High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a training technique where you give 100% of your effort in short and intense bursts of exercise followed by a less active movement or rest (recovery periods). It has benefits over Long Steady State Cardio because:
It Burns More Fat and Calories – High Intensity Interval Training will cause the body to burn more fat and calories after exercise, this is one reason why HIIT has an advantage over Steady State cardio. This is because of a raise in Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), sometimes referred as ‘Afterburn’ which will speed up metabolic rate, resulting in burning calories after the gym! This happens because a high intensity workout creates an oxygen shortage in the body and causes the body to need more oxygen during recovery.
It Is Time Efficient – Another benefit of a HIIT workout is that its time efficient, an extremely effective HIIT session can only last 10 minutes. HIIT is perfect is you are on a tight schedule, because of how intense it is you will still reap all the benefits as Long Steady State Cardio in fraction of the time.
It Is Good for Health – High Intensity Interval Training pushes people into the Anaerobic zone which is hard to do in Steady State Cardio for long periods of time, it makes your heart pump faster and increases your need for oxygen, this helps the increase of blood flow throughout the body.
It Can Be More ‘Fun’ – HIIT workouts can be more fun (for lack of a better word) because it is not just running or resistance training with a high amount of repetitions, it is short bursts of intense exercise such as sprinting and using equipment such as battle ropes or slamballs.
