As yet another new year arrives and people welcome it with hope, excitement, and enthusiasm. Along with hanging new colorful calendars, greeting friends and family, and indulging in delicious sweet and savory foods, it is also time to set weight loss goals and begin the fitness journey in order to achieve holistic wellness. When it comes to exercising, whether at the gym, jogging or running with family, or just stretching at home, HIIT has gained immense popularity among adult men and women and has become a staple of training regimens.
A HIIT training session consists of periods of activity lasting between 10 seconds and eight minutes, during which time you exercise at around 80-90% of your maximal heart rate. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor (and few of us do), you may assess your effort level on a mental scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being sitting on the couch and 10 being unable to continue.
For an efficient HIIT session, you should aim for a nine-out-of-ten intensity level. At the conclusion of the break, you should feel as though you could not have maintained that pace for much longer. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of HITT:
You burn more calories
The benefit of HIIT is that it allows you to continue to burn calories after leaving the gym. When you perform strength training, you increase muscle mass and continue to burn calories after your workout. However, when you run, the post-session calorie burn is not as prolonged.
Consequently, when you mix strength training and cardiovascular exercise, your heart rate is constantly altering as your body transitions between activities and intensities, even throughout the recuperation time. During this period, your metabolism increases because your body is continually attempting to keep up with the tremendous exertion you just performed.
Can stress the nervous system
When you exercise at a high intensity, the stress hormone cortisol is released. An excess of adrenaline can cause the body to become overstimulated. This can have long-term effects on your digestive system. To overcome this issue, it is a good idea to balance your high-intensity workout with a low-impact activity that is relaxing to the body.
It builds endurance
If you are preparing for a long-distance running event, such as a half- or full-marathon, many experts recommend cross-training, such as HIIT, since it helps increase cardiovascular endurance.
During intense intervals of HIIT, your heart rate often reaches 80 to 90 percent of your maximal heart rate. The “talk test” is the greatest technique to detect if you are exerting yourself sufficiently. When you attain your target heart rate, you should not be able to carry on a conversation. As a result of this training, you are able to accomplish something less strenuous for longer since you’ve pushed your heart rate so high.
HIIT may be dangerous for your heart
According to specialists, cardiovascular activity is beneficial for the heart because it increases the ability of the heart muscle to absorb oxygen from the blood. However, aerobic activity, particularly the strong bursts of HIIT exercises, places additional stress on the heart, which is not optimal for certain individuals.
Even if HIIT workouts are difficult for you due to cardiovascular concerns, you should still engage in other cardiovascular activities. Talk to your healthcare professional about a safe and healthy fitness plan, but according to experts, exercise is still necessary even if you have heart disease. They recommend beginning gradually with activities such as swimming, walking, and cycling. Just be sure to stretch prior, cool down afterward, and take breaks in between, especially if you’re feeling exhausted.
