We get fast results at Iron Fit in San Antonio, Texas, because we use the most modern and beneficial workouts available. A HIIT workout is one of those techniques. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and it can be used with any type of exercise. It uses the technique of varying from 100% effort where the heart rate is high, for a short time, then alternating to a recovery rate that’s less intense for the same amount of time or more. After the resting state, the person exercising goes back to the high intensity mode, bouncing back and forth between the two until all the sets are completed. Recovery increases the oxygen burned and creates a situation known as afterburn.
Afterburn is the effect that occurs after a tough workout and it comes from switching intensities.
Another name for afterburn is EPOC—Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. The high intensity portion of the workout burns a huge amount of calories, more than any steady state workout could. EPOC also causes more calories to be burned, but it’s during the recovery period. If you tried, you couldn’t give 100% for very long to burn more calories, but by switching between high and recovery intensity, you get the maximum burn from the high intensity portion and a higher number of calories burned during recovery.
Besides burning calories, you’ll also boost your metabolism.
The body has its own built in repair shop. After a tough workout, that repair shop goes into action. It works hard to get the body back to normal oxygen levels, remove lactic acid build and repair muscle tissue by boosting its metabolism for as long as 58 hours after you finish a workout. You’ll be burning more calories a day after working out using HIIT, even if you don’t exercise at all. It’s all part of how the body heals itself and gets back to normal.
Because of the high calorie burning nature and huge benefits of HIIT, you’ll save time.
You can use the technique with any workout and reduce the workout time. In fact, thirty minutes of HIIT workouts is equal to an hour of steady-state exercise. You don’t have to have fancy equipment. You can use bodyweight workouts, combine it with strength building workouts or even use it in your walking program. For beginners and those seriously out of shape, just changing your pace from walking at top speed to a slower recovery pace and back to top speed, can boost your benefits.
- There’s no set time to go at top speed or at recovery speed. Some people use a ratio of 1:1, one minute of high intensity to one minute of recovery. Others may need a longer recovery, such as 1:2 or more. It’s all based on your present level of fitness, the exercise, and your ability.
- If you use the HIIT technique with strength training, you get the benefit of both. You can even modify the workout to include flexibility training into the mix.
- If you have joint problems, low impact exercises are best for you. You can combine low impact workouts, like swimming, with HIIT training.
- We use other time saving, calorie burning techniques that can help you achieve more progress in less time at Iron Fit. Kettlebell workouts, for instance, are burn high amounts of calories, provide a full body workout and work on all types of fitness, strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance.
For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio