If your goal is to achieve significant health benefits while achieving the desired results, you must exercise often with sufficient intensity and for a set amount of time. However, to achieve long-term results, you must find a mode of exercise you like that fits your schedule.
HIIT or high-intensity interval training is a popular method and has grown in popularity the past 10 years. That’s because the workouts don’t require a significant amount of time, and they are highly effective.
Keep reading to find out why HIIT may be the perfect exercise solution for anyone with a busy schedule.
Increased Calorie Burn
Your body uses approximately five calories of energy to consume one liter of oxygen. If an activity engages several muscle groups at a high-intensity level, more oxygen is required, and more calories are used.
HIIT workouts that use your lower and upper body are especially effective if you want to lose or maintain your existing weight.
Use of Anaerobic Energy Pathways
When you engage in HIIT workouts, it means you are using your anaerobic energy pathways. These run out of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is a chemical that your muscle cells use as a source of energy, quickly.
This means you use energy while working out, but during the recovery interval, too. Your muscle cells keep producing and replacing ATP for your next high-intensity interval. During a HIIT workout, your muscles are constantly working.
Burn Calories After the Workout
Engaging in a HIIT workout means you burn calories while working out, and 2keep burning them once your workout is over. This makes it an extremely effective use of your time. EPOC refers to how your metabolism still consumes oxygen and burns calories several hours after your HIIT workout is complete. After your workout is finished, your muscles keep using oxygen and fat to replace the used ATP and repair the damaged tissues while working out.
Support Muscle Growth
A HIIT workout is performed at high-intensity levels supports muscle growth, even with short workouts. HIIT produces many metabolic byproducts, including lactic acid, hydrogen ions, and inorganic phosphates, which help promote the increase in various hormones that help repair muscle proteins. This may cause increased muscle definition or size, lifting weights without spending hours in the gym.
Brain and Cognitive Performance Benefits
Engaging in a short HIIT workout makes it possible for you to build muscles and burn calories. It also offers benefits to your brain and overall cognitive performance. Compared to a moderate-intensity steady-state workout, HIIT is more effective at producing BDNF and VEGF, both proteins that support new cell and blood vessel growth in the brain.
Is HIIT Right for You?
It’s smart to discuss workout options with your doctor and a fitness coach to find out what is right for you. While this is true, there is no question that HIIT workouts offer more than a few benefits for those who engage in them regularly. Keep this in mind to figure out if HIIT is right for you.