High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

The challenge for many people in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and exercise routine is finding the time to train, especially through the wet and cold winter months when outdoor activity is less than appealing or near impossible. We might all like to hit the gym and spend some time on the treadmill to get ready for spring and summer weather, but very few of us have the time to spend 4 hours a week or more at the gym. This is where HIIT really looks appealing.

What is It:

HIIT has rapidly gained popularity in the last year or so, and continues to be a favoured way to perform cardio to burn fat. The days of slow and steady cardio - walking on a treadmill at a decent clip for too long to count as the way to burn fat - may be coming to an end.

To perform HIIT, you alternate between high-intensity cardio, such as running, and low-intensity cardio, such as walking, or even complete rest. The best way to do it is at a ratio of high-intensity ro low-intensity of 2:1. For example, you run fast for one minute, then walk slow for 30 seconds, then fast for a minute and slow for 30 seconds. Do that for a total of 15-20 minutes and the fat will fall off in no time.

Why it Works:

HIIT works because it keeps your metabolic rate up higher and for longer than slow-and-steady cardio. That means you burn a lot more fat calories when you are sitting around or back in your office after a workout.

Metabolic rate is the amount of energy expended while at rest. The higher your base metabolic rate is, the more calories you burn when not working out.

One of the first studies to discover the effectiveness of HIIT was published in 1994 by researchers in Quebec. The researchers compared the effectiveness of 15 weeks of HIIT versus 20 weeks of slow-and-steady cardio on both men and women. Despite the fact that the people in the slow-and-steady group burned more calories while exercising, the people doing the HIIT method lost 9 times more bodyfat!

Sample HIIT Workout

This 17 minute workout can be done on a treadmill, running outdoors, on a stationary bike, a stepper, elliptical, or with a jump rope. During the high-intensity intervals, go as fast as you can for a full minute. For the low-intensity intervals, move very slowly, or stop completely and rest.