High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, enjoys the benefits of both steady cardio AND weight lifting. The body burns fat 3x faster than steady cardio, while building muscle at the same time. Weightlifting alone does little to burn fat, and steady cardio, like jogging, does little to build muscle.
During HIIT, The back and forth of explosive activity to rest causes muscle confusion and the body responds by growing muscle rapidly. At the same time the heart rate will skyrocket, burning glucose and giving you an excellent cardio session in a very short period of time. What’s probably most fascinating about HIIT is what happens after the workout is over.
HIIT creates a strong excess post-oxygen consumption effect, where the body continues to consume oxygen after the workout in order to recover the muscles back to their pre-workout state. So the body revs up the metabolism and keeps burning calories and fat during recovery and this effect can last up to 24 hours after the workout is done.
HIIT workouts can be done anywhere at anytime. There is no equipment or membership needed and most workouts are less than 30 minutes.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT), also called high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) or sprint interval training (SIT), is a form of interval training, a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods. HIIT is the concept where one performs a short burst of high-intensity (or max-intensity) exercise followed by a brief low-intensity activity, repeatedly, until too exhausted to continue. Though there is no universal HIIT session duration, these intense workouts typically last under 30 minutes, with times varying based on a participant's current fitness level.
HIIT workouts provide improved athletic capacity and condition as well as improved glucose metabolism. Compared with other regimens, HIIT may not be as effective for treating hyperlipidemia and obesity or improving muscle and bone mass. However, research has shown that HIIT regimens successfully produced significant reductions in the fat mass of the whole-body. Some researchers also note that HIIT requires "an extremely high level of subject motivation" and question whether the general population could safely or practically tolerate the extreme nature of the exercise regimen.
Health effects
Cardiovascular fitness
A 2015 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that HIIT training and traditional endurance training both lead to significantly improved cardiovascular fitness in healthy adults ages 18–45 but greater improvements in VO2 max were seen in those participating in the HIIT exercise regimen. Another analysis also found that HIIT regimens of one month or longer effectively improve cardiovascular fitness in adolescents and lead to moderate improvements in body composition. Furthermore, a separate systematic review and meta-analysis of seven small randomized controlled trials found that HIIT (defined as four intervals of four minutes at 85–95% of max heart rate with three-minute intervals at 60–70% of max heart rate) was more effective than moderate-intensity continuous training at improving blood vessel function and markers of blood vessel health.
Brain Power
A 2017 study examined the effect of HIIT on cognitive performance among a group of children (N=318) . The authors show that HIIT is beneficial to cognitive control and working memory capacity and that this effect is mediated by the BDNF polymorphism. They conclude that the study "suggests a promising alternative to enhance cognition, via short and potent exercise regimens.
Thanks to Wikipedia: High-intensity_interval_training
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