mercredi 27 mars 2013

Is HIIT Superior To Normal Cardio For Long Term Weight Loss?

By Russ Hollywood


If you are one of the many people who have recently discovered high intensity interval training as an exercise strategy, you may be wondering how it compares to regular cardiovascular exercise as far as fat burning goes. While HIIT has become one of the most effective weight loss tips of the 21st century so far, very few exercise enthusiasts know much about it.

Today you will discover the science behind HIIT and the reason it has become such a practised method in gyms around the world over the last few years.

The old notion of staying on a cardiovascular machine for an hour or more is now yesterday's advice. This is due to the fact that HIIT has been shown to yield far more results in a significantly lower time frame. When fat loss is the goal, HIIT is certainly the way to do it.

The first instance of HIIT was discovered by researchers in 1985, who discovered that a group of exercises lost significantly more body fat when they were pushed at higher levels. These findings started a trend of research which attempted to discover the reason behind the results. Five years later, it was discovered that a group of exercisers lost significantly more body fat again while exercising at a higher intensity, despite the fact that the workouts were almost half the duration and took place three times per week, as opposed to a group doing regular cardiovascular activity five times per week.

From there, interest in this subject was high and research was being carried out almost every single year. Many athletes adopted it to their own training regime. Sprinters and swimmers were particular fans at this point.

A 2001 study from Canada provided the first concrete evidence for HIIT as an effective method to lose weight. Studies confirmed that not only did it increase the body's usage of carbohydrates, which is uses for fuel in the workout, it also increased the fat metabolizing enzyme HADH. This was a shock at the time, because it doesn't actually use fat for fuel, it uses carbohydrates. Better still, this increase in HADH lasted for a massive fourteen hours. []

That's right, your body burns calories at an accelerated rate for fourteen hours after finishing a HIIT session, most of which will be fat!

The study went on to show that it also increased lean muscle mass and prevented muscle breakdown during exercise. The best result of the study, however, was the fact that the HIIT group burnt off over six times more body fat than their steady state cardiovascular counterparts. This showed that one calorie burnt during a HIIT workout was equal to six during regular cardiovascular activity.

While most new concepts and fads fall to pieces when the real scientific data is made available, HIIT just keeps on building a stronger case. Since these breakthrough reports were conducted there have been many further studies showing the fat loss benefits to a solid and consistent HIIT plan.

It now stands tall as one of the most effective weight loss tips for anybody looking to burn maximum body fat in minimum time. If you are considering including high intensity interval training in your workout routine, you now know why countless others in the fitness world believe it to be the most effective way to get results.




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