When we talk about HIIT training , many people wonder what it is . More and more routines are developed both in gyms and at home to achieve certain goals. Therefore, when we consider doing sports we have to be clear about how far we want to go and what our purposes are with respect to our body. Lose weight? Gain muscle? Tone arms and legs? Gain strength? Not all exercises lead to the same goal. For this reason, we must always organize ourselves well in order to find in ourselves what we are looking for .
HIIT training: what is it?
To explain what HIIT training is, we have to say that it is one that has been created in order to face various problems that arise when we propose to play sports. The first of these is time . Every time we have a life more saturated with tasks and we do not find a moment in which to dedicate ourselves to what really matters to us, like taking care of ourselves. The second is based on the frustration we feel when we spend a lot of time in sports without seeing real results . This causes us to abandon the routine that we had started before beginning to notice the first changes.
In this way, HIIT training was born as a high intensity training, solving at the same time the conflicts that can be generated when we begin to practice physical activity and those that we have just described in the previous paragraph. In this way, it offers important results despite having to dedicate little time to it . However, we are not talking about simple exercises. Also, it is not risk-free if it is not carried out in the proper way.
HIIT routines: how do they develop?
HIIT routines are those that are made up of short sessions, they can range from four to twenty minutes , whose exercises are very intense. These can last from 20 seconds to four minutes and are interspersed with recovery periods. The reason intensity intervals are short is because the body cannot perform the level required by HIIT training for a long time in the proper way.
They are gaining more and more fame thanks to the fact that they are very effective. In addition, they are valid both for those athletes seeking to improve their performance and for those seeking to burn calories and lose weight .
However, there are those who think that any short session can be considered HIIT, when, obviously, it is not. HIIT training requires a broad mental capacity . This means that each athlete who carries it out has to be clear that he wants to give it his all. In addition, it is necessary that you assume a high degree of fatigue in a very short time . In this way, this mental strength needs to be trained.
Feeling of fatigue
The first time a person does a HIIT routine, they will feel fatigued long before their body feels really tired. However, the latter will adapt very well to the new demands if you are persistent. In part, it will be due to the mental strength that each one possesses .
In order for training to be truly effective, it is necessary to develop exercises that mobilize a large number of muscle chains . These also have to demand a high caloric intake.
Of all the HIIT training sessions out there, the most popular is TABATA . It lasts only four minutes and, for this reason, it has conquered many users.
Advantages of HIIT training
Now that we know what a HIIT workout is , we can start talking about all its advantages.
Speeds up metabolism
For people who are able to combine HIIT training with a healthy diet , both metabolism and caloric expenditure will accelerate. The fact that the metabolism accelerates can mean that a lot of calories are burned not only while we are training, but also after its completion. So much so that it is possible to burn 15% more calories in the two days after performing the HIIT routine. This phenomenon is called COPD , which means “excess post-training energy consumption”.
Great ally of cardiovascular health
Taking into account the previous point, by increasing the rate of our metabolism, the fact that so many calories are burned not only favors our image . In addition to the latter, our cardiovascular health will also benefit. In this way, HIIT training lowers blood pressure , helps lower cholesterol and increases cardiovascular health.
Muscle increase
If we seek to improve muscle proportion , it is essential to create a stimulus that indicates to the body that it is lacking muscles. In this way, intensity becomes a key factor in this regard.
Improves sugar management
The muscles become much more efficient at capturing sugar when we bet on a HIIT workout. Thus, it is defined by many as a preventive intervention against type 2 diabetes .
However, despite everything we have described above, HIIT training is not all advantages . Therefore, it is necessary to analyze all the inconveniences in order to know if it is made for us.
Disadvantages of HIIT training
In this section we are going to analyze the main mistakes and risks of HIIT training .
Lack of intensity
If we want to carry out HIIT training in the proper way, it is necessary to bring the body very close to its limit. Now, reaching this intensity that is demanded is not easy. Therefore, constant training is essential and being able to assume a very high feeling of fatigue . In this way, it is very common for people to perform a HIIT routine below the recommended intensity. In these cases, the results that were expected from the beginning are not achieved and, for this reason, a lot of frustration is generated.
The solution to this error is very simple. You just have to accept that even though it is a short workout, it is very uncomfortable . Therefore, do not fool yourself, if you are looking for a more comfortable routine, forget about these types of sessions.
High risk of injury
The fact that it is a very short training with great results causes that the impact on our body is enormous. In this way, whoever does it without being really prepared will risk injury easily .
Slow recovery
On a chemical level, the body recovers much slower after HIIT training than other routines. Recovery can take up to two days, always depending on the intensity of the session. For this reason, developing three HIIT routines a week is more than enough . The reason is that in the case of training more times, the dreaded injuries can appear. The most common are those that are related to the soft tissues of the joints. These are the tendons, ligaments, and muscles that are found around the joints . What’s more, in the long term the joint itself can be damaged.
To avoid injuries it is necessary to take the necessary breaks during training. You also have to alternate days in which HIIT training is carried out with days of active rest. In the latter, it will be enough to bet on a smooth race. Anti-inflammatory nutrition is also important. This will help to regenerate the tissue. For example, the Paleo diet is very effective.
