12 Fantastic Benefits of HIIT Workouts

By Susan Dickson

12 Fantastic Benefits of HIIT Workouts thegearhunt.com

If you are up to date on the latest fitness trends and fads, you may have heard of HIIT or high-intensity interval training. Over the past couple of years, HIIT workouts have increased in popularity and are quickly becoming the favorite exercise routine of those who want to burn fat, quickly. The key to HIIT workouts is putting in the maximum effort during short bursts of exercise, then taking breaks that may or may not be active rest periods. This type of workout is used to increase a person’s heart rate and assist in burning more fat in less time. For those who want to get the most out of their workout, this routine is by far one of the most favored.

As with any workout, there are benefits that you simply can’t overlook with taking on a HIIT routine. In this blog, we will discuss these workouts and what benefits following this high-intensity routine may bring to you. Below, you will find 12 of these fantastic benefits and what they do for not only your body but also your overall health. After learning of a few of these, you will then be able to decide whether HIIT workouts are for you.

Choosing a Routine

Before we get into the many fantastic benefits of HIIT workouts, the first thing a person must do is decide on the routine best suited for them. With HIIT workouts, this isn’t an issue. Any cardio routine that raises the heart rate can be used during a HIIT workout. Before you begin, it is important to decide how you want your workout week to go. Choosing an exercise for each day you plan on training is important. This gives you the opportunity to mingle your favorites with those you need for maximum benefit. Once you’ve set your goals and program ideas, you can start reaping in the benefits of this workout routine.

Burning Calories

When looking for a great workout, one that burns the most calories is often the one a person chooses. This is where a workout such as HIIT comes into play. This high-intensity workout allows your body to burn the maximum number of calories and fat in the shortest amount of time. For most people, this is quite beneficial considering most of us don’t have time in our busy routines to dedicate to a proper workout. With a HIIT routine, you don’t need a long amount of time. This type of workout is geared to those who need to get the most of their exercise time and burn the most calories while doing it.

Endurance Building

One of the most popular benefits of HIIT routines is the building up of a person’s endurance. This type of training adapts to the structure of cells in the muscles used during training. This helps boost the endurance of a person’s body and aid them in being able to do more activities without feeling as tired as they once did. This helps in many ways. Those who are active will find themselves able to add extra activities to their lives. Those who often feel like they don’t have the energy to take part in fun, daily, activities may quickly feel that changing, thanks to the addition of HIIT workouts to their routine.

Metabolism Booster

During high-intensity training such as HIIT workouts, the body uses more oxygen. The use of this oxygen makes your body’s metabolism rate rise. Of course, burning more oxygen means your body burns more calories at an increased speed level. For those in need of losing weight, this increased metabolism and the fact that it stays with the body even after the workout is over. This means, even while taking part in the intervals of rest, your body is burning calories and the fat stored there.

Energy Use

HIIT workouts are comprised of intense workout intervals combined with down periods of resting. This system of starting and stopping allows the body to properly use the energy it creates during this process. Learning how to use this energy from your own body allows you to not only feel more energized but to stay active when you need to. This use of energy also coincides with releasing toxins from the body’s muscles during these types of workouts, thus making the body feel better and healthier.

The Benefits of HIIT Workouts

The Afterburn Effect

Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC is known to most who study workouts and their benefits as the afterburn effect. This increased oxygen in the body can erase a body’s oxygen debt and return the body to homeostasis. During this process, extra calories are burned to repair things such as muscle damage that has been suffered during intense workouts. The afterburn effect is this routine of burning calories for these repairs long after your normal workout routine has finished. This process is crucial to those wanting to burn the most calories possible from their workouts and weight loss plans.

Belly Fat is Targeted

If you are wanting to get in better shape or are looking for a workout to get rid of unwanted pounds around the middle, HIIT workouts are one of your best bets. When talking about ridding your body of fat, it is important to know that a specific workout cannot target fat, but you can change the way you store and burn fat. Hormones and genetics are a few of the things that determine how the fat in your body is stored. This genetics can be changed by doing the right types of exercises. This is where HIIT workouts come into play. During a HIIT workout, your body produces the right amount of metabolic energy to target belly fat, thus helping you target it during your training. This targeting is great for those who feel they are carrying too much weight around the middle or who are starting this type of routine for the benefits it can offer for weight loss.

