5 Reasons Why HIIT Is A Great Training Method For Weight Loss
Introduction to HIIT
The popularity of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) has increased significantly in recent years, and rightfully so. For many personal trainers; fitness instructors; and sports coaches, it is the go-to training format. HIIT is by no means new, however. It has been on the rise ever since 1952, when Emil Zátopek, a long-distance runner, attributed his 1952 Olympic Gold medal to his utilization of HIIT training (yes I had to google that, but it’s interesting).
This post will cover some of the primary benefits of HIIT training and some other reasons for its increased popularity not just for athletes, but the general population. Many of these benefits aren’t exclusive to HIIT training, but HIIT’s unique combination of qualities can benefit a variety of training purposes.
What are some of the benefits of HIIT?
1. Time Efficiency
Fat loss boils down to one principle: calorie deficit. This is often portrayed as a negative “energy balance” which, put simply, is the amount of calories you consumed compared to the amount you burn each day. For example, consuming 2500 calories a day (as a male) and using 2800 will place the individual in a 300 calorie/day deficit, and this will result in weight loss. It’s not rocket science.
Raising the intensity means more calories can be burnt per hour, thus the same calorie usage can be attained in less time. This means you can fit quality exercise sessions around your busy schedule, or save time in the gym to indulge in your hobbies.
While my typical session with a client is 60 minutes, I know of PTs that blast clients through 30-40 minute sessions of HIIT. This is probably the biggest reason that HIIT training has gained so much popularity in the general population.
2. Enjoyment
Enjoying exercise? I know it’s a strange concept to some, myself included. Well, many people report HIIT to be more enjoyable. The importance of enjoyment in exercise programmes is hard to understate. Answer the question below, either to yourself of in the comment section of this post.
Who do you think is more likely to continue training?
Somebody who slogs their way through each session of pure misery
Somebody who has an enjoyable session and, while equally sweaty at the end, feels better than when they walked into the gym?
These sessions are often even more fun when they are completed by groups. Would you rather train on your own or with friends/teammates? Attending group fitness sessions in a local gym or club also presents great opportunities to socialise.
3. Variety
Would you want to eat the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day? Variety is the spice of life. Carry that into your training as well.
Feeding further into enjoyment is the variety of HIIT formats that are possible. You could complete one with no equipment at all by carrying out a series of bodyweight exercises, you could smash a HIIT session on just your bicycle or while out on a run, or you can begin to imagine the number of circuit sessions that are possible. You can really have as much or as little change in your day-to-day training as you like, training should get progressively more difficult over the course of a training programme (this is a concept known as “progressive overload” in strength and conditioning) and that can be done through minor adjustments of each exercise, the work-rest ratio (mentioned below) or by throwing the last weeks book out of the window and planning an entirely different session for today’s training.
NOTE FOR TRAINERS: With circuit classes being such a popular form of HIIT training, I just want to note the importance of each “station” in a circuit being adaptable to accommodate different abilities. Once participants are too tired for box jumps, let them do step-ups. If they lack the mobility for an overhead squat, find another squat variation they can complete (and work on mobility afterwards). Also, try to accommodate participants with disabilities by choosing suitable exercises or adapting the existing stations in the circuit.
4. Modularity
Circuit sessions don’t have to be rebuilt from the ground up to adjust training aims or accommodate varying abilities. Single exercises can be swapped out or modified during a session. I’ve had multiple cases of participants arriving at a session with a new (usually minor) injury and made adjustments to each exercise station as necessary while I delivered the session. It didn’t hold anything up or massively complicate things, I just considered what exercises they could do and which they couldn’t.
Rearranging the order of exercises in a circuit can also change the intensity. For example, if you have exercises that target a range of muscle groups, placing all of the leg-based exercises one after the other will give that muscle group less rest time and spend more time under tension in the first half of the circuit.
Another super simple modification that can be made in HIIT training is the work-rest ratio. I usually base my timings on 60 seconds per round. So that may be 40 seconds working and 20 seconds of rest (a 2:1 ratio) or, if the participants are finding that too easy, dial it up to 45 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest. While 5 seconds may seem insignificant, it changes the work-rest ratio from 2:1 to 3:1. Don’t be afraid to experiment with this work-rest timing ratio.
5. Energy Systems
Our body is very complex, it takes a whole lot of energy just to keep us alive. Add exercise on top of that and our body’s powerplants (mitochondria, AKA the “powerhouse” of the cell) go into overdrive. There are three main energy systems, which will be looked at in more detail in a separate and MUCH more science-heavy post. All three are at work to some degree at all times, the ratio in which power is sourced from each one changes based on many different factors, intensity being of significant influence.
At low intensities of exercise or physical activity, the cardiorespiratory system can provide sufficient oxygen to our cells for most of the required energy to be produced aerobically. As we demand more from our muscles, we can begin to source energy from anaerobic pathways and pay off the “oxygen debt” afterwards. Do a couple of hill sprints and you’ll notice you keep breathing heavily AFTER you’ve finished, this is the oxygen debt (or EPOC) in action. Depending on the sport that you partake in, or any random training goals you have, you may wish to develop these anaerobic pathways. HIIT training is one way to do exactly that.
Potential downsides of HIIT
Injury risk. Higher intensity training naturally carries a higher risk of injury with it than some other forms of training. Compared to, for example, low-intensity training or an exercise bike, HIIT such as circuit training with explosive movements may run a greater risk of injury. The good news is that injury risk can be mitigated through an appropriate progression rate (i.e. not doing difficult and/or complex exercises as a beginner), thorough warmups and pre-session stretches.
Health Conditions. High-intensity training may also not be suitable for individuals with certain health conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension) and or issues with the heart. It is typically more appropriate to train these individuals in lower heart rate zones. Participant safety is always the number one priority.
NOTE: for individuals with high blood pressure (hypertension), avoid overhead exercises such as military press, as well as exercises with heavy weights that result in performing a Valsalva manoeuvre (the “bracing” breathing technique used by weightlifters and powerlifters) as this can spike blood pressure, perhaps making them inappropriate and/or unsafe.
The End.
Thanks for reading.
Did you enjoy this blog post? Do you have any questions after reading it? Feel free to comment with any feedback and questions you may have in the comment section of this post or send your queries to me via email, social media, or the contact page on this website.
