DISCOVER THE BENEFITS OF HIIT

HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. You may also hear it call ‘burst training’ because it involves bursts of intense exercise done in short intervals. The idea is simple: go all out for a set amount of time, recover just enough to catch your breath, then push hard again. T

For example, doing as many starjumps as you can in so many seconds. The goal is to rais your heart rate quicly, push your body close to its limit, and then recover – over and over. This cycle torches calories, builds stamina, and boost metabolism far more effectively than steady moderate exercise.

HIIT exercise has been around for a while, dating back to the early 1900s. But the roots of HIIT stretch even further – back to our evolutionary beginnings. Long before gyms and workout apps, our earliest ancestors relied on short bursts of energy for survival – whether it be hunting food or avoiding animal attacks. Their ability to burn fat with excessive oxygen allowed them energy for their hunting treks.

Our body’s abaility to use oxygen efficiently during these bursts makes HIIT not just a fitness trend, but something we’re literally built for.

Here’s the kicker” research shows that just 15 minutes of HIIT can burn more calories than jogging on a treadmill for an hour.

Amazing Benefits of HIIT Exercise

• No equipment needed – bodyweight alone is enough.
• You don’t need much space – perfect for home, office or travel.
• Reduces insulin resistance by stablising blood sugar.
• Supports circulation and elasticity in skin, helping reduce wrinkles.
• Builds muscle.
• Suppresses appetite and balances hunger hormones.
• Major calorie burner.
• Improves functions for those with chronic disease.
• Improves blood pressure and cardiovasular function.
• Improves brain power – boosts focus, memory and mental clarity.
• Boosts libido.
• Ideal for busy people.

HIIT helps lower the risk of overtraining, and can prevent boredom. Make no mistake though, HIIT isn’t easy. A few minutes can feel like a long time when you’re going full speed. But research confirms that people reported more enjoyment doing HIIT than moderate-intensity exercise, despite it being more physically demanding.

Burst Your Way into Fitness

HIIT is so popular today because it delivers a combination of results in less time. It helps build muscle, burn fat, and increase stamina and endurance – in a single workout! By alternating high intensity with short recover phases, HIIT shakes up the body’s metabollic system and triggers EPOC (excess post-oxygen consumption). This is known as the ‘afterburn effect’ the body continues burining energy (calories) long after the workout is over as it tries to recover.

Benefits of HIIT – Save Time

The afterburn is great news for someone trying to juggle a family, career, and a busy lifestyle. With HIIT, you don’t need to spend hours at the gym to see progress. Some workouts are as little as four minutes, ranging up to 15 or 30 minutes. The benefits of HIIT is its so versatle, so you can choose routines that match your schedule, fitness level, even your environment.

A study was conducted with overweight and obese adults, performing HIIT and moderate‐intensity continuous training. Both forms of exercise showed a significant reduction in body fat. However, HIIT required 40% less training time for the same results.

Where you’re working out in the living room before the kids wake up, squeezing a session on your lunch break, or powering through a quick routine before dinner, HIIT can easily fit into your day.

Is HIIT Good for Losing Weight?

Yes, the after-burn HIIT can produce can last 48 hours or more, post-workout.

Insulin plays a major role in your metabolism and weight loss. Performing HIIT can help stabilise your blood sugar, which then affects your insulin sensitivity.

HIIT also assists in balancing hormones that directly affect your weight:

• Leptin – this gives you the sensation of feeling full, so you don’t overeat.
• Ghrelin – this gives you the munchies for salty or sweet food.

HIIT helps control your cravings. Ghrelin is also released from stress, but the ‘happy endorphins’ from HIIT can combat stress too.

Types of HIIT Exercises

You can incorporate just about any exercise into a HIIT routine. Such as core exercises and strength training techniques.

You can do it with:

• no equipment – jumping jacks, burpees, mountain climbers, lunges, squats etc.
• cardio equipment – elliptical trainers, treadmills, exercise bikes etc.
• weights – bicep curls, snatches, kettlebell swings, resistance bands etc.

You can also do HIIT with outdoor cardio exercises, such as jogging/running in intervals, doing pool sprints, or cycling at two speeds.

