You will likely be familiar with HIIT if you’ve shown even the slightest interest in health and fitness over the last several years. You see it at gyms, in parks, in apps, and constantly in your Instagram or TikTok reels. So what's the hype all about? Simple: HIIT works and has plenty of benefits.
One of the biggest problems with getting fit is finding the time to squeeze your workouts in. Many people who deep down want to get fit and healthy often find that they simply don’t have the time to go to the gym six or seven times each week for hours on end.
Sometimes, this is a convenient excuse, but sometimes, it is a genuine reason, and when you consider work, kids, housework, and life in general, you can see why.
HIIT (High-intensity interval training) involves short, intense, and explosive exercises with brief recovery. It should be executed in no more than 30 minutes. So, without further ado, here are the biggest benefits of HIIT training.
What Are The Benefits Of HIIT Training?
1. Efficient and Time Saving
One of the most appealing aspects of HIIT training is its ability to save time. Ordinarily, if you want to get in a good quality workout, you’d need to spend at least 45 – 60 minutes working out to get anywhere near enough work done.
With HIIT, though, things are very different.
Because the exercise is so intense and the rest periods are so short, you can get more done for less. An average HIIT training workout can be completed in around 20 minutes, making it ideal for people who are short on time.
2. Burn Calories
HIIT is often performed by those who are looking to lose weight and burn fat, and for good reason. I do it myself while shredding just before the summer. A typical HIIT training session may not last long, but during that time period, you can easily burn off as many as 400 – 600 calories if you really ramp up the intensity.
HIIT training is great if you want to burn fat but don’t have much time to do so.
3. Boost Metabolism
After a HIIT workout, your body kicks into high gear, boosting fat-burning, as I mentioned. That's not all: it also revs up the production of human growth hormone (HGH) by as much as 450 percent in the 24 hours post-workout. HGH not only amplifies calorie burning but also has a benefit that most won't tell you about—it can put the brakes on aging, although there are not enough studies to support it at the moment.
4. The Afterburn Effect
If you do a little research into the many benefits, you’ll likely come across people talking about the afterburn effect. The afterburn effect is basically a process whereby, because of the high intensity of your workouts, your metabolism temporarily speeds up and increases, even in a rested state.
This means that for around 12 – 24 hours after your HIIT session, you will burn more calories than usual.
5. Gives You More Energy
HIIT training is physically and mentally draining; there’s no denying that, yet afterward, you’ll find that you have more energy than you did prior. One of the main reasons for this is that, as mentioned, one of the key benefits of HIIT is that it boosts metabolism.
The stronger your metabolism is, the more calories you will burn and the more energy your body will produce as a result.
6. Great For The Heart and Reduces Blood Pressure
One of the most important benefits is the fact that it is so beneficial for the heart. HIIT is a great form of cardiovascular exercise, which means that it will benefit your heart and your cardiovascular system.
Considering that more people die each year from heart disease than any other disease, the importance of looking after your heart really does become apparent here. High blood pressure, which is technically known as hypertension, is one of the most common and most serious chronic illnesses in existence.
Hypertension can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage, organ failure, collapsed arteries, and a whole lot more on top of that, which is why you need to ensure that your blood pressure remains at a healthy level.
7. No Equipment Needed
One of the main benefits for people who often work out at home is that no equipment is necessary to get a good workout. With HIIT, you can use fitness accessories and equipment if you want, but if not, that’s perfectly fine too. Many of the more popular HIIT workouts out there require no equipment at all. Just look at this 10-minute HIIT workout without equipment by one of the biggest natty bodybuilders, Simeon Panda.
With that being said, you can obviously spice it up with ankle weights or weighted vest if you wish.
Add to this the fact that HIIT promotes fat loss, and the more fat you lose, the leaner you will look.
8. HIIT Can Be Done Anywhere
Want to work out but don’t enjoy training in the gym or don’t have access to a gym? No problem, just take part in a HIIT workout instead. HIIT is beneficial because it can be done anywhere, without any equipment as we mentioned earlier.
You can do HIIT at home, the gym, in the park, in the garden, in the office, or anywhere else with a little open space.
9. HIIT Helps To Regulate Blood Glucose Levels
HIIT training has been found to help reduce and regulate blood sugar levels, which can, in turn, help to reduce insulin resistance and reduce people’s chances of suffering from diabetes. It has been proven that blood glucose levels tend to lower over the next 24-48 hours.
10. HIIT Is Great For Your Mental Health
When people speak of the benefits of exercise for mental health, you can’t help but talk about the many mental health benefits.
HIIT is ideal for anybody looking to improve their mental health as it has been found to help reduce stress and increase the production of endorphins in the body. Endorphins are known as ‘happy chemicals’ because they literally make us feel happy.
Put simply, HIIT workouts will help you to feel happier meaning that they work wonders on people’s mental health.
11. HIIT Promotes Better Sleep
Sleep is vastly underrated in terms of how it can make you feel and what it can do for your body and mind, which is why we need to make sure that we’re getting enough each night.
Insomnia can leave us lacking energy, it can affect our mental health, it can put us in a bad mood, it can affect our physical performance and a whole lot more on top of that.
Another unbelievable benefit that we need to look at today is the fact that HIIT training promotes sleep.
Because of the fact that HIIT is so physically draining, and because it promotes the production of endorphins such as melatonin, it helps us to get to sleep each night and enjoy a peaceful and relaxing night’s sleep.
What Is HIIT Training?
HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training, and it's like the turbocharged version of your regular workout routine! In HIIT, you alternate between short bursts of intense exercise and brief periods of rest or lower-intensity activity.
Think of it as giving your all-out effort for a short burst, then catching your breath before going all-out again.
How to Get Started With HIIT
As mentioned, HIIT is basically a turbo version of your regular workout. So you won't have to re-invent the wheel in any way. The main difference is how you perform the exercise and its density. It's all about the tempo!
- Choose Your Workout Space: Find a comfortable and spacious area where you can move freely without any obstacles. It could be your living room, backyard, or a nearby park – anywhere with enough room to do exercises like jumping jacks, lunges, and high knees.
- Warm Up: Before diving into HIIT, warm up your muscles to prevent injury and prepare your body for the intense workout ahead. Spend 5-10 minutes doing dynamic stretches, light jogging, or jumping rope to get your heart rate up and loosen your muscles.
- Select Your Exercises: Decide on the exercises you want to include in your HIIT routine. Aim for a mix of cardio and strength exercises to target different muscle groups and keep things interesting. Examples include jumping jacks, burpees, squats, push-ups, mountain climbers, and high knees.
- Set Your Interval Timer: HIIT workouts involve short, intense exercises followed by brief rest periods. Use a timer or a smartphone app to set intervals of, for example, 30 seconds of work followed by 15-30 seconds of rest. Adjust the intervals based on your fitness level and preferences.
If you're not familiar with lunges, jumping jacks, etc., then I suggest that you open YouTube and search for beginner HIIT sessions. You'll find hundreds of great exercises that will get you going and that you can mimic. Experiment to find a fun yet intense routine for yourself.
Final Thoughts:
Okay, so as you can see, HIIT training has many health benefits, and it's ideal if you’re looking for ways to test yourself physically and mentally. You'll burn plenty of fat, improve your cardio, and build muscles in a short time! But don’t take our word for it—head online, look for a basic HIIT workout you can follow yourself, and try it the next time you hit the gym!
