HIIT: “The Fat Killer” Workout Explained

If you’re looking to get sweaty and burn some serious calories, this type of training is for you! HIIT has been shown to provide a variety of benefits, the most notable being for weight loss. The best part? It’s super convenient — all you need is 10-30 minutes a day!

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training and is a form of interval training that combines cardiovascular exercises with bursts of anaerobic activity. What this means is that it actually incorporates many different facets (e.g. cardio, bodyweight, resistance bands, and weights), which can largely be categorized into the two most common types of HIIT: bodyweight (ex: CrossFit, weight lifting) and cardiovascular (ex: aerobic exercises like spin class, running, etc…)

No matter what type of HIIT you choose, the benefits spread far and wide:

Fat Reduction
Several studies have shown that HIIT can help with weight loss. Not only can it assist in burning an abundance of calories in a short period of time, it also improves your metabolic rate so that you continue burning fat hours after you have completed the workout.

EPOC
Aside from the convenience, the best part about participating in HIIT is a process known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. This is a biologically-induced process that makes your body burn energy (calories) up to 48 hours post-workout! EPOC doesn’t even require a lengthy workout…  it can be activated by simply increasing the intensity at which you perform a particular workout.

HGH Production
In a review showing the response of human growth hormone (HGH) to HIIT, cases experienced an exponential 450% increase in HGH levels. Increased HGH levels assist in a faster metabolism, which essentially helps burn fat and build quality muscle.

If you’re looking for an introduction to HIIT, an example template of a HIIT workout that can easily be incorporated into an exercise regimen is a method called a Tabata.

Here’s how it works:

1. Choose one or more exercises (in this example, we’ll choose bodyweight squats and sit-ups)

2. Using an interval clock, set the timer to 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest.

3. Repeat cycle for 4 minutes straight, rotating from 20 seconds of squats, 10 seconds rest, and 20 seconds of sit-ups, 10 second rest, and so forth until clock runs out….

4. That’s it! Repeat the 4-minute cycle as many times as you like.

Now, get to (hi)it! 😉