If one of your fitness goals is to burn fat you're probably thinking you'll need to put in lots of time doing long, slow cardio workouts. How tedious and time consuming. Fortunately, there's a better way. It's calledHIIT(orH.I.I.T.) and it should be a key part of your fat loss plans .
So what is HIIT?HIITis an acronym for High-Intensity Interval Training. HIIT isn't another one of those long slow cardio programs. Instead, a HIIT workout involves several cycles of short, hard exercise, followed by short less intense recovery periods. Done right, HIIT workouts are killers, but they don't take a long time and they're highly effective at burning fat and building muscle.
HIIT-ing yourself like this causes your heart rate to continually vary, going back and forth from a low level to near your maximum rate. HIIT workouts are short, but intense. A basic HIIT workout consists of a warm-up period, followed by several cycles of varying-intensity exercise, ending with a cool down period. But fortunately, HIIT workouts can be short.
Research shows that a HIIT cardio program can burn up to 9 times the calories as an old-fashioned cardio workout. Shorter, more intense workouts that give far better results than longer, more boring ones.
Why does HIIT burn fat & build muscle better than regular cardio? The spikes in heart rate and energy consumption involved in HIIT cause your body to release massive amounts of growth hormone and other chemicals that trigger fat burning and muscle growth. The intense work you do during the session causes your metabolism to run at a higher rate for many hours after your workout. During this time, your body is rebuilding the tissues stressed by your workout, making them a little stronger and better able to handle the workload you are subjecting them to.
High-Intensity Interval Training not only works better, it fits better into a busy lifestyle. If you're determined to build a great body, you're going to have to dedicate a lot of time to strength training. I don't know about you, but I don't have the time to run long distances every day on top of strength training . HIIT is a solution to this problem.
HIIT can really make a difference in your fat loss results. But as with other aspects of your effort to burn fat & get fit, starting slowly is the best way to proceed. HIIT workouts are a particularly strong example of this general rule. I know from bitter experience that pushing HIIT too fast can leave you a quivering heap on the ground. Going too hard too fast is also a great way to lose your lunch.
HIIT is truly a more effective way to build muscle and burn fat on your way to awesome personal fitness. If you have any doubts, compare the physique of the typical marathon runner (long, slow distance) to the typical sprinter (short bursts of high-intensity effort). Which one has the kind of body you would want?
