High-intensity interval training (HIIT) describes any workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of less-intense activity or even complete rest. For example, a good starter workout is running as fast as you can for 1 minute and then walking for 2 minutes. Repeat that 3-minute interval five times for a 15-minute, fat-blasting workout. It sounds too simple to be effective, but science has proven that it really works.
HIIT Workouts Defined:
High-intensity interval training (HIIT), also called high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) or sprint interval training (SIT), is a form of interval training, a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods, until too exhausted to continue. Though there is no universal HIIT session duration, these intense workouts typically last under 30 minutes, with times varying based on a participant’s current fitness level.[1] The duration of HIIT also depends on the intensity of the session.
Wikipedia
HIIT workouts provide improved athletic capacity and condition as well as improved glucose metabolism.[2] Compared with longer sessions comprising other regimens, HIIT may not be as effective for treating hyperlipidemia and obesity, or improving muscle and bone mass.[3] However, research has shown that HIIT regimens produced significant reductions in the fat mass of the whole-body.[4] Some researchers also note that HIIT requires “an extremely high level of subject motivation” and question whether the general population could safely or practically tolerate the extreme nature of the exercise regimen.[5]
Here’s a great video from my friends over at SELF Magazine
Try this HIIT workout and let me know what you think in the comments below.
