BY EMMET RUSHE: This is the last part of my series on ‘How to lose weight and keep it off – for good’
This week we will be looking at HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and if you need or should use it in your fat loss goals.
High Intensity interval Training is better known as HIIT. It is being heralded as the latest and greatest form of cardio based fat loss training.
HIIT is a form of training that is short, intense and can involve a single exercise done numerous times, e.g. hill sprints. It can also be done with multiple exercises done in a short circuit format.
The reason that HIIT has become so popular is because of EPOC. EPOC stands for Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption and what this means is that after you finish your training session, your body will continue to burn calories due to the intensity of the session in order to replace the oxygen ‘debt’ the training has provided.
It all sounds a bit complicated, but basically you do short intense sessions and you will still be burning calories long after your session has finished, or so the story goes.
HIIT has also been shown to help release fatty acids, (stored fat) for energy.
A 15 min HIIT session which can herald anything from a 200 – 400 calorie burn depending on the intensity of the session
Sounds like a win-win situation: short workouts, longer calorie burn and using stored fat for energy.
It should be noted that if you are not in a calorie deficit the released fatty acids that you would like to burn off won’t be used, your body has no reason to use them up.
Another thing to consider is that EPOC isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
EPOC from HIIT is around 14% of total calories burned in the session. EPOC from steady state cardio is around 7% of total calories burned in the session.
30 minutes of HIIT intervals = burning 342 calories including EPOC.
60 minutes of moderate steady state cardio = burning 642 calories including EPOC.
If you look at the overall totals, there is very little difference.
So should you use HIIT?
It’s not a yes or no answer.
The question shouldn’t be “which is better?”
The question should be “which is better suited to me?”
Let’s say you are overweight and have been inactive for years. You may find it hard just walking up the stairs at work.
Do you really think that a 30 min session of HIIT class that involves high impact exercises like burpees is the best starting point for you?
Probably not.
But an hour of walking on the treadmill might be a great starting because it’s low intensity and uses fat as an energy source.
Let’s say you are busy, train a few time per week and want to add some cardio to your session for some extra fat loss.
A 10 min HIIT sprint session at the end of your workout can be the extra push you need to drop those last few pounds.
To sum up the last few weeks of this series for you;
In Order to lose weight and Keep it off here’s what you have to do.
Reduce your calorie intake.
Have protein with every meal.
Forget about the low fat nonsense.
Manage your carb intake and reduce your intake of processed foods.
Train with weights 3-4 days per week
Choose a form of cardio that suit YOU and your life.
It’s that simple
Follow these simply rules and you will be on your way to a better body in no time.
#TrainSmart
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