Incorporating HIIT training into your routine at the right times can allow you to be more efficient with your time by burning the same number of calories as moderately intense exercise, but in half the time. Having said this, there’s an optimal way to go about your HIIT training, so you’re receiving the best stimulus and preventing the loss of metabolism-boosting muscle.
Incorporating Resistance Training
Most people think of HIIT training and want to do sprint intervals on a piece of cardio equipment. You CAN do this, and it has its benefits, but I highly encourage you to instead make a lifting circuit where you can do those same bursts of effort, while mixing in rest time.
For example, you can do a circuit of goblet squats, rows, shoulder presses, and lunges. Go for 10–12 reps of each exercise, and don’t rest until you get through all of the exercises. The advantage of this over the cardio version is that it gives a lifting stimulus to your muscles. When you do HIIT on a bike or treadmill, you’re really mostly challenging the lower body, and even then, it’s just the same stimulus on repeat. By choosing exercises that’ll hit the full body, you’re getting your upper body involved and using a weight that's still challenging your cardiovascular system while also providing a better signal to grow muscle than just sprints.
The Benefits
Time Saving
As mentioned before, choosing this route will save time. This is good if you’re on vacation, or just tight on time. Part of your fitness journey is about knowing that not every day is the same. Life can get busy. You may have kids or a hectic schedule that doesn’t always allow for an hour in the gym most days of the week. That doesn’t have to be a reason to stop following a proper resistance program. Creating a resistance training HIIT circuit for days you’re short on time allows you to save time and still stay consistent with your goals.
Improving Your Heart Health
By challenging yourself with these bouts of all-out effort, you’re improving heart function, increasing circulation, and improving all your metabolic markers. This will help improve your overall endurance as well as your strength. There are also plenty of studies to show it can reduce the risk of heart disease. It can also regulate your blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and help lower cholesterol.
HIIT-style training can trigger the release of endorphins, which can boost your mood. I know that whenever I’m feeling anxious or depressed, working out in the gym helps alleviate a lot of those symptoms. There’s also carry-over to any sports you play. It’ll help you perform better in those sports with improved stamina, as well as in your day-to-day life.
Fat Loss
Incorporating HIIT into your regimen from time to time can provide an increased caloric expenditure when compared to traditional weight training. It can increase your EPOC, or, more simply put, your body will expend more calories even beyond your session trying to catch up to all the work it just did. This can be an effective tool when in a diet phase, or wanting to recomp while still preserving lean mass. While it’s not ideal to do HIIT as your main form of strength training, there are many benefits to incorporating it into your routine at the right time!
