Is HIIT training really the best for losing weight? Anonymous Q&A
Q: Is HIIT training really the best for losing weight?
A: HIIT training (high intensity interval training) has been proven to be very effective at losing weight. HIIT training is alternating intervals of intense exercise followed by intervals of low intensity. If you come out to our boot camps you will notice that most of our exercises are some form of HIIT. For example, we will do 30 seconds of battle rope swings followed by 30 seconds of squats.
The reason HIIT is so effective is because it keeps your heart rate going up and down the entire session with bouts of high heart rates. You also have the benefit of burning calories long after the workout is completed through an afterburn effect called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). You increase your body’s need for oxygen because you will be breathing very heavily during the sessions. This oxygen shortage makes your body require more oxygen during your recovery after the workout is over. Your body is working in overdrive trying to recover therefore boosting your metabolism and burning calories more along the way.
HIIT workouts are also very good if you are short on time, if you don’t have an hour to an hour and a half to go to the gym, you can get a 30-minute HIIT session in which will leave you drenched in sweat and feeling extremely accomplished. You also, don’t necessarily need any equipment, you can do all bodyweight exercises for HIIT.
The most important aspect for the “best” exercise to lose weight is consistency. Sure, HIIT may be better than running on a treadmill for an hour set at the same speed and incline, but if you really don’t like HIIT or you do it every once in a while then it may not be for you. If you get excited about running on the treadmill and you consistently do this 3-5 times every single week, then running on the treadmill is best for you. Loving what you do and consistency will always trump something you don’t like to do and rarely do it.
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