A Little HIIT Goes a Long Way. Here’s How!
Let’s get the big question out of the way first. If you’ve never heard of HIIT before, the acronym stands for High Intensity Interval Training. These workouts have become increasingly popular in the last few years for delivering awesome results with a relatively flexible time investment.
HIIT combines short bursts of intense exercise with lower-intensity sustained periods that are designed to serve as recovery time. This flow is designed to consistently peak your heart rate for short amounts of time, translating to a more robust workout. For example, a sample set might consist of 30 seconds of high-intensity sprints, 60 seconds of lighter running, and 30 seconds of rest—repeated several times.
Let’s look at some of the main benefits.
Busy Schedule? No Problem!
One of the biggest immediate draws to HIIT training is that it’s easier to fit into a crowded schedule than powerlifting sessions or organized sports. A big reason for this is how compact the workouts are—you can easily get a complete HIIT session in under 40 minutes, and plenty can give you an intense burn in just half an hour.
The shorter duration doesn’t mean that you’re getting less of a workout, quite the opposite! Instead, HIIT programs are intentionally designed to maximize the available time in order to deliver the best cardiovascular benefits. Unfortunately, this does mean that the scheduled rest periods during HIIT workouts are going to be short and sweet, which can be quite the adjustment if you’re used to taking a few minutes of decompression time between each gym set.
HIIT Burns A LOT of Calories.
The alternating intensity structure of HIIT workouts translates to some serious fitness benefits. Studies have repeatedly shown that HIIT classes burn similar calories to other sustained exercises in a fraction of the time. This means that half an hour of HIIT can consistently burn more calories than an hour-long weight training or biking session.
In addition, HIIT helps you burn calories AFTER you’re done exercising as well. Studies have also shown that HIIT increases your metabolic rate, meaning that you burn more calories across the entire day. This translates to more effective fat loss along with plenty of other benefits, including improved blood sugar regulation and oxygen consumption!
Your Muscles Will Thank You.
While HIIT training isn’t going to produce the same muscle growth as designated weight training, it makes a big impact on your muscular ability—especially if you’re just starting out in your fitness journey. This type of training is awesome for muscular endurance, as it doesn’t allow for much rest between movements.
Additionally, HIIT exercises incorporate a wide range of motions, which means you’ll be working out muscles across your entire body. Not only does this mean that you’ll be hitting muscles that you don’t normally engage (like your deltoids and lats), but you’ll also see a greater performance from these muscles because you’ll have an entire cluster working together. Naturally, this translates into better muscle growth!
It’s Easy to Start!
One of the best aspects of HIIT is that it’s easy and intuitive to get started, no matter how rusty you might feel after a year of quarantine snacking! These workouts focus on alternating high-effort and sustained-effort movements, meaning that they automatically scale to your level of fitness.
Simply put, a HIIT workout will be exactly as difficult as you feel like making it, meaning that you’ll always be getting a workout that’s suited for you. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by the free weights section at your gym, this can remove a massive barrier to entry in cultivating momentum for your fitness routine.
Club Greenwood has HIIT Classes on our Complimentary Group Fitness schedule, so you can experience pure HIIT classes or try a cycling class that incorporates the HIIT format.
If you’re looking to get started TODAY on your HIIT routine, visit Club Greenwood. Our dynamic HIIT classes are designed to maximize your performance and give you the best possible workout within a short window of time. Best of all, we’re offering a Complimentary Trial Visit when you come in for a tour of the Club!
There’s a reason why Club Greenwood is the premiere HIIT gym in the Denver Tech Center and wider Denver area! Our certified HIIT instructors carefully tailor their workouts to ensure you’re hitting peak performance, regardless of your fitness level! After you’re done, you can unwind with some time in our Olympic-quality pools or unleash all your energy into games on our world-class tennis courts!