The number one excuse I hear when people start a new workout program is, “I don’t have enough time.” In a world that is consumed with 40- to 50-hour workweeks, driving kids to baseball practice and constantly looking at your calendar to see what’s next, it’s easy to feel that way.
But when it comes to your overall health, a consistent workout schedule is crucial.
While there are people who can and even like to spend hours at the gym, that is probably not the case for most. With the thousands of things you have going on in your life, finding an extra sixty minutes is hard enough.
Luckily, you can still get a great sweat in with just a fraction of that time, thanks to HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training workouts.
Why HIIT Workouts
Before I delve into what HIIT workouts actually are, it’s important to see if they’re a right fit for you. In the gym, the method of training you choose should always come down to your personal goals and the time constraints you face.
If your number one goal is weight loss, a great, time-efficient alternative to typical resistance training is HIIT. It’s an especially good option for busy professionals that need to squeeze a workout into a lunch break or between work and dinner with their families.
How HIIT Works
HIIT is a type of training where you consistently give 100 percent effort through quick, efficient movements, with only short breaks in between the exercises to catch your breath.
HIIT therefore allows you to get your heart rate up and muscles working at max capacity, all in less time. HIIT also allows you to combine multiple exercises into a circuit, so you can move through these exercises back to back with more efficiency.
While HIIT training is great for getting a hard, quick workout in, it’s not ideal if your primary goal for resistance training is to gain strength. While you will get stronger from HIIT training, the end gains aren’t as large as if you were to take two to four minute rests in-between sets.
With that said, if losing weight and increasing your physical fitness is more important, HIIT training may be your answer, since it can scorch some serious calories.