Can HIIT Workouts Be Effective?

Can HIIT Workouts Be Effective?

Apr 19, 2018 mindpump

High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT for short.

What is it? Although usually still involving the traditional barbell and dumbbells movements, HIIT training is a bit different than conventional strength or bodybuilding style training.

The primary focus of HIIT workouts: shredding body fat in a short time frame.

HIIT workouts are focused on maximizing caloric burn within a short workout. This means short rest periods, burning muscles, dripping sweat, and maybe a bit of nausea.

Effective?

So is HIIT training effective? Yes. Extremely so if your goal is fat loss. But only for a relatively short time frame.

If you’re looking to burn as much fat as possible for the next few weeks, high intensity training is the way to go. It burns dramatically more calories than the traditional “3 sets of 8-12, 2 minutes rest between sets” style training most of us are used to.

This leads to a quick fat loss. The problem is, your body adapts to this style of training. Once this happens, results diminish RAPIDLY. It’s not a very effective style of training to build strength or muscle.

So in short, HIIT is great for speeding up fat loss for a short time 4-6 weeks. You need to phase in other styles of training to keep seeing results.

When Should I Use HIIT?

The perfect time to start using HIIT workouts would be the last month before your beach vacation. Times when your #1 goal is cutting body fat as quickly as possible.

HIIT shouldn’t be used if:

You’re new to the gym. Focus on building up a good foundation of strength and muscle. Try out MAPS ANABOLIC. Performing hundreds of reps of complex barbell movements is recipe for injury for beginners (See: Crossfit). Once you have a good base and understanding of all the foundational movements, you can focus on more advanced things like HIIT training.

When you do implement HIIT style training, enjoy the intense, fast paced workouts! Just don’t forget to eventually cycle to training styles that will help you build more strength and muscle as well.