minutes of steady state workouts. HIIT training gets the heart and endurance built faster. In 2011, a study showed the results from two weeks of HIIT training were the same as six to eight weeks of more traditional types of endurance training. HIIT also improved speed as it built stamina and aided your body in burning lactic acid better, so you could exercise longer.
Do you want to lose weight?
If weight loss is one of your goals, interval training is definitely good. It creates both after-burn, which means the body continues burning extra calories up to 24 hours after your workout. HGH—human growth hormone—is also boosted by HIIT. HGH not only helps you build muscles faster, it also helps you heal faster, burn fat and maintain a more youthful appearance. As you age, the body normally produces less.
- You’ll love how you feel after an interval workout. That sudden burst of energy and continuous workout can trigger the hormones that make you feel good, while it also burns off stress hormones.
- If you want a great aid for cardiovascular health, tray HIIT training. Always make sure you get the okay from your health care professional. Heart monitors also make this type of exercise more precise.
- Interval training not only helps boost your immune system and reduce inflammation, it also prevents boredom.
- If you want the best training plan that’s designed especially for you for the fastest results, check out the 180Fitness.ca website for a free consultation.