Have you ever felt motivated to exercise, but grew overwhelmed by the idea of a long workout? Have you tried squeezing an exercise class into your busy day, but realized the scheduling was too tight? We’ve all been there, thinking of ways to make it work but too busy to find time to exercise. Enter: HIIT workouts. Now, there’s finally a way to get your sweat and burn those calories, without taking up a substantial amount of time from your day!
HIIT is a highly popular form of exercise, as many people are intrigued by the efficiency and effectiveness of short interval training. HIIT is known for its weight-loss benefits, but many people are unaware of the scientific process behind how HIIT functions and affects our bodies. Explaining the science behind HIIT reveals how this exercise technique is able to successfully burn fat in such short increments of time. For those who are new to the HIIT training method, these workouts typically last for 10-30 minutes. Research has proven that HIIT burns up to 30% more calories than other forms of exercise, making it a highly effective workout approach.
While many forms of exercise emphasize endurance, requiring effort exerted for a longer period, HIIT workouts are shorter because you apply more intense effort, which isn’t sustainable for an extended time. After you’ve completed a short, intense workout routine, you’re rewarded with a short break, which allows you to exert the same amount of energy again and again. As a result, HIIT combines maximum effort and maximum oxygen use, which are two of the most effective ways to burn fat.
So, how does the fat burning process accelerate as a result of HIIT training? When our bodies exert maximum energy, we feel it in many ways; our muscles burn, and we feel as though we’ve run out of breath. These are signs of built up lactic acid—what creates that burning sensation—and causes our body’s storage of oxygen to become emptier. HIIT workouts force our bodies to work hard to build back the oxygen storage, which continues for 16-24 hours after the exercise is completed.
Not only does HIIT improve the body’s oxygen storage, but HIIT also improves VO2 Max—our body’s ability to use oxygen as a form of energy. A better VO2 Max results in increased endurance, allowing our bodies to remain active for longer periods of time. Learning this, the benefits of HIIT become more apparent. You may not have expected that a shorter workout would have such positive long-term impacts, but hopefully now you are excited to try a HIIT workout with Caravan!
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References:
Science Focus: The Home Of BBC Science Focus Magazine. HIIT is changing the way we work out, here’s the science why it works. https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/hiit-is-changing-the-way-we-workout-heres-the-science-why-it-works/