8 Benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT) Workouts

By now, you've probably heard the word HIIT (pronounced like "hit" a baseball) thrown around in the gym or on your favorite workout app, but it's totally fine if you're still unsure what the HIIT workout style actually is or how HIIT workouts are beneficial. Well, for starters, HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. What is a HIIT workout specifically? It's essentially any workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of moderate activity or even complete rest.

For example, a good starter HIIT workout is running as fast as you can for one minute and then walking for two minutes. Repeat that three-minute interval five times for a challenging 15-minute routine — you'll be amazed at how effective the short workout can be. Read on for just some of the amazing advantages you'll get from doing high-intensity interval training.

The Benefits of HIIT Workouts

They're Efficient

One of the benefits of HIIT training is that it's ideal for a busy schedule — whether you want to squeeze in a HIIT routine during your lunch break or just don't want to spend your entire evening at the gym. You can achieve similar benefits with HIIT compared to endurance training (think: jogging and biking) but in a much shorter amount of time, as stated by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Further, a small study found that young, healthy adults who did just three bodyweight HIIT workouts a week saw improvement in their cardiorespiratory fitness after only four weeks of the regimen.

Even if you only have four minutes to spare, you can fit in an effective HIIT workout with the Tabata training method. Tabata is a style of HIIT that calls for 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight to 20 times total. Start with one of these unbelievably quick workouts to start seeing the benefits of HIIT workouts.

Quick Tabata Workouts:

• The Best Tabata Workout for Beginners
• The Tabata Workout with Exercises You've *Never* Seen Before
• The At-Home Tabata Workout That Uses Your Pillow to Sweat, Not Snooze

They'll Have You Feeling Stronger, Stat

HIIT workouts are not the kind of thing you can do while reading a magazine or chatting with your friend — and that's part of the strategy. Because they're so short, you'll be working hard the whole time. The trade-off is that this format offers seasoned exercisers a new challenge and new exercisers a quick way to feel stronger — one of many benefits of HIIT workouts that other exercises just don't offer. HIIT may have you sucking wind, but you definitely won't be bored.

You'll Work to Build a Healthier Heart

Most people aren't used to pushing into the anaerobic threshold (when your body needs to recruit energy stores already available without the assistance of oxygen). But HIIT asks you to enter this anaerobic zone often since there is a very limited time for rest. The short bursts or sprints of work require your muscles to burn glucose (energy) anaerobically as there isn't enough time for oxygen to help produce additional ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is your body's main energy source.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity weekly.

High-intensity interval training is considered vigorous intensity and helps your heart and body improve their anaerobic threshold (or the highest exercise intensity that you can sustain for a prolonged period without running out of ATP). One study found that after eight weeks of doing HIIT workouts, people could ride their bikes twice as long (while at the same pace) as they could before they started doing HIIT workouts.

You Don't Need Equipment

Running, biking, jump roping, and rowing all work great for HIIT, but you don't need any equipment to get it done. High knees, fast feet, or anything plyometric (such as jump lunges) work just as well to get your heart rate up fast and reap the benefits of high-intensity interval training. Here are a few no-equipment HIIT workouts to get you started.

No-Equipment HIIT Workouts

• This Bodyweight HIIT Workout Requires Zero Equipment to Get Started
• 10-Minute Cardio HIIT Without Weights
• Low-Impact HIIT Home Workout

You Can Do It Anywhere

Since it's such a broad concept — work at maximum effort for a short period of time followed by a recovery period, and repeat — you can modify high-intensity interval training based on your time and space constraints while still getting the benefits of HIIT workouts. These sessions show off the adaptability of HIIT cardio.

Do-Anywhere HIIT Workouts

• The No-Jumping, Apartment-Friendly HIIT Workout That Won't Piss Off Your Neighbors (Or Your Knees)
• The Fast Hotel Room Workout You Can Do Without Getting out of Bed

You'll Target Fat...

Not only do you burn more calories during a high-intensity interval training workout than steady-state cardio, but the effect of all that intense exertion kicks your body's repair cycle into hyperdrive. That means your body burns more calories in the 24 hours after a HIIT workout than you do after, say, a steady-pace run. (Here's all the science on exactly how to build muscle and burn fat.)

...Without Losing Muscle

While steady-state cardio seems to encourage muscle loss, studies show that both weight training and HIIT workouts allow exercisers to preserve their hard-earned muscles while ensuring most of the weight lost comes from fat stores.

You Might Increase Your Metabolism

In addition to increased fat burning and more muscle preservation, HIIT stimulates the production of your human growth hormone (HGH) by up to 450 percent during the 24 hours after you finish your workout. HGH is not only responsible for increased caloric burn, but it also slows down the aging process — one of the sneaky benefits of HIIT workouts.

How to Get Started with HIIT

Ready to get moving with HIIT workouts? Here are some things to keep in mind as you begin.

Pick a Familiar Type of Exercise

If you are new to HIIT, consider starting with some types of exercises that you are already familiar with and enjoy. For example, if you bike every week, try adding some HIIT into your regular rides.

Build in Plenty of Rest and Recovery

Allow for adequate recovery and adjustment by trying HIIT just once or twice a week and resting for at least as long as your active periods within each workout. Then, over time you can experiment with more days, longer durations, or different types of moves.

Make It Convenient and Fun

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's tips for getting started with physical activity can also apply to HIIT. Some things to keep in mind to up your odds of sticking with HIIT or any workout:

• Set aside specific times to make HIIT part of your weekly routine and mark it on your calendar.
• Schedule HIIT at a time of day when you tend to feel energetic and ready for movement.
• Do HIIT in a location that's convenient and/or enjoyable for you.
• Try a workout with friends or family members for motivation.
• Start slowly and work your way up to more time or more challenging moves.
• Add variety with different workouts and try HIIT in different locations once it's a regular part of your routine.
  

HIIT Workouts to Try

Here are some HIIT workouts to get you started.

HIIT Workouts

• This Full-Body HIIT Workout for Beginners Will Leave You Dripping In Sweat
  
• Sweat It All Out with This 30-Minute HIIT Cardio Workout
• This HIIT Workout Will Empower You to Conquer Whatever Comes Your Way This Week
• This HIIT Bike Workout Will Get Your Heart Rate Up Without Killing Your Joints