When we talk about the benefits of HIIT, it’s only natural that we compare it to other forms of exercise. Is it more beneficial than running? Will it boost my overall fitness more than an aerobic exercise class?
Now comparisons of training are not something that I like to do. Exercise in general, is good for you in any form. It could be that you’re new to fitness and your goal is to get up off the sofa and go for a walk each day. If that’s the case then great, well done, keep it up!
So if we aren’t going to compare HIIT to running, cycling or Zumba, how do we assess the benefits of HIIT?
Well we’re going to look at the benefits that HIIT focusses on more than these other exercises. Now that’s not to say that going for a run isn’t worth doing. In fact, incorporating multiple types of training into your fitness regimen is much more beneficial than just doing one form of cardio. High intensity interval training is however, a very efficient and beneficial way to improve overall cardiovascular health and fitness.
So Where Do We Start?
If you are not sure what exactly HIIT is, lets start by having a quick look at what we’re talking about. HIIT is a form of cardiovascular workout where we focus on training in short bursts. We can use numerous different exercises to build up our routine. We can incorporate aerobic and anaerobic exercises into a routine and really push ourselves to a work hard. The way we structure our workouts is key to getting the most out of them. For example, mixing the aerobic and anaerobic exercises and allowing recovery time between sets and/or reps means we can push our own limits.
An Example Of A Typical HIIT Workout
To illustrate what exactly we mean, a typical workout could look like this:
3 minutes warm up using low impact exercises such as leg swings.
This would be followed by,
high knees (60 seconds)
flutter kick squats (60 seconds)
mountain climbers (60 seconds)
jumping jacks (60 seconds)
20 seconds rest.
Then repeat all of the above for 50 seconds, then 40 seconds, then 30, 20 and 10 seconds. Finally, be sure to cool down.
The above is an example of a routine we could develop as part of our HIIT workouts. There are many ways in which we could structure the workout. There are also many exercises we could add or take away. This helps to vary every workout going forward. The main point is that we push ourselves to a high level of effort each time. This is where the high intensity part comes in.
What Do We Mean By High Intensity?
When we say high intensity we mean that our heart rate should reach around 85% of our max heart rate (MHR). This means that we are working our cardiovascular system to the extreme and therefore developing it. This hard work will improve the efficiency our of hearts, meaning that they can pump more oxygen with each beat.
This efficiency is vital for overall heart health. It is the reason why elite level athletes have such low resting heart rates. It is also true that too low a resting heart rate can lead to problems in old age. Don’t let this alarm you. It is generally considered that for an adult, a resting heart rate of between 50 – 60 beats per minute (BPM) is very healthy. The average range may be anywhere between 60 BPM and 100 BPM.
So what are the benefits of HIIT?
As well as working our hearts to a high level and improving overall heart health, HIIT training has the knock on effect of improving our recovery time. This is an important factor for athletes and people who play sport. The more efficient your heart, the quicker you recover from exercise.
The ‘burst’ training that intervals provide also improve performance in other sports. This includes sports like football and rugby. It is particularly helpful in sports like this where overall the action is not constant. In most sports your body is indeed working in bursts of high energy. These are followed by low energy recovery periods.
Finally, not purely focusing on the fitness side of things. We should look at the benefits of HIIT for the average person. You may be reading this and thinking to yourself, “I’m not interested in becoming an elite level sports star or endurance athlete. So what’s the benefit for me?”. As well as benefiting the overall health of your cardiovascular system, HIIT doesn’t take much time. We can go back to the example workout from above to demonstrate this. Including the 3 minute warm up and a 3 minute cool down, it would total 20 minutes. So after a long day at work, any one of us can still fit in a quick 20 minute session. There really is no excuse and no better way to start getting fit.
So whatever your current level of fitness and whatever your goals, check out our ToughsHIIT workouts on the Workout page. Also visit us on YouTube to see the full range of workouts. We also have training ideas, tips and advice. You can also get in touch via our Twitter or Instagram.
Drop us a message if you want to ask us anything. We are always here to help you on the journey. No Excuses!
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