MIXING UP YOUR TRAINING TO GET BETTER RESULTS
HIIT, aka High-Intensity Interval Training, combines strength training and cardio. HIIT involves short bursts of activity, followed by even shorter intervals for resting.
To find out why HIIT has gained popularity over recent years, and why it’s a better alternative to hours spent on the treadmill. Here are the main points!
HIIT IS COMPACT
HIIT is short. To put this into perspective; take the energy and effort you would apply over a long run on the treadmill, and turn it into a 30-minute sprint.
A compact workout means you maintain or accrue a healthy lifestyle without jeopardising all of your downtimes to exercise on the treadmill. You could catch up with friends, watch football, rugby, whatever piques your interest.
QUICKER RESULTS
The intensity of HIIT pushes your body to work harder. Your heart pumps faster, and your muscles work intensely. As a result, you exhaust muscles much quicker and burn fat much faster than you would on a leisurely jog.
According to an abstract from the National Library of Medicine; the body’s human growth hormone increases by 450 per cent in the first 24 hours following a HIIT workout. The human growth hormone builds muscle and aids fat loss. Slower, exercise, which requires less intensity, does not create even half of this much growth hormone.
CHANGE IT UP
A mundane workout on the treadmill that seems to last for hours is hardly going to keep your full attention and motivation from subsiding. HIIT eradicates this problem. It’s compact, and you can switch up the exercise intervals as you please!
As a result, HIIT provides you with a workout that’s diverse, enjoyable, and a lot easier to focus your energy and attention on.
DO IT AT HOME
Unless you have a treadmill lying around, you’ll need to buy a gym membership, and then attend a said gym at allocated times to get your HIIT sessions in. With a HIIT workout, you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
If you insist on being sociable while doing HIIT, why not challenge your siblings to tag in and give the routine a shot with you>
For most people, once they get into the groove of working out at home, it’s their favourite place to exercise.
With the above benefits of HIIT throwing a boring run on the treadmill out the window, it’s not really a matter of whether to start but when.
But before you dive headfirst into HIIT, there’s something you should know. It’s not for the faint-hearted, or inexperienced exercisers to tackle. And so, if you’ve spent some time away from exercise the past few months, or weeks, it’s best to ease yourself in gently before you undertake a HIIT session.
A HIIT workout is, however, ideal for intermediate and advanced athletes and gym attendees.
The above tip is to ensure no one injures themselves attempting to endure an intense exercise. But apart from that, HIIT is the perfect workout for those who lead busy lives, who want to lose weight and build muscle faster. And prefer diverse, challenging workouts, as opposed to drawn-out runs on the treadmill.
