High intensity interval training is undoubtedly one of the most talked about weight loss tips of the 21st century. But if you are unsure why so many gym lovers are jumping on board the HIIT train, you're about to find out the main reasons.
This isn't a fad or a passing trend, so today you will learn why it's becoming such a popular choice.
The old notion of staying on a cardiovascular machine for an hour or more is now yesterday's advice. This is due to the fact that HIIT has been shown to yield far more results in a significantly lower time frame. When fat loss is the goal, HIIT is certainly the way to do it.
The first instance of HIIT was discovered by researchers in 1985, who discovered that a group of exercises lost significantly more body fat when they were pushed at higher levels. These findings started a trend of research which attempted to discover the reason behind the results. Five years later, it was discovered that a group of exercisers lost significantly more body fat again while exercising at a higher intensity, despite the fact that the workouts were almost half the duration and took place three times per week, as opposed to a group doing regular cardiovascular activity five times per week.
That was the starting point for HIIT. Since then, many sprint coaches and swimming trainers adopted the approach to help their athletes increase their explosive speed in their selected events and HIIT gradually made it's way into the world of mainstream gym training.
A Canadian study in 2001 then produced the most thorough research on the subject to date. It detailed that a group of exercises not only lost more body fat while working out for less time and less often, they also increased the body's fat burning enzyme HADH. This finding was initially quite shocking, because HIIT is known to use carbohydrates as the source of fuel in the gym, not fat. This increase in HADH occurred because high intensity activity actually causes the body to switch to using fat for fuel in the period following a workout. Furthermore, this period can last a shocking 14 hours in length. []
By increasing the production of HADH after each workout had finished, the body is able to switch to using fat for fuel over the course of the next 12-14 hours.
The biggest finding of the whole test, and the one which will undoubtedly interest the most people reading this review, is the fact that researchers confirmed that one calorie used during a HIIT workout shed almost six times the fat of one calorie used during a steady state workout. That's because the body continues to burn calories after the session as a result of keeping the intensity level quite high.
While most new concepts and fads fall to pieces when the real scientific data is made available, HIIT just keeps on building a stronger case. Since these breakthrough reports were conducted there have been many further studies showing the fat loss benefits to a solid and consistent HIIT plan.
It now stands tall as one of the most effective weight loss tips for anybody looking to burn maximum body fat in minimum time. If you are considering including high intensity interval training in your workout routine, you now know why countless others in the fitness world believe it to be the most effective way to get results.