HIIT - a revolution in the fight against fat

If you need to lose a few more pounds to get a really perfect swimsuit figure, we recommend incorporating HIIT into your training program. Don't be alarmed, this is not some new terrorist organization, but a new type of workout that seems to be the most effective weapon in the fight against fat these days.

HIIT, stands for HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING, or translated as high intensity interval training. Its essence is the alternation of intervals of high (maximum) load and intervals of low load. In our country HIIT is presented as a novelty in the fight against fat, while in the sports industry HIIT has not been a novelty for a long time. In fact, it was conceived and used for a long time by fitness coaches of runners to prepare their wards well for a race. HIIT came into the fitness industry because of the positive results it has on not only fitness but also fat burning. These results have been confirmed by multiple studies. HIIT has been proven to be much more effective for fat burning than long cardio workouts at a constant pace.

The main reason why HIIT is more effective than long cardio at a constant heart rate can probably be found in the increase in resting metabolic rate after the workout. In addition to increasing resting metabolic rate, research confirms that HIIT is effective in improving metabolic mechanisms in muscle cells that promote fat burning and in turn block its storage.

Many bodybuilders and trainers claim that slower and longer cardio is best for burning fat while protecting built muscle mass, but according to recent studies, HIIT is a much better choice in this regard. HIIT, as an exercise performed at a higher intensity and shorter duration, will not only help you maintain your hard-built muscles, but can even help you build more! When you train at a slow and unchanging pace for an extended period of time, you are training muscle fibers and building up your fitness and endurance. You know how muscle fibres react to adapt to aerobic training and gain more endurance? The smaller the muscle fibers you have, the less time the body then needs for nutrients to travel in the muscle fibers. This speeds up the process of burning the ingested nutrients to create energy.

When we engage reason, it's actually logical, long (and frequent) cardio at the same intensity cannot build muscle and there could be debates about maintaining it as well. Conversely, short, interval cardio can actually help you build muscle. When you think about it, weightlifting (or crossfit) and even strength training are actually forms of HIIT exercise as well.

HIIT is one of the most effective workouts even though it only takes a short amount of time. In fact, unlike other cardio and weight training activities, it is not built on moderate intensity execution, but on alternating between maximum and low intensity, which puts a much greater strain on the body. As the name implies, it is a high intensity interval training. You really only need to train between 15 - 30 minutes and it is not advisable to do this activity every day!

Excessive aerobic activity can even lower testosterone levels and in turn increase cortisol production, weakening the immune system and stopping the hope of hypertrophy (muscle growth). But that doesn't mean you can't maximize muscle mass and strength when performing cardio. HIIT is an excellent way to do just that.

A study was conducted where they compared participants who did cardio at a constant pace for 30 minutes three times a week versus those who did 20 minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) three times a week. Both groups showed similar weight loss, however, the group that did HIITshowed abody fat loss of around two percent, while the group doing cardio at a constant pace only lost 0.3 percent. And that's not all! The HIIT group gained almost two pounds (almost a kilogram) of muscle mass, while the constant cardio group lost almost half a pound of muscle mass. HIIT not only has a positive effect on burning fat, but also on building muscle mass and cardiovascular health.

While studies have shown that steady-state cardio may burn more calories because you spend much longer doing it, HIIT is far ahead in terms of fat loss. However, it doesn't stop with the workout! A study published in the American Journal of Physiology provides a different perspective on how HIIT burns more body fat. Researchers reported that 6 weeks of practicing HIIT increases the amount of special proteins in muscle that are responsible for transferring fat to the mitochondria (where fat is burned and used as an energy source) by up to 50%. Having more of these proteins in your muscles means that you burn more fat not only during training, but also at rest.

Another indisputable advantage of HIIT workouts is that you get by with minimal or even no equipment at all! The possibilities are virtually limitless and you don't necessarily have to do HIIT only in a gym environment. You can use absolutely anything for HIIT - treadmill, resistance ropes, strength elements, your own body, anything really.

What would such a HIIT workout for beginners look like?

• 15 seconds of high intensity exercise
• 1 minute of rest - low heart rate
• 15 seconds of high intensity exercise
• 1 minute rest - low heart rate
• 15 seconds high intensity exercise
• 1 minute rest - low heart rate
• 15 seconds high intensity exercise
• 1 minute rest - low heart rate

You can then add the time spent doing the high frequency activity incrementally to 30 seconds, and a minute of rest, and then for advanced for example 30 seconds of high intensity to 30 seconds of low intensity. If you are already proficient in HIIT training, you can even have the high intensity interval longer than the rest interval. (E.g. 30 seconds high frequency + 15 seconds low frequency.)

But let's not just bash steady-state cardio - HIIT is also high-interval strength training - the style you train at the gym. Constant cardio trains your heart much better, and by helping you build fitness, it actually allows you to train better in the gym. For fat burning, HIIT is preferable, but as a supplement to your workout, you can easily incorporate long cardio at a steady heart rate. And at a reasonable load level, it doesn't even affect the size or adaptation of muscle fibers.

We're certainly not saying that long cardio at a steady heart rate should be completely eliminated.. on the contrary, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, long cardio is a great addition to your workout, but if your primary goal is fat loss, we recommend giving HIIT a try at the very least. The benefit of HIIT is maximum fat loss due to an increase in resting metabolic rate and likely an increase in lean muscle mass. What's the best part? That you can have it all in minimal time thanks to HIIT .

Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5313002/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2991639/
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5129054/
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https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01237.2011