By Lindsay Jelinek, PT, DPT, CSCS
HIIT is:
A cardiovascular exercise strategy that alternates short periods of intense anaerobic (not requiring the use of oxygen) exercise followed by a short phase of less intense recovery. Commonly, a 2:1 ratio of work to rest is used. The goal is to exhaust the muscles and cardiovascular system by the end of the workout. Most sessions typically last around 30 minutes, which make them easy to fit in to your daily schedule.
Benefits:
- You’ll lose weight, not muscle: While steady state cardio seems to encourage muscle loss, studies have shown that HIIT workouts encourage burning calories while maintaining muscle.
- Efficient and convenient: You can complete a full HIIT workout within 30 minutes and you can do these workouts virtually anywhere since you don’t need a ton of equipment.
- Increase your metabolism: HIIT stimulates production of your human growth hormone (HGH) by up to 450% during the 24 hours after your workout, which is responsible for increased caloric burn.
- It’s great for your heart: HIIT increases the flexibility and elasticity of the arteries and veins better than continuous aerobic exercise due to the increased demand of the exercise.
If you are interested in learning more about high intensity interval training or want to check out a session for yourself, contact Lindsey about our new interval exercise classes being offered at Positive Energy, lindsey@positiveenergypt.com