Love it or loath it, HIIT is certainly the new workout fad worldwide! I personally love HIIT as I’m more of a fast-twitch fibre girl (short intervals) & I love variation! But do you actually know the affects on your body post workout? What type of training is better?
For starters, HIIT may or may not be the right type of workout for you, depending on your goals. I highly suggest discussing this with a qualified trainer to find the right fit for you. Many ustilise HIIT for Fat-Burning (you need to read on), but I love it for fitness in both sports & endurance event training. I also like to remind my clients that in order for exercise to become a habit in your life (just like brushing your teeth or attending that scheduled business meeting), you must enjoy it or you won’t prioritise it.
Getting back to HIIT: You may have heard of the After-Burn effect. I’ve heard others claim you can burn more calories (than normal) 12 to 24 hours post HIIT exercise! I wanted to do more research and I think this article sums up the After-Burn Affects on our bodies followed by a HIIT workout.
One thing I think to take away from this article, is HIIT definitely takes less time (hence why you up the intensity) for those who are time-poor or have other places to be. But I was surprised to find out what actually happens post-HIIT & how the affects only really last for up to 2 hours, then your body goes back to it’s normal state.
“The researchers pooled the results of 28 trials, covering almost 1000 people. After crunching the numbers, they found “no evidence to support the superiority of either high-intensity interval training or steady-state cardio for body fat reduction.” They do note, however, that HIIT is a more efficient alternative to steady-state cardio, delivering similar fat-loss benefits with less time spent in the gym.”
https://muscleevo.net/about/ Christian Finn
The article then goes on to say that the HIIT After-Burn is “not as great as many people have been led to believe.” Exclusively, HIIT training will not alone produce ‘radical changes’ in your body composition; for that to occur, you need to include resistance training & consume a healthy eating plan.
M 🙂
MVP Training NZ 