18 Unbelievable Benefits Of HIIT Training

If you’ve shown even the slightest interest in health and fitness over the last several years, you will likely be familiar with HIIT.

If not, worry not because today we will be highlighting the many benefits of HIIT training in a bid to show you just how awesome HIIT really is.

One of the biggest problems with getting fit is finding the time to squeeze your workouts in.

A lot of 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 6 or 7 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.

When talking about the benefits, though, time is no longer an issue, as you’ll soon discover.

HIIT workouts are ideal for many reasons which are why they’re popular in gyms, CrossFit boxes, boot camps, and even people’s living rooms, but what is HIIT and what is it that makes it so beneficial? Let’s take a look now, shall we?

What Is HIIT Training?

First and foremost, before we can begin looking at the benefits, we first need to ensure that you understand precisely what HIIT training is.

HIIT is an acronym for High-Intensity Interval Training.

It is a relatively new training concept based upon Tabata, in which participants will alternate between periods of slow and steady exercise and fast-paced, high-intensity exercise for several rounds.

We’ll keep things brief here so won’t go into too much detail, but basically, HIIT is about low-intensity exercise followed by high-intensity exercise repeated for several rounds.

A very basic example would be spinning for 30 seconds, then sprinting for 30 seconds, and repeating this process over and over again for as many rounds as you can squeeze into 20 minutes.

What Are The Benefits Of HIIT Training?

Right, hopefully, you’re all now familiar with HIIT training so now we can discover just what it is about HIIT that makes it so darned beneficial.

Here are several unbelievable benefits:

1. Save Time

One of the most appealing aspects of HIIT training is the fact that it is so awesome for saving time.

Ordinarily, if you wanted 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 that don’t have much time to train.

2. Burn Calories

HIIT is often performed by people who are looking to lose weight and burn fat, and for good reason.

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.

If you want to burn fat and don’t have much time to do so, HIIT training is great.

3. Burn Calories Afterwards

If you do a little research into the many benefits, you’ll likely come across people talking about what is known as 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 be burning more calories than you would usually.

4. 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 because, as mentioned, one of the key benefits is that HIIT will boost your metabolism.

The stronger your metabolism is, the more calories you will burn and the more energy your body will produce as a result.

5. HIIT Training Is Fun

Okay, perhaps fun is a bit of an overreaction, but those that take part in HIIT workouts tend to have a love/hate relationship with HIIT.

Because HIIT training is so involved, it is more enjoyable than, say, going for a leisurely stroll on the treadmill for 60 minutes.

HIIT is intense, it is always changing, and as there is so much going on it is considered to be fun by a lot of people who take part in it.

6. Great For The Heart

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.

7. Reduce Your Blood Pressure

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.

HIIT is a great form of cardio, which has been found to reduce blood pressure.

This means it could potentially be life-saving one day.

8. No Equipment Needed

One of the main benefits for people who often work out at home is the fact that there is no equipment necessary in order to have yourself one heck of a workout.

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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.

9. Plenty Of Variety

Another of the lesser-acknowledged benefits is the fact that it offers participants plenty of variety for their workouts.

With HIIT, if you want to take part in a bodyweight HIIT workout you can, whereas if you simply want to go for a run around the park and perform interval sprints, you can do that too.

Having plenty of workout variety is important because it keeps your sessions fun and exciting, which will then boost your motivation.

10. Tone The Muscles

When people speak of the benefits, many a time they overlook the fact that HIIT workouts can actually work wonders on people looking to tone their muscles.

Because of the high-intensity aspect of the training, the muscles really get worked and while they aren’t worked enough to facilitate hypertrophy, they will start to become leaner and more toned, especially when using ankle weights and also a weighted vest.

Add to this the fact that HIIT promotes fat loss, and the more fat you lose, the leaner you will look.

11. 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, at the gym, in the park, in the garden, in the office, or anywhere else with a little open space.

12. HIIT Is Very Challenging

If you’re used to leisurely workouts that require you to go through the motions and barely break a sweat, if you take part in a HIIT workout, you’ll be in for quite a shock.

HIIT is extremely challenging which means it will push you physically and mentally.

Even though this may sound like a drawback, when it comes to working out and getting in shape, sometimes that’s what is needed.

13. HIIT Builds Endurance

If you’re looking to improve your physical stamina and endurance levels, HIIT training is the perfect training regime to follow.

HIIT training increases your VO2 Max levels, which is basically how much oxygen your body utilizes when you exercise.

The more oxygen you can use, the more energy and stamina you will have and the greater your endurance levels will be.

14. HIIT Is Convenient

Okay, we’ve talked about how one of the main benefits is the fact that it saves time, but people still don’t realize just how convenient HIIT is.

With HIIT, 3 – 4 workouts each week are sufficient enough to be beneficial, meaning you will have several days away from training to focus on other things.

Add to this the fact that HIIT can be done anywhere, and can be done in less than 25 minutes, it’s easy to see why HIIT is considered so convenient.

15. HIIT Helps To Regulate Blood Glucose Levels

Type-2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common in the modern world, and it is a disease that health experts are becoming increasingly worried about.

Diabetes can lead to numerous health complications which is why controlling your blood glucose levels is so important.

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.

16. 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.

17. HIIT Promotes 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.

18. HIIT Can Be Done Alone Or With Friends

 Finally, when we mention the many benefits, we can’t overlook the fact that it is ideal for those of you who work out alone, and those of you who work out with friends.

HIIT is great because you can put together a physically demanding HIIT workout all by yourself, or if you’d prefer, you can go through a HIIT workout with friends or family members as part of a group.

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Group HIIT classes are hugely popular in commercial gyms all over the globe now, for obvious reasons, so if you do enjoy working out with other people, they’re absolutely ideal.

Final Thoughts:

Okay, so as you can see, there are many, many health benefits of HIIT training to be enjoyed, and if you’re looking for ways of testing yourself physically as well as mentally, HIIT is ideal.

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!