Interval Training and the benefits

Interval Training has been my favorite form of workout for a few years now, though it has just recently been heavily promoted in all the popular magazines, websites and DVD’s. Here is an easy explanation of Interval Training and the benefits it provides, by author Mark Lauren.

Through the use of high intensity interval training (HIIT), we are able to develop all the qualities of fitness and burn many calories in one short workout. Lucky for us,

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 the most effective method of developing all of these skills turns out to also be the most time efficient.

 

These short intense workouts are effective for several reasons.

First, they build muscle. Muscle plays an important role in your metabolism. It is a metabolically expensive tissue that causes you to burn extra calories even while at rest! The average adult American gains 2.2 pounds of fat per year, due to an ever slowing metabolism. The slowing of the metabolism is mainly due to a loss of muscle as we age. By gaining just 2 pounds of muscle and maintaining it, the average American could completely reverse this weight gain. Muscle not only allows you to burn far more calories while at rest, it becomes especially important while performing high intensity workouts. Adding a few extra pounds of muscle, to most people’s frame, is like upgrading from a 4 cylinder motor to a 6 cylinder motor, and while working out, that larger motor requires much more fuel to operate. That extra fuel is- calories!

Never neglect this principle when losing weight. It is the number one fitness mistake. People often lose a massive amount of weight in a short amount of time, but their body composition doesn’t change all that much because of the large amount of lost muscle tissue. This is not only unattractive to most people, but it also makes it much harder to keep the excess fat off. Think body composition not weight. No, scratch that. Think performance! The end result that you’re looking for will follow.

The second reason that HIIT is so effective is that these workouts cause you to burn extra calories long after the completion of the workout. For up to 36 hours after HIIT your metabolism remains boosted while restoring the body’s systems to normal.

HIIT is also very effective at developing strength and cardiovascular performance. Ironically, the impact that HIIT has on cardiovascular performance is actually much greater than that of “cardio”.  Cardio, on it’s own, will yield no gains in strength and will likely cause you to lose strength and muscle mass, which is bad for the reasons discussed. Go to the forum at www.MarkLauren.com to find two studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of HIIT compared to cardio. In the first of these studies, a group doing only 4 minutes of HIIT, 5 days per week, was compared to a group that did 1 hour of target heart range training 5 days per week. At the end of 6 weeks, the HIIT group had a 40% greater gain in cardiovascular performance and a 28% gain in strength! The cardio group had no gains in strength. The second study compared the impact of the two training methods on body composition and found comparable results.

Through the use of short intense workouts that train muscular endurance, strength, power, and cardiovascular endurance all at the same time, you are able to build muscle while giving your metabolism a lasting boost.

Next time you’re working out, think intensity not duration.

Also, by using bodyweight movements that engage many muscles at once in HIIT you are able to get exceptional results with an incredibly small sacrifice of time. These workouts can be done anywhere anytime. Better results can be had in about the same amount of time that most people spend driving to and from the gym.