People spend hours upon hours going to the gym, working out, and seeing no results.
This means it’s time to switch to high-intensity interval training! Otherwise known as HIIT, high-intensity interval training consists of going back and forth between vigorous exercises and resting periods for a short duration of time.
The biggest reason why people prefer HIIT workouts is that they have even greater health benefits than a moderately intense workout at the gym in a shorter period of only 10 to 30 minutes.
They are quicker and even more efficient, and who doesn’t want that! Here are some of the many benefits of HIIT workouts:
Calorie Torcher:
Because HIIT workouts consist of high-intensity exercises followed by a resting period, you burn more calories compared to when doing moderately intense workouts.
Not only are you burning more calories because you’re working harder and allowing your body to recover, but you’re doing it in a shorter amount of time. It’s a win-win situation for you and your body!
Increases Metabolic Rate:
Even though you're already burning many calories while working out, most of the calories burned when doing HIIT workouts happen after you're done exercising.
HIIT has the incredible ability to keep your metabolic rate elevated for hours once you've finished your workout.
And if that doesn’t convince you enough, HIIT workouts also encourage your body's metabolism to use fat instead of carbs for energy, helping you lose weight.
Gain Muscle and Lose Fat:
If when starting HIIT workouts you aren’t very active, to begin with, the possibility of gaining muscle increases. If weight training is something you do a lot, you will definitely gain more muscle from that than from HIIT workouts.
Losing fat and reducing waist circumference, though, is what HIIT workouts are known for. Despite the shorter time commitment, these high-intensity workouts can help you lose more fat than moderately intense workouts.
HIIT can also help reduce visceral fat which is unhealthy and can promote many diseases.
Improvement of Oxygen Consumption:
Your muscles need oxygen to perform properly and your muscle’s ability to do so is called oxygen consumption.
Moderately intensive workouts are known for improving oxygen consumption but research shows that HIIT workouts can produce the same benefits of oxygen consumption in a shorter period.
Lower Blood Pressure and Sugar:
High blood sugar and blood pressure are both huge factors for heart disease. Although many forms of exercise aid in lowering their numbers, research suggests that HIIT workouts in particular help significantly improve these numbers.
HIIT has helped people have greater control over their blood sugar levels compared to regular, moderately intense workouts.
Overall, HIIT workouts give you many, if not more, of the same benefits as moderately intense workouts in a shorter period of time without having an expensive gym membership or fancy equipment.
HIIT helps you burn more calories, lose fat, improve oxygen consumption, and decrease risk of heart disease all in a 10-to-30-minute period of time.
Next time you’re debating working out or going to the gym, do a HIIT workout instead and reap the rewards immediately!
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