Three Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training

If you are looking for a new workout regime, or are just looking for some new challenges, high intensity interval training (HIIT) might be for you. It's an interval style training featuring quick, intense bursts, followed by short recovery periods. You give it your all during the short bursts, take a quick rest, and then repeat the cycle. Don't be fooled by the short nature of the intervals, if you do it right, these short bursts will leave you sucking wind. This training technique that has caught a lot of attention in recent years, and for good reason. Here are three great benefits of HIIT workouts.

More efficient
First and foremost, high intensity interval training is much more efficient than a typical workout routine. This holds especially true for people who have limited time to workout. 20-30 minutes is a sufficient amount of time for a HIIT workout. Even though you may not be spending as much time in the gym, the intense bursts will make up for it compared to steady state workout, such as a long run.

Better cardiovascular fitness
Subjecting yourself to high intensity interval training works wonders for your metabolism because your body burns calories during the workout and for hours afterwards. This leads to more fat loss if you are trying to lose weight or if you are justing toning up. Additionally, high intensity interval training is great for your cardiovascular health as you are cycling between your peak heart rate and then back down to a normal heart rate. Over time, your cardio system will become much more efficient at lowering your heart rate immediately following an intense burst. You'll start to notice yourself being in better shape to handle the HIIT workouts, and your cardio will be in better shape too. This leads to improving your endurance as an athlete. If you are training for a marathon, mixing in HIIT workouts with your regular training will help you build your endurance faster.

It grows with you
This is often overlooked, but high intensity interval training grows with you. Most other workout regimens cause the participant to plateau once they've reached a certain level. This is seen by people who train the same way over and over again - their bodies have adapted to that level of workout, and it isn't challenging enough for them to see great improvements. This is not the case with HIIT, as it grows with you. You're all in for the intense bursts. 100%. Maximum effort. As your endurance and athletic abilities increase, what once was 100% for you may now be only 70%. As you improve, so does your peak. This means that you'll break through plateaus and get in better shape fast, and improve faster, compared to standard workouts.
HIIT offers many advantages compared with normal workout regimens. They are very time efficient, greatly improve your cardiovascular health, and allow you to achieve new levels of fitness due to its inherent nature of growing with you. Now that you know a little more about the benefits of high intensity interval training, it's time to get out and the start bursting!