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Open Up The Secrets Of HIIT Training And The Weight Loss It Can Provide.

7th February, 2009 - Posted by health news - No Comments

It is a common and frustrating problem to become unhappy with the results that aerobic exercise alone produces. Truth: all exercise is not alike. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is an exercise method that maximizes fat burning, weight loss, and muscle growth in 20 minute exercise sessions. It is ideal for people who exercise regularly, but still have stubborn areas of fat and pounds that won’t budge.

High intensity exercise is defined by your fitness level. The preferred form is sprinting. The intensity of you sprint will increase as your HIIT experience increases. In HIIT Training, high intensity exercise is alternated with lower intensity jogging to allow muscles to recover and to get ready for the next sprint. The overall result is a large cumulative amount of time involved in high intensity exercise. High intensity exercise is the best drain on energy stores of muscle. When muscle runs low on energy, it will begin to break down fat to reenergize itself.

Both intervals are important in achieving fat burning results from HIIT training. The high intensity interval depletes muscle of glycogen (energy) and forces it to turn to fat for energy. The lower intensity interval is a “rest” period and gives muscle time to recover so that the high intensity interval can be repeated. Exercises that use the large muscles of the legs are chosen to achieve maximum fat burning.

Designing a HIIT program that matches your fitness level is important to avoid injury. The basic formula of HIIT Training is low intensity for a chosen time interval followed by high intensity for, generally, a shorter time interval. For example, jog for 60 seconds, sprint for 30 seconds, repeat. Increase the number of repetitions with fitness level and experience. Workout time, including a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down, should be about 20 minutes. Intensity is measured on a scale of 1-10. If sprinting, 1 would be a slow walk and 10 would be an all-out sprint. Rest for a day after HIIT training to allow muscles to recover and prevent injury.

The effectiveness of HIIT training is dependent on the intensity achieved during exercise. High intensity exercise should be the hardest that you can push your body. Rest intervals allow muscles the recovery that is needed to sprint hard again.

A good diet will enhance the metabolism-boosting effects of HIIT Training. Lowering carbohydrate and increasing protein intake is the basis for optimizing your body’s fat burning ability. Eating six small meals a day is superior to 2 or 3 larger meals. Eat well to burn well.

HIIT is not an easy fitness program. It is not for everyone. Fast, hard, and intense are all words that should come to mind when considering HIIT. HIIT will push your body to the limit of its capability, but with this will come rapid and dramatic change.If you decide that interval training is the type of exercise for you it is well advised to start slowly and gradually increase your intensity and the number of intervals each workout. You will be leaner and fitter in no time.