Professional athletes have been gaining the benefits of HIIT for decades. However, only in the past five to ten years have the general public started to become aware of HIIT benefits. Due to the rise in popularity of HIIT, many people have seen others doing HIIT and wonder what they are doing or what do they gain from doing HIIT?HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a fast pace and super-hard workout routine that challenges you to give 100%. Due to how you are supposed to do HIIT, you can gain a myriad of benefits from it. Here are some examples of what you can gain from HIIT.

• HIIT is a great way to burn tons of calories
• HIIT can help improve heart health
• HIIT can help improve bone and joint health
• HIIT is a perfect workout routine for busy people
• Most HIIT exercises don’t require equipment and can be done anywhere
• HIIT is fantastic at improving mental and emotional health

As you can see, HIIT is an excellent workout routine. You can gain tons of benefits and stay healthy. The only downside is that you have to give it 100%. If you are doing HIIT and you give it anything less than 100%, you are going to see less significant results. In other words, you can still gain the benefits we listed above; however, the benefits you gain will be of lower quality.As you continue to read this article, we will give an in-depth explanation of the fantastic benefits that you can gain from doing HIIT.

What Is HIIT?

HIIT is a challenging workout routine packed with various benefits that you can gain. However, if you are doing HIIT, you will need to give it everything you have. This is because HIIT was made to take traditional exercises like running, jump squats, biking, and even some weight lifting to the next level by doing them as fast as possible for around 20 seconds.When you do HIIT and go all out on an exercise for about 20 seconds, you effectively use as much of the oxygen in your body as possible. As your body starts to run out of oxygen, it will rely on anaerobic pathways to break down glucose to give you a temporary boost of energy. While this boost in energy is immediate, it is only temporary and finite, so the energy you gain from breaking down glucose with anaerobic pathways only lasts for a small amount of time. However, in this small amount of time, the energy you gain will allow you to give maximum effort to finish out of exercise. Once you finish a bout of exercise, you will need to rest for about one minute. During your resting period, your body will still be in work mode to refill your body with oxygen, allowing you to start the next round of HIIT. Each exercise will typically require you to do 5 to 6 rounds of the same exercise. For example, while doing jump squats, you will need to do as many as you physically can in 20 seconds. After that 20 seconds, you can sit and rest for a minute, or you can do some slow and light jogging in place while your body replenishes its oxygen supply. After your resting period, you will go right back into jump squats and do as many as you can before resting again. Rinse and repeat 5 to 6 times before moving on to the next exercise like sprints.

What Benefits Do You Gain From HIIT?

As we previously stated, HIIT can be packed full of benefits for you to gain. However, to gain the most out of HIIT, you must give it 100%. This is because HIIT basically required you to go as hard as physically possible on each of its exercises. If you give HIIT less than 100%, you will still gain the same benefits, but the quality of the benefits you gain will decrease. With that said, here is a list of the most important benefits that you can gain from HIIT.

• HIIT Is A Great Way To Burn Tons Of Calories

HIIT is a fantastic way of burning calories and losing fat for several reasons. First off is the EPOC effect. While doing your HIIT routine, you are burning calories through movement. However, the most impressive feat of HIIT is the number of calories you can lose after you have finished your training for the day. You see, when you finish your HIIT routine, HIIT will kick your body’s repair cycle into overdrive. This is where the EPOC effect kicks in.The EPOC effect, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, is a state in which your body works harder to replenish its lack of oxygen. EPOC usually happens after very intense training exercises, like HIIT. While your body is under the EPOC effect, it will continue to burn calories as it replenishes its oxygen. The EPOC effect can last up to 24 hours after you finish working out, which means you can keep burning calories for a whole day after you finish doing HIIT. While burning calories while resting is super nice, you will burn most of the calories through the EPOC effect in the first one to two hours after your workout. After the first hour or two after HIIT, your body can continue to burn calories through the EPOC effect, but the amount of calories you burn is minimal in comparison to the first two hours.The second reason HIIT is fantastic for losing weight is that HIIT combines some benefits of cardio exercises with strength training routines. One of the downsides of cardio is that you will begin to lose muscle mass after a long time of continuous cardio training. However, with HIIT, you can train with light or moderate weights while training safely to keep your strength as your burn fat. Furthermore, HIIT also trains and improves your explosiveness, which also helps keep muscle on your body while shedding fat.

• HIIT Can Help Improve Heart Health

As previously stated, HIIT combines the benefits of cardio and strength training into one. With the basics of HIIT being cardio exercises, HIIT is a fantastic way of improving your heart and your cardiovascular system. By doing HIIT, you are helping increase the flow of oxygen throughout your body and strengthening your blood flow which has a number of benefits that come along with it.

One of the benefits you gain from improving your heart’s health and your cardiovascular system is the reduced likelihood of developing chronic health issues. In addition, HIIT can help reduce the effects of heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels.Furthermore, HIIT can also help regulate the symptoms of diabetes. A study has shown that people who do HIIT and suffer from type two diabetes have lower blood sugar levels, up to 12% lower. The same study has shown that HIIT can lower your average blood sugar levels after three to four months of HIIT.

• HIIT Can Help Improve Bone And Joint Health

The high-impact exercises that form HIIT basics are fantastic at strengthening your bones and joints. In addition, studies have shown that exercises like running, burpees, and jump rope increase the density of the bones in your lower back and body. Increasing bone density helps prevent injuries from occurring while exercising and doing daily activities. Furthermore, high-impact exercises have been proven to improve overall joint health while also preventing the progression of arthritis and reducing joint pain and swelling. However, if you have arthritis or experience any joint pain, consult with your doctor and see if HIIT is a good idea for you. Your doctor will always know the best forms of exercise to help keep you healthy while also preventing you from experiencing unnecessary pain.

• HIIT is a perfect workout routine for busy people

HIIT was made for people who live busy lives and don’t have tons of free time to exercise and stay healthy. One of the benefits of HIIT is that you can make HIIT as short or as long as you want it to be. For example, one study in 2013 shows that people who do sprint interval training through HIIT for 12 minutes a day three times a week see the same results as people who do 45 to 60 minutes of steady cardio training on a bicycle five times a week.

This is why HIIT is so great for busy bees. You can do a fantastic and healthy HIIT workout in 15 minutes and see the same results as someone who trains for an hour.

• Most HIIT Exercises Don’t Require Equipment And Can Be Done Anywhere.

One of the great things about HIIT is that you can convert just about any exercise into a HIIT program. The only thing you will change is the intensity and speed at which you do the exercise. With that said, most cardio exercises that you can convert to HIIT don’t require any equipment at all. The only thing you need to do HIIT sprints is an open area, and the only thing you need to do push-ups or squats is just a few feet of open space. While some exercises like thrusters and kettlebell swings require some equipment, most of them only need space to do them, and space is plenty. You don’t need to go to the gym every time you want to do your HIIT routine, you can go for a walk with your dog to the park, or you can even do your entire HIIT program in your living room if you want.

• HIIT is fantastic at improving mental and emotional health

Everyone should know that exercising is essential when it comes to keeping your emotions in check. Any form of exercise releases endorphins in your brain. The release of endorphins has been proven to help fight off depression and anxiety. Furthermore, the release of endorphins in your brain also boosts your self-esteem, improves your motivation, helps you get a good night’s rest, boosts your immune system, and gives you a boost of energy.

Final Thoughts

HIIT is a great and challenging workout routine that is packed with benefits. HIIT can be very beneficial to you, from the release of endorphins to the improvement in your heart’s health. So if you are looking to spice up your workout routine, give HIIT a try. Just remember to give HIIT everything you can give to get the most out of your workout.