Fitness Column 10 - Why HIIT Workouts?

Super-efficient HIIT is the ideal workout, especially if you have a busy schedule. Whether you want to squeeze in a workout during your lunch break or to get in shape for a fast-approaching event.

Research shows you can achieve more progress in a mere 15 minutes of interval training (done three times a week) than the person jogging on the treadmill for an hour. And according to a 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, just 2 weeks of high-intensity intervals improves your aerobic capacity as much as 6 to 8 weeks of endurance training. This is something I also personally believe in.

Burning Calories and FAT!

Not only do you burn more calories during a HIIT workout, but the effect of all that intense exertion kicks your body's repair cycle into hyperdrive, meaning you burn more fat and calories in the 24 hours after a HIIT workout than you do after, say, a steady-pace run.

Most people aren't used to pushing into the anaerobic zone (that place where you can't breathe and you feel like your heart is trying to jump out of your chest). But in this case, extreme training produces extreme results. Expect to be struggling for breath and sweating from everywhere!

If you’re stuck for equipment, don’t worry -high knees, fast feet, or anything plyometric like jumping lunges work amazingly to get your heart rate up and fast!!

In addition to increased fat burning and more muscle preserved, HIIT stimulates production of your human growth hormone (HGH) by up to 450% during the 24 hours after you finish your workout. This is great news since HGH is not only responsible for increased caloric burn but also slows down the aging process, making you younger both inside and out, and don’t we all want to look as well as feel younger!

CAUTION

This is not a workout you can do while reading a magazine or chatting with your friend. Shorter workouts mean you must work harder, it’s time to push past your comfort zone.