The benefits of high-intensity interval training are numerous. However, while many people may have understood that regular exercise is good for their mental and physical health, they still cannot get themselves to focus and be consistent with it. Some may say they do not have the time or can’t visit the gym because of their schedules.
If you are one of these people, the good news is that you don’t have to spend so much time in the gym anymore; you can practise high-intensity interval training, which allows you to do intense exercise for a short time with minimal rest periods. This way, you can do more with less time and still get numerous benefits. We will discuss the fantastic benefits of high-intensity interval training in this guide.
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The Benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Burn Calories and Lose Weight
Since HIIT takes less time than a typical workout, people may think it doesn’t burn as many calories, but that is not true; it burns more calories. The best part is that the HIIT workout helps you burn calories after you stop exercising. This phenomenon is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). It happens when your body burns calories while healing and repairing the wear and tear of your muscles after an intense workout.
Burning more calories through HIIT also means losing weight without spending much time working out. Research has shown that people who do HIIT workouts lose 28.55% more fat than those who do regular exercise. HIIT makes your heart rate stay up throughout the workout, which is very good for calorie burning, making it a convenient way to lose weight.
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Build Muscle
HIIT exercise involves many different movements, allowing you to work on different groups of muscles in your body during the same workout section. Also, the intensity of the workout does not just build muscles very fast; it also boosts muscular endurance, which will help increase your ability to work out consistently.
Improves Blood Flow and Oxygen
The circulatory system, which starts and ends in the heart, carries blood throughout the body and supplies oxygen and nutrients to all organs and muscles. Research has shown that HIIT can strengthen and support the circulatory system. HIIT improves cardiorespiratory capacity and increases the ability of your lungs and heart to deliver more oxygen to your body than regular exercise, and this can make weight loss faster.
Lower Blood Sugar
One of the most significant benefits of high-intensity interval training is its ability to control blood sugar levels, especially for people with diabetes; a study done in 2015 showed that people with type 2 diabetes who did 8 weeks of HIIT noticed improvement in their insulin sensitivity and pancreatic function. This is because, during HIIT workouts, your muscles require more energy, which is supplied as glucose. Hence, your body increases insulin sensitivity, allowing glucose to enter cells faster.
In addition, another study has shown that HIIT workouts done for at least two weeks can help people with or without diabetes control their blood sugars better than continuous state workouts.
Increase Strength
It has been proven that anaerobic exercise can make a person lose muscle mass and fat. Still, with HIIT, you can maintain your muscles by training them to build themselves and recover faster since you only give them a short resting period. This will help you build strength with time, and you can maintain it by simply continuing your HIIT workout.
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Lower Blood Pressure
Studies have shown that HIIT improves blood pressure in people with hypertension faster than any exercise, and it can also help prevent heart disease. In obese individuals, it is also an effective tool to help them keep their heart rate at rest and maintain normal blood pressure. This is because HIIT increases the flexibility of the vessel walls and makes it very easy for blood to flow throughout your body.
Improve Sleep Quality, Memory and Mood
Consistent high-intensive interval training can improve your sleep quality and make you sleep comfortably for extended periods.
This type of exercise is also known to boost mood, memory and concentration; more research found that people who engage in HIIT also significantly reduced their anxiety, stress and depression. So, this exercise can substantially boost your general brain and mental health.
Stimulates Your Metabolism
One of the many benefits of high-intensity interval training is that it can significantly increase your metabolic rate; it is so effective that your body continues to burn calories even after you have stopped working out. Studies have also shown that this exercise can help you shift your metabolism from using carbs for energy to using fat. So your metabolism will be improved, and you will burn fat faster than those who do regular workouts like jogging.
Improve Stamina
With the short bursts of intense exercise and brief periods of rest during the exercise routine, your heart rate and breathing increase substantially, and with time, this can help improve aerobic capacity, called VO2. This means the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during an exercise increases, and a higher VO2 max is said to improve stamina and endurance.
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There are many benefits of high-intensity interval training, and you don’t necessarily need to go to the gym or buy any equipment; you can do it from the comfort of your home or even anywhere. Usually, when people exercise, they hope to be athletic and toned; however, HIIT workouts offer limitless possibilities and a more diverse workout routine, making it so much fun. You should engage in this workout 3 to 5 times weekly to get maximum results.
