How Does HIIT Compare To Regular Cardiovascular Exercise?

By Howe Russ


If you are one of the many people who have recently discovered high intensity interval training as an exercise strategy, you may be wondering how it compares to regular cardiovascular exercise as far as fat burning goes. While HIIT has become one of the most effective weight loss tips of the 21st century so far, very few exercise enthusiasts know much about it.

You'll discover the facts behind this training style today.

Although it has only recently crossed over in to mainstream society, HIIT has been used for nearly three decades. It was previously widely believed that cardiovascular activity performed over a long distance at a steady pace was better for both endurance and fat loss. However, recent studies have blown these old theories out of the water.

HIIT was initially discovered almost by accident, when researchers were trying to discover if exercise could help to prevent our metabolism from lowering as we got older. They noticed that the individuals who had been working at a higher level of intensity in the gym had the far greater weight loss results. Back in 1985 this was big news, but it wasn't until five years later that these results were confirmed in a much more in depth study.

From there, interest in this subject was high and research was being carried out almost every single year. Many athletes adopted it to their own training regime. Sprinters and swimmers were particular fans at this point.

After initially becoming popular during the 1992 Olympics when many sprinters adopted the approach, the first major breakthrough for fat loss studies didn't arrive until 2001. While the fully expected to confirm that HIIT increased the breakdown of carbohydrates, they didn't expect to discover that it also increased fat breakdown, too. Also, they were shocked to see that this increase in fat burning lasted for 14 hours in some subjects. []

That's right, your body burns calories at an accelerated rate for fourteen hours after finishing a HIIT session, most of which will be fat!

Further research in the same study then went on to confirm that HIIT prevented the breakdown of lean muscle tissue in a way that was far superior to regular cardiovascular activity, while also burning off six times the amount of fat per calorie as it's steady state cousin. That's correct - one calorie burned off during a high intensity workout is worth six times the fat compared to one burned off during a low to moderate session.

These startling results have since been backed up by many further studies. In fact, over the last few years this training method has crept it's way into many mainstream gyms around the world and it now appears to have earned it's place among proven fitness techniques.

High intensity interval training is now a fitness principle which is adopted by millions of gym enthusiasts worldwide. Whether you are a personal trainer, a bodybuilder, an athlete or just somebody who is looking to find effective weight loss tips which work quickly, HIIT is here to stay.




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