On this blog, we’re all about how to get the biggest health benefits for the least amount of resources, whether that be time, money, or both. The strategy I’d like to talk about for doing that today is HIIT.

What is HIIT?

If you’ve been paying attention to fitness trends for the last few years, or you have friends who do, you’ve probably heard of HIIT. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Basically, it consists of short bursts of all-out effort, with windows of recovery in between.

And there’s a reason for its widespread popularity. Actually, there are three: it’s fast, it’s effective, and it’s cheap.

 

HIIT is fast

It isn’t just you who’ll move fast in a HIIT workout; the workout itself is over before you know it too.

A typical HIIT workout will only last between 10-30 minutes, but according to a study by Chinese sports medicine researchers, it’s about as effective as double that amount of moderate-intensity exercise, which brings me to my next point.

 

HIIT is effective

When it comes to weight loss, HIIT has unique advantages.

A session of HIIT done properly will create an “afterburn” effect, resulting in a higher metabolic rate for several hours post-exercise, according to several studies, such as this one out of Singapore. This means that with one small time investment of a HIIT session, you’ll reap the calorie-burning benefits for multiple times the amount of time you originally spent. It’s like accruing interest on your exercise!

                                                                                                 

HIIT is cheap

My favorite aspect of HIIT (though it’s hard to choose among all these awesome perks) is its low cost and versatility.

You can literally do HIIT anywhere and with anything. For example, when I wanted to get a quick workout in, I took to my local bike trail and did 5 sets of 30-second sprints with 90-second jogs in between. It was brutal but felt great and didn’t cost me a dime. So you’re not only investing minimal time, but minimal money into one of the best forms of exercise you can do.

 

How do I get started with HIIT?

Developing your own HIIT routine is easy. Just take any exercise you enjoy, and rather than performing an extended, moderate effort, break it up into short bouts of maximal effort. In my example in the last paragraph, I did running because it’s simple and I’m a simple guy (plus, I did track and cross country in high school, so doing sprints kind of brought me back). But if you like cycling, for example, you can do the same thing: just bike-sprint for a short amount of time, rest up enough to recover, and repeat. Do that, and you’ll be feeling the powerful, efficient benefits of HIIT in no time!

Have you tried HIIT before? If so, what are your favorite exercises? Lemme know in the comments below, and as always, stay healthy!

Photo by Gabriele Ribeiro on Pexels.com