High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been the new black of fitness training for nearly a decade now. It has received a lot of media coverage as a quick fix for anyone after maximum results in minimum time. But what exactly is it, and is it right for everyone?
HIIT is the opposite of long, steady cardio training. It’s basically short, intense bouts of exercise broken up with short periods of rest. HIIT makes it possible to torch far more calories than steady state cardio because you can push your heart rate over 85% again and again. The HIIT effect means you can get up to nine times the fat loss of regular cardio training and you can continue to burn calories for hours after your workout. It also amplifies benefits of cardiovascular exercise for metabolic and heart health.
But HIIT isn’t a one-size-fits-all-fast-track-to-fitness for everyone. The key research demonstrating the benefits has focused on “healthy, active adults” – people without medical conditions or injuries who are involved in up to five hours of fitness per week. HIIT is for people who already exercise consistently and want to move up to the next level. It’s designed as a twice or thrice per week substitute for regular cardio, not as a replacement for an entire regime. It’s not for everyone – some body and personality types respond better than others to extreme intensity.
If HIIT isn’t for you it’s still possible to tweak up your training intensity in other ways. Trying a different sort of exercise will likely increase the intensity of your session. For example, if you’re used to your weights programme you could make it more intense by interspersing a two minute row every couple of exercises. Your challenge need not be a short cardio blast, it just needs to be something new such as a different group fitness class. It’s important to change up your workouts for your body to create new adaptations, but the type and gradient of the changes is up to you.
As you turn up the dial on your fitness intensity it’s important to pay attention to how your body is responding and whether you’re moving towards your goals. There are a few dead giveaways that you’ve turned the dial up too far. You’ll likely see a drop in performance and results, followed by an increase in injuries and illnesses. These outcomes are usually followed by a drop in morale and motivation. Increasing the intensity is the most efficient way to burn calories if you want to lose weight but in some cases it can be counter-productive. It can cause you to want to pre-eat to perform at a session, it can stimulate appetite for the rest of the day and cause additional over-eating to compensate for feeling shattered. In addition, it can disrupt hormone function and cause your body to cling to fat.
It’s a delicate balance. Before you try to move up the intensity continuum it’s worth considering the support structure you have around your body and mind. Take a look at your diet, sleep patterns and stress management strategies to make sure your batteries are fully charged. When you’re ready for HIIT a good entry point is a Sprint class on a stationary bike. This low-impact-high-intensity option gives you the benefits of HIIT without risk to your joints. Once you’re comfortable with Sprint you could consider moving up to a higher impact option such as Grit Strength or Grit Cardio.
Exercise is there to enhance your health and move you towards your goals. Overdoing it on the intensity can give you the opposite result. A sensible, gradual approach to increasing workload will give you the best value for the time you put in, and the most enjoyment too.
