Just What Is High-Intensity Interval Training?
Modern-day scientists and researchers have come up with so many different types of exercise routine that they believe can help to contribute to a healthy and fit human body. The range of theories is so wide and vast as it relates to getting the best results from exercise that people sometimes get confused about which type of exercises to do. To clear up any doubt, one of the most significant and effective methods of exercise is high-intensity interval training. As you read on, you will realize that this type of training program has been proven for many people to provide very good calorie burning during a workout.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is known by many as sprint interval training. The intention behind the strategy of this routine is for your overall performance to be improved with much shorter exercise sessions. HIIT is a type of cardiovascular workout routine that gives your body a chance to burn fat using short and high-intensity workout sessions.
A typical HIIT work on session usually runs from 9 to 20 minutes overall. The basic theory behind such a short routine is that there is a 2 to 1 ratio for workouts leading into the recovery periods of the cycle. For example, a runner who accomplishes 15 to 20 seconds of hard sprinting will break each sprinting session by 10 seconds of jogging or walking at a slow pace.
The typical HIIT session will consist of exercise that is done for warm up first, which is then followed by between 6 to 10 reps of high-intensity exercise. These high-intensity reps are separated by medium intensity reps of other exercises, and everything culminates with one period of cooling down exercise. Most people recommend that the high-intensity exercises should be done at almost maximum intensity, while the medium intensity exercises should be done at about 50% intensity.
Most fitness gurus look at HIIT as a great way to get the most out of your workout if you are running short on time. The primary goal is to accomplish at least six cycles and ensure the entire session lasts between 15 and 20 minutes; try not to make the session less than 15 minutes or more than 20 minutes. What most people find is that doing HIIT sessions has significantly improved their athletic performance. For those exercise lovers or athletes in general, once the highest level of improvement in weight loss and fitness has been achieved, high-intensity interval training can then be used to improve endurance performance.
As you can see, there is not much technicality involved with high-intensity interval training. It follows a very simple technique that is claimed and in some cases proven to produce really great results in terms of burn as well as overall fitness. If time is an issue for you or if you prefer to do shorter exercises, you should definitely consider this type of routine.
Rob Humphrey is a Fitness Product Specialist. His favorite diet supplement is shakeology. He likes to workout with the new program TurboFire by Chalene Johnson.