Benefits of HIIT

Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training

Trying to put on muscle and lose weight at the same time? You may just need to switch up your workout style a little bit. High Intensity Interval Training, otherwise known as HITT, can help elevate your heart rate to a perfect fat burning state, while also allowing you to pack on lean muscle. The best and most simple way to do this is use something called “the talk test”.

The talk test is pretty simple, actually. You just work yourself at a pace fast enough to where you’re out of breath, yet still able to hold a conversation. If you elevate your heart rate to a point where you can’t have a conversation, you risk your body burning muscle instead of burning fat. If you don’t get it high enough, you risk not getting into a fat burning state. This little trick is key to unlocking big time results.

Obviously, everyone’s goals vary so you may not need to perform HIIT workouts every time you walk into the gym. I tend to incorporate a HIIT style workout at least once a week even when I’m training specifically for strength. It’s important to push yourself and work hard, but there is definitely something to working smarter, not harder. Wearable technology can help you fine tune your training, but something as simple as the talk test while performing high intensity workouts can elevate your workouts to the next level!

The easiest way to add this into your workouts are by super-setting your exercises. Super-setting is the act of performing an exercise immediately after another. For example, you may shoulder press ten times and then without any rest in between, do 10 barbell rows. That right there is enough to get the blood flowing and you’re on your way. Try adding this in your next workout and let us know how you do!