Reduced Insulin in the Body

Everybody stores insulin. When your body is storing insulin in high amounts, losing fat becomes more difficult. HIIT workouts increase the body’s insulin sensitivity by improving how your body reacts to carbohydrates. These intense workouts reduce your sensitivity, meaning you need more insulin to fight these carbs and fatty acids. This means the body reduces its stores of insulin and starts burning fat quicker.

A Hormone Booster

HIIT workouts don’t only burn calories, they also get your body primed for losing weight by helping boost hormones. Both the growth hormone and testosterone are boosted during these intervals of high-intensity sessions. These two hormones are one of the most potent combos used in the burning of fat. The amounts of these hormones used are dictated by the intensity level of your workout. The harder you work, the more you produce. This means the harder your work at your HIIT routine, the more fat you will successfully burn.

The Building of Muscles

Some experts claim that a person can’t build muscle while losing fat. This isn’t the case. Yes, it may be a bit harder to bulk up your muscle mass when following a low-calorie diet, but it can be done. Those who adhere to HIIT workouts for several weeks have been known to build their muscle mass while losing extra body fat at the same time. This is thanks in part to the additional muscle providing the increase in your resting metabolic rate needed to burn calories throughout your entire day. Most people who follow a HIIT workout routine like the combination of losing fat, while building muscle, and working out for shorter periods of time.

No Equipment Needed

HIIT workouts are special compared to many of the routines people follow today in that you aren’t required to head to the gym or use any special equipment to complete these workouts. On the contrary, HIIT focuses on raising the heart rate and the intensity of the workout. In most cases, using your own body’s weight is the best situation for getting the level of workout you need. The only thing you are truly to have for a good, HIIT workout is enough space to use and comfortable workout clothing. This benefit makes HIIT workouts not only a great fat burning choice but one of the most cost-effective workouts available.

Flexibility

Another fantastic benefit of HIIT workouts is the flexibility they provide. Some people find they get bored doing the same workout day in and day out. With HIIT, you will find the flexibility to add in any cardio workout you enjoy to your routine. Whether you like running or possibly biking, you can change out your routine each day, allowing you to do the workout you like along with the others you need for losing the most weight and burning calories. This keeps an individual from getting bored and keeps them on a plan they can enjoy.

Good for the Heart

The last benefit we’ll discuss in depth is what HIIT workouts can do for the heart. For some people, training or working out can be a bit hard due to short breath and a rising heart rate. This isn’t the case when you follow a HIIT workout routine. These routines are geared for high intensity for short intervals combined with times of rest. Those who find themselves suffering from shortness of breath or high heart rates can still benefit from these exercises thanks to the break time involved. This helps you keep healthy blood flow and heart.

Are HIIT Workouts for You?

As you can see by reading over the benefits listed above, HIIT workouts can be quite fantastic for those looking to make an improvement in their overall health. Besides these benefits, you’ll find several more than are just as important. In comparison to endurance training, which is also needed to truly incorporate the full benefit of losing weight and placing yourself on the path to a better, healthier, lifestyle. The real question is, are HIIT workouts safe for you? Most experts feel that this type of workout is safe to most everyone who is interested in taking on the intensive of a workout. However, it is important to note that the key to successfully using HIIT to lose weight is to get your heart rate up to about 80%. Those who suffer from any types of heart-related issues may need to be wary. As with any exercise routine, it is best to discuss your thoughts on HIIT workouts with your health care professional to ensure the routines premise is safe for you and any conditions you may suffer from.

Staying Safe

Like with any type of intense workout, if you decide to step into the world of HIIT workouts, taking it slow is great advice. HIIT workouts are often considered to be designed for athletes and those more used to high-intensity workouts. If you are new to this type of conditioning routine, it may be best to slowly work your way up to the intended guidelines. This will ensure not only your safety but your body’s ability to get used to the intensity you are planning on putting it through.

Physical Demands

Yes, HIIT workouts are an intense way to condition your body and lose unwanted body fat by burning calories, quickly. This kind of routine can put a bit of stress on a person’s body. Overtraining is possible with HIIT just like with any type of workout. To avoid this issue and keep the body’s muscles from being overly strained, it is important to take care of your muscles by staggering your training sessions throughout the week to allow your body the opportunity to rest and repair itself in between workouts.

These fantastic benefits of HIIT workouts are only the tip of the iceberg. By using the information above such as choosing your routine, taking into consideration the physical demands of HIIT, and deciding whether HIIT is suitable for you in combination with the benefits discussed about this type of workout, you can easily decide whether this routine is the one you want to incorporate into your workout. If you have more questions, do your own research and learn more about this high-intensity form of weight loss and conditioning.