Tabata

As you explore the world of HIIT, you’ll come across the term Tabata. This is a form of HIIT where you go as hard as you can for 20 seconds, recover for 10 seconds and repeat eight times. The total workout is four minutes.

It was devised by scientist Dr Izumi Tabata in 1996. He discovered that a four-minute HIIT session improved the cardiovascular and muscle system more effectively (by 28%) than those doing moderate-intensity workouts five days a week.

What makes Tabata so appealing is its simplicity and effectiveness. In just four minutes, you can challenge your entire body without needing much space. It’s also highly adaptable, you can use Tabata with bodyweight moves like squats, burpees, or pushups, or with equipments like bikes and kettelbells. For beginners, this is a managable way to get your toes wet with HIIT wihtout being overwhelmed. For seasoned athlestes, it can be pushed to full intensity. Tabata is one of the most widely practiced HIIT methods worldwide because of its flexibility.

Tabata workout example:

• Round 1 (20 sec on / 10 sec rest): Jump squats
• Round 2 (20 sec on / 10 sec rest): Push-ups
• Round 3 (20 sec on / 10 sec rest): Mountain climbers
• Round 4 (20 sec on / 10 sec rest): Burpees

Repeat rounds 1–4 once more to complete the 8 intervals (total = 4 minutes).

Free Tabata timer here.

How to do a HIIT Exercise Routine

With HIIT workouts, you can do various interval times/sets and build upon them as your fitness improves. As a beginner, you’ll need longer recovery periods. Over time, you can increase the work-to-recovery ratio.

During your ‘work’ period, you should try to reach 80 – 95% of your maximum heart rate. In the recovery period, you can rest completely or slow to at least half the speed.

HIIT Ratio Examples:

• 20 seconds on/10 seconds off
• 30 seconds on/15 seconds off
• 30 seconds on/30 seconds off
• 40 seconds on/20 seconds off

YouTube has plenty of interval timers you can use so explore what works best for you.

HIIT – No Equipment, all standing.

Beginners HIIT, with weights

For beginners looking to add a little extra resistance, HIIT with weights is a perfect way to build strength. Even short sessions can deliver power results while keeping workougs dynamic and engaging. There are many workouts available for free on YouTube that cater for beginners through to advanced.

How Many Times a Week Should You do HIIT?

The most common recommendation from trainers is 3 times per week. Due to the high intensity, it’s important to allow time for your body to recover (and the ‘afterburn’ is still in play).

Precautions

HIIT may not be for everyone. If you’re brand new to exercise it’s best to work on your base level of fitness. It’s recommended you seek advice from a trainer and/or medical physician first.

• Not recommended for people with heart complications.
• Not recommended during pregnancy.
• Warm-up and cool-down exercises still apply.
• Wear appropriate shoes to avoid strain or injury.
• Beware of objects around you, and kids or animals that may get underfoot.

Discover the benefits of HIIT for improving fitness, burning calories, and boosting energy with short, intense workouts that fit any schedule.

Get Extra Credit with HIIPA

What’s this, isn’t one acronym enough? HIIPA stands for ‘High-Intensity Incidental Physical Activity.’ It can coincide with your weekly routine. Basically, it’s about seizing opportunities throughout your day to do movements that get your heart rate up.

For example, sprint up a flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator. These small bursts of activity add up over time, improving cardiovasular health and adding to your calorie burn.

Check out these 5 ways to use HIIPA for ideas.

Take 10

Don’t burn yourself out running around like a headless chicken – burn calories instead. By investing just a few focused minutes on HIIT, you’ll not only torch fat but also boost your energy, strengthen your body, and improve your overall health, helping you achieve much more in your day.

The benefits of HIIT is that it eliminates common barries like time constraints and lack of equipment (and excuses). Whether you have 4 minutes or 30, there’s a routine that will fit your schedule and fitness level. So next time you find a small pocket of free time, don’t scroll aimlessly on your phone – use it to move, sweat, and feel stronger.

Have you got a favourite HIIT routine? Share it in the comments below, and your tip may inspire someone else to get moving!