High Intensity Interval Training: A Big HIIT - University Recreation ...

If you are like me, spending an hour on the treadmill or elliptical can feel like a waste of time. Not only is it a huge time investment, but I rarely get the fat burning results I am looking for. I have a very stubborn body fat (and metabolism) and finding a cardio workout that is both effective and efficient has been a huge challenge. However, recently I discovered high intensity interval training (HIIT) which, according to experts? claims, burns more fat over a longer period of time.

For those of you who don?t know what HIIT is, it consists of a warm up, followed by six to twelve repetitions of high intensity exercise, alternating with a lower intensity period in between, and ending with a cool down. The idea is for the high intensity portion to be done full throttle while the lower intensity is done at about 50%. A normal HIIT session lasts about fifteen to twenty minutes. The target ratio you need to shoot for is a 2:1 ratio of work: rest. I personally started with 1(work):3(rest) and then moved to 1(work):2(rest) and will continue to progress with a 1(work):1(rest) then the 2(work):1(rest). Short and sweet, right?!? But does itreally burn the fat?

An East Tennessee State University (2001) study showed that following an 8-week HIIT program dropped 2 percent in body fat while those who followed a continuous steady-state treadmill program had no drop in body fat. Another study by Florida State University (2007), showed that subjects who performed HIIT burned almost 10 percent more calories during the 24 hours following exercise in comparison to continuous steady-state exercise, despite the fact that the total calories burned during the workouts were the same. (bodybuilding.com)

So, the science would seem to support the fat burning claims. But how does it work for obstinate body fat like mine? I find that I do burn more fat (according to the percent body fat on my scale anyway) doing HIIT three times a week than I have in the past doing long treadmill/elliptical workouts. Now, I know what works for me won?t necessarily work for everyone else but I do think it is an efficient alternative to longer steady-state workouts. What about you, have you tried HIIT? What were your results?

Here is a video by Dr. Jim Stoppani to give you more info http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuaKLtqL_D8

Photos courtesy of love3d.wordpress.com.

Source: http://urec.wsu.edu/urecnews/post/2012/11/19/High-Intensity-Interval-Training-A-Big-HIIT.aspx

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