3 Reasons to do HIIT

Hey y’all Happy Tuesday!

I’ve been consistently getting in my conditioning workouts  for the last 4 weeks. The start of my HIIT training began recently because, I wanted to incorporate some conditioning in my training. I’m not against cardio – mostly I just don’t like boring steady state cardio. I do enjoy doing sprints and interval training.

To keep things interesting, I am utilizing some stair sprints and track workouts. They have been fun and challenging and seeing that I haven’t done any cardio in a good while, I am getting my butt kicked. It’s a good butt kicking tho. I can tell every week that I am getting more efficient and faster.

This weeks workout was done at Mt. Bonnell also known as Covert Park here in Austin, TX! It’s a beautiful park over looking the Colorado river. This is actually my second time going here for my track Tuesday – just changing it up a bit.  3reasonswhyyoushoulddohighintensityintervaltraining

 

So todays workout lasted about 20 minutes. I sprinted the stairs, and did some pop squats rounds.

* 4 sprint runs
* 2 rounds of Pop Squats

Oooh weeee, the pop squats up the stairs were challenging!

I love workouts like these because they are short and sweet. I know that I’ll be done in 20 minutes. It drives me to work harder and cover more ground.

So, why you should do this type of cardio instead of Low intensity steady state cardio (LISS)?

3 Reasons to Do HIIT –

1. You don’t really have the time for a hour of cardio when you can get it done in a shorter time and be on your merry way.

2. HIIT is more effective for fat loss and metabolic function. HIIT workouts increase the metabolism up to 48 hours! So in my mind, I’m like ooh, an elevated metabloic rate for a shorter amount of time is golden. Now I know, you can burn while doing LISS, but it’s only during the workout that you do. Once you stop the cardio session so does the fat burning. LISS has it place but when it comes to fat loss, it should be used sparingly and added in as a supplement.

3. Maintains more muscle mass. HIIT is done for a shorter period of time, therefore you are less likely to burn your muscle for fuel especially if you are in a caloric deficit. I know first had what long bouts of cardio can do to your physique. I started to look stringy and gaunt. I was doing upward of 2 hours a day several days a week. It was disastrous – I don’t recommend it!

LISS has it place, just don’t abuse it. Don’t abuse HIIT either. I do believe most people can do sometime of interval training. The best practice to start humbly and build your way up. A good point of reference, is to use RPE scale to gage the intensity. Never start out the gate with 100% max effort – put in the effort but don’t be extreme.

Now get out there and get it in!