What is HIIT?
HIIT refers to training intensely for short bursts followed by similar periods of low intensity. HIIT workouts are usually short but intense and burn a large number of calories in a short period of time. These short intense workouts are effective for several reasons:
1
They build muscle. Muscle plays an important role in your metabolism. It is a metabolically expensive tissue that causes you to burn extra calories even while at rest!
2
HIIT workouts cause you to burn extra calories long after the completion of the workout. For up to 36 hours after HIIT your metabolism remains boosted while restoring the body’s systems back to normal.
3
HIIT is very effective at developing strength and cardiovascular performance. Ironically, the impact that HIIT has on cardiovascular performance is actually much greater than that of steady state “cardio”. Cardio, on it’s own, will yield no gains in strength and will likely cause you to lose strength and muscle mass over time.
Note: For best results a well balanced diet is strongly encouraged to accompany these workouts. Check out the Social Page for posts on nutritional guidance and meal ideas!