HIIT– What is it? What does it do? How do you do it? Should you do it? If you are curious about any of these questions, read below.

1. What is it? HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT is essentially a version of interval training, whereby you alternate short periods of nearly all-out exercise with longer, lower-intensity recovery periods.

2. What does it do? Well, studies have shown that performing anywhere from 4-12 weeks of HIIT has all sorts of beneficial effects on the body. Some of the more notable and widely accepted effects include increased VO2 max (a measure of aerobic capacity) and improvements in body composition (i.e., muscle gain and fat loss). Importantly, these effects are seen above and beyond traditional endurance training.

3. How do you do it? Well, it’s actually fairly simple (but let’s not confuse simple with easy). The nice thing is, it can be done using whatever aerobic exercise you choose (e.g., biking, road or stationary, elliptical, treadmill, stair master, or running outside). What you’ll do is warm-up, then alternate short, nearly all-out bursts of exercise with longer recovery periods, followed by a cool down. So, how long are the short and long periods? Well, there are really two types of HIIT you can perform. We’ll call one of them SIT (sprint interval training) and the other AIT (aerobic interval training). SIT involves bursts of all-out effort of approximately 30 seconds, followed by 2-5 minutes of lower intensity exercise. So, if you were doing this outside, you’d warmup by jogging for about 3 minutes, then do an all-out sprint for 30 seconds. Then, either walk or jog for another 2-5 minutes (depending on how long it takes until you feel recovered). AIT is different in that you perform longer bouts (about 4 minutes) of high-intensity exercise (as hard as you can go and maintain for the entire 4 minutes) and then back off for about the same amount of time.  So if you were doing this on a spin bike, you’d warmup again, then up the intensity to about an 8.5-9 out of 10 for about 4 minutes.  Then you’d back it off to about a 6-7 (out of 10) for about 4 minutes.  Either way, studies suggest doing about 4-6 cycles of these will help you lose/maintain weight and improve your cardiovascular health.

4. Finally, should you do it?? Well, for those of us who are looking to reduce our body fat, or improve our aerobic fitness, it’s not a bad idea. Plus, could be a fun way to switch things up. Why else?  As you can imagine, this tends to be a much faster way to improve your aerobic fitness.  Some studies comparing steady state cardio (45 minutes) to SIT (3 minutes of ACTUAL sprinting, not including recovery time) have shown that just 3 working minutes of SIT results in greater body composition and aerobic fitness improvements compared to steady state.  BUT, fair warning, this isn’t for the faint of heart. Nearly all-out bursts of highly intense exercise can result in burning (QUADS), cramping (SIDE), and crazy shortness of breath!  As always, we recommend you consult with your doctor prior to engaging in any new exercise regimen.