High intensity interval training (HIIT) has become a hit in gyms throughout the country for its focus on giving maximum effort to achieve maximum results. HIIT can burn calories and fat in a shorter period of time and continue to burn calories and fat well after your workout is finished! Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of HIIT:
1) Burn more calories and fat in less time.
Research has shown HIIT increases the heart rate and burns more calories in less time than standard aerobic workouts. Studies found that 20 minutes of high intensity interval training can produce the same aerobic and anaerobic benefits as exercising for twice as long with steady, continuous effort.
Some research has even found that 15 minutes of HIIT training can burn more calories than jogging for an hour on a treadmill! Fortunately, it’s easy to use the Assault AirRunner for an HIIT workout.
2) Burn calories and fat for hours after your workout.
When you exercise at an intensity level that you’re unable to sustain for a long period of time, your muscles will start to burn and you’ll begin to feel out of breath.
But don’t worry, while that sensation will only last for a short period of time, your body will now spend the next 16 to 24 hours clearing the lactic acid from your muscles and rejuvenating your body’s oxygen stores – all while burning calories and fat in the process.
3) Boosts your metabolism.
HIIT helps you consume more oxygen than standard aerobic and steady state exercise, which will help speed up your metabolism and burn calories at a higher rate.
By putting your body into a prolonged recovery state after a HIIT session, your metabolic rate will continue to be boosted for up to 48 hours after the workout!
4) Increases endurance.
HIIT increases your body’s ability to use oxygen for energy, which can lead to increased endurance while performing any type of exercise. Studies have found that participants in an 8-week HIIT program doubled the length of time they were able to ride a bike at a constant pace.
5) Burn fat, not muscle.
Standard steady-state cardio is linked to a loss of muscle because while calories are being burned, the muscles aren’t being pushed to exhaustion, which limits their ability to grow.
HIIT causes a burn in your muscles that leads to micro-tears in the muscle fibers. The body then repairs these tears, forcing muscles to grow larger. Ultimately, the combination of muscle growth and reduced fat leads to that sought-after lean muscle physique.
Both the Assault AirBike and AirRunner can provide fantastic HIIT workouts. We’ve teamed up with our resident trainer to put together over 150 workouts designed to torch calories, including plenty of options for HIIT training. Sign up today and receive weekly workout ideas so you can take advantage of the many benefits of HIIT!
Posted by Amanda Scott on
