Quantcast

Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

HIIT: The Ultimate Workout

Posted November 27th, 2007 at 5:45 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

man_running_on_treadmilllIf you aren’t a stranger to the gym, you’ve likely already heard of something called high intensity interval training (HIIT). Whether it was between two trainers discussing their training techniques or someone complaining about the brutality of the workout, it may be something you’ve avoided up until now.

There is no doubt that high intensity interval training (HIIT) is something that will give you a run for your money. It definitely is not - by any means - easy, but it will get you results.

Not only is it more conducive to retaining your current muscle mass then longer cardio sessions, but it is also far better (in most cases) in terms of promoting fat loss and increasing the metabolism. The thing about HIIT is that it does not expend an extremely large amount of calories while you are performing it.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com


3 comments, add yours | Permalink

Results in less than 5 minutes: The Tabata Method

Posted July 13th, 2007 at 7:19 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

The following article is written by HesFit.com writer Stephen Antel.

man_on_treadmill_thumbIt looks easy on paper: 20 seconds of exercise, followed by 10 seconds rest, for 4 minutes total. A workout that claims to melt fat, increase your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds, can be done with little or no equipment, and can be done in less than 5 minutes? It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, such a ‘program’ does exist, and it’s called the Tabata method.

The Tabata method is named after Dr. Izumi Tabata. Dr. Tabata conducted several studies to determine the effectiveness of high intensity interval training on sports conditioning. He compared standard HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) using 30 seconds of intense exercise with 2 minutes rest to a protocol that had shorter bouts of exercise and rest periods with 20 seconds of intense exercise with 10 seconds rest. What his findings revealed was that standard HIIT, while effective at increasing aerobic capacity (sessions of exercise over 3 minutes), did little to increase anaerobic capacity (intense exercise of less than 3 minutes). The Tabata method, as it was later named, showed marked increases in both aerobic and anaerobic capacities.

Read the rest at our partner site: HesFit.com


One comment, add yours | Permalink



-->
Add to Google

Subscribe in NewsGator Online



What's this?

Or subscribe via email


What is your favorite running movie or documentary?
View Results