Do you ever feel like there’s not enough time in the day to work out? Did you know that all you really need is just 30 minutes a day to help build and maintain a healthy lifestyle? Here’s how – High Intensity Interval Training, otherwise known as (HIIT). HIIT is a training technique in which you give all-out, one hundred percent effort, through quick and intense bursts of exercise; followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time.

A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort – creating an oxygen shortage. This causes your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery, the after-burn effect is referred to as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. The intense exercise helps burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic, steady-state workouts. The effectiveness of this type of training has multiple benefits including increased metabolism, which speeds up your metabolic rate. You will still burn fat – long after you’ve left the gym. By no means will it be easy, but you will get results from this quick and convenient workout method.

Long gone are the days of not having enough time for exercise. HIIT workouts can be done anywhere including the home, hotel room, park or here at the gym. The best news is most workouts are only 30 minutes or less. Who doesn’t have 30 minutes to spare? No equipment is necessary, so, no dumbbells? No problem.
HIIT workouts in general only require use of your body weight since the focus is to get your heart rate up and keep it there. These types of workouts result in optimal muscle building and muscle retention with fat loss and increased calorie burn. Performing these exercises is even more beneficial with the addition of loaded strength exercises. The amount of exercises can vary from 4-6, at speed of 20-30 second intervals followed by 10-15 second rest in between. Be sure to give maximum effort during the exercises to get the full effect of the workout.

To sum up, why is HIIT excellent for losing fat while retaining lean body mass? You’ll strengthen the cardiovascular system; develop ability (work capacity) to tolerate a high level of intensity for a longer period; and develop “mental toughness” and challenging the fast twitch muscle fibers that are great for strength and power. The efficiency of HIIT speaks for itself, requiring less time while being just as effective as other workouts. HIIT is a lot easier on the joints than a 45 minute jog. There many different kinds of HIIT workouts, which allows for diversity and increased muscle confusion. These workouts can be made up quickly and easily. There is no limit to the variety of exercises that can be created. By diversifying your HIIT choices you will avoid overtraining and overuse injuries as well as keep things fresh and interesting. Doing so will help maximize exercise efforts and allow goals to be reached more quickly.