5 Best Reasons to Choose HIIT for Cardio

What if just 12-15 minutes of exercise could keep you burning fat all day long?

What if you didn't even need a gym or equipment?

Would you be interested? Any chance?

These are not questions meant to tease you. Not at all!

In fact, we are well aware that time is the second most precious commodity we have as individuals, following only our health.

This reality is the reason we want to make you aware of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and how to do it right.

Since time is truly of the essence for most of us, this type of training may very well become your best friend.

Just what is HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)?

First things first. It is absolutely unnecessary to spend hours in the gym in order to burn fat, lean out, and increase your overall health and wellness.

Sure, some workouts, depending on your goals, might be 45-60 minutes long, but anything beyond that simply means you weren't working hard enough (possibly talking too much) .

This is, in our opinion, one of the most attractive things about HIIT. A mere 12-15 minutes can, and will if you work hard enough, leave you not only dripping in sweat but reaping rewards for hours on end.

To be clear, HIIT is merely short bursts of high-intensity exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods. As crazy as it may sound, this is the most time-efficient way to exercise.

Don't let the 12-15 minutes fool you either. If you have not been performing HIIT previously, you will not make 12-15 minutes. In other words, be prepared to work your way up to those full sessions.

An Example of a HIIT Workout

Since it is unlikely that most people are currently performing HIIT sessions, we will use the stationary bike as our example.

A stationary bike HIIT session for a beginner might look something like this...

• a two-minute warm-up at a nice easy pace, on a low resistance
• a 15-second sprint, pedaling as hard and fast as possible, at a higher resistance
• a 45-second recovery period, slowing your pedaling speed significantly and lowering the resistance (Round #1)
• another 15-second sprint, again pedaling as hard and fast as possible, at a higher resistance
• followed by another 45-second recovery period, slowing your pedaling speed and lowering the resistance again (Round #2)
• 15-second sprint
• 45-second recovery (Round #3)
• 15-second sprint
• 45-second recovery(Round #4)
• 15-second sprint
• 45-second recovery(Round #5)
• a two-minute cool-down at a nice easy pace, on a low resistance

Congrats, there is your very first 9-minute HIIT session!

It is important to note, depending on your fitness levels and the type of HIIT you choose to perform, the specifics