High-Intensity Interval Training – Maximizing Fitness Results in Minimal Time
High-intensity interval training (HIIT), can provide many of the same health benefits of exercise in less time. These workouts typically consist of short bursts of intense activity followed by periods of rest or low intensity activity, typically lasting only minutes at a time.
Before beginning a high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout, always ensure to warm up for at least five minutes first. Start off slowly walking or jogging on a treadmill; or perform low impact exercises such as lunges or jumping squats.
Compound Exercises
Most of us can agree that while an hour spent pedaling an elliptical machine may provide some physical exercise, compound exercises provide more effective ways of exertion and time spent exercising.
Compound exercises involve multiple muscle groups at once, providing a full-body workout in less time than isolated moves that target just one area. But it is essential to remember that compound exercises won’t yield their full potential without proper technique being followed.
Tabata interval training — consisting of 20 seconds all-out followed by 10 seconds of low intensity exercise repeated four times — has been proven to significantly boost VO2 peak more effectively than 45 minutes of traditional cardio exercise, making this form of interval training an excellent way to maximize health and fitness results with minimum time investment.
HIIT Training
HIIT training can be an efficient way of amplifying the results of your fitness regime while simultaneously cutting down on time spent reaching them.
There are various HIIT workouts, such as Tabata protocol and circuit training, that utilize intense intervals separated by brief rest periods for maximum efficiency.
Studies have demonstrated that high intensity interval training (HIIT) can produce similar health and performance benefits as long-term endurance training in much less time, possibly due to its increased shear stress from exercises performed within this mode. This seems likely due to the greater expression of 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-g coactivator-1a (PGC-1a). This process appears to promote growth.
HIIT can be broken down into two subcategories, submaximal aerobic HIIT and all-out anaerobic HIIT (sprint interval training). Both types have been shown to yield similar health and performance benefits.
Strength Training
HIIT workouts are an extremely efficient way to increase cardiorespiratory fitness. A recent study demonstrated this fact through an aerobic HIIT cycle ergometer workout of 10-30 minutes conducted within either yellow or red Myzone heart rate zones on an aerobic bike ergometer and produced health benefits equivalent to twice as much moderate intensity training (MCT).
Studies suggest that increasing the number of sets per session could improve strength and hypertrophy; however, the optimal training volume depends on an initial assessment of an individual’s current levels, starting points, and progressions.
Programming to maximize time efficiency means prioritizing bilateral, multi-joint exercises with full dynamic movement patterns and advanced training techniques like supersets or rest-pause training to quickly increase exercise density in short amounts of time.
Making the Most of Your Rest Days
Workout efficiency doesn’t just depend on how long you spend at the gym; adding compound exercises, HIIT training, making use of rest days, and fueling up can all help speed up the achievement of fitness goals faster.
Tabata workouts, for instance, are known to promote fat burn and biochemical changes that increase aerobic fitness while activating fast-twitch muscle fibers in just 20 minutes of on/off interval training – yet this form of training might not be suitable for everyone.
Beginners to exercise should begin slowly and carefully by starting with short intervals and less repetitions at first, gradually progressing to higher-intensity workouts with longer intervals and more repetitions as their experience grows. This will ensure a successful fitness journey over the long haul.
Fueling Your Body
High intensity interval training (HIIT training), can be an effective tool to speed up fitness results. But if executed improperly, these workouts could also cause muscle and joint injuries that require treatment by our UC Davis Health sports medicine team. They frequently encounter these injuries caused by overly rigorous group classes that strain too heavily on the body.
HIIT works both the aerobic and anaerobic systems by engaging in short bursts of high intensity followed by recovery periods, engaging the anaerobic system through stored glycogen as energy production while producing lactate as an end product – the heart and lungs then work to restore this oxygen debt by breaking down lactate [101].
Fueling your body with easily digested carbs before exercising can help you perform at its highest potential. Be wary of consuming saturated fats as these take longer to break down in your stomach and may deprive muscles of oxygen-rich blood.
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