Benefits of HIIT

High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, can be very effective and have many benefits. You can do HIIT on a treadmill, on a bike, on an elipitical, or through a cardio program like Insanity or Turbo Fire.

What HIIT basically is, is periods of exercise where you "go all out". These periods are very intense and put you in an anaerobic state, meaning you can't take in enough oxygen to burn the energy you need, so your body starts burning stored carbohydrates. These periods of intense exercise are followed by short periods of moderate exercise or none at all. In the Insanity program, you workout hard for 3 minutes then get a 30 second break.

HIIT provides many benefits, including weight and fat loss and improved endurance performance. Your body becomes more efficient at using oxygen when you train like this. So if you are an endurance athlete, competing in marathons or triathlons, you can really see a great improvement in your performance during these races.

I personally have seen great results from Insanity, which utilizes this technique. To learn more about HIIT training check out my article High Intensity Interval Training.