samedi 30 mars 2013

Is High Intensity Interval Training More Effective Than Regular Cardio?

By Russ Hollywood


High intensity interval training is undoubtedly one of the most talked about weight loss tips of the 21st century. But if you are unsure why so many gym lovers are jumping on board the HIIT train, you're about to find out the main reasons.

This isn't a fad or a passing trend, so today you will learn why it's becoming such a popular choice.

Although it has only recently crossed over in to mainstream society, HIIT has been used for nearly three decades. It was previously widely believed that cardiovascular activity performed over a long distance at a steady pace was better for both endurance and fat loss. However, recent studies have blown these old theories out of the water.

HIIT was initially discovered almost by accident, when researchers were trying to discover if exercise could help to prevent our metabolism from lowering as we got older. They noticed that the individuals who had been working at a higher level of intensity in the gym had the far greater weight loss results. Back in 1985 this was big news, but it wasn't until five years later that these results were confirmed in a much more in depth study.

The first real instances of people using this new approach in their training was sprinters and swimmers. These athletes saw HIIT as a method to increase their explosive power of short distances, which is very useful in their respective sports.

A Canadian study in 2001 then produced the most thorough research on the subject to date. It detailed that a group of exercises not only lost more body fat while working out for less time and less often, they also increased the body's fat burning enzyme HADH. This finding was initially quite shocking, because HIIT is known to use carbohydrates as the source of fuel in the gym, not fat. This increase in HADH occurred because high intensity activity actually causes the body to switch to using fat for fuel in the period following a workout. Furthermore, this period can last a shocking 14 hours in length. []

By increasing the production of HADH after each workout had finished, the body is able to switch to using fat for fuel over the course of the next 12-14 hours.

The biggest finding of the whole test, and the one which will undoubtedly interest the most people reading this review, is the fact that researchers confirmed that one calorie used during a HIIT workout shed almost six times the fat of one calorie used during a steady state workout. That's because the body continues to burn calories after the session as a result of keeping the intensity level quite high.

These startling results have since been backed up by many further studies. In fact, over the last few years this training method has crept it's way into many mainstream gyms around the world and it now appears to have earned it's place among proven fitness techniques.

High intensity interval training is now a fitness principle which is adopted by millions of gym enthusiasts worldwide. Whether you are a personal trainer, a bodybuilder, an athlete or just somebody who is looking to find effective weight loss tips which work quickly, HIIT is here to stay.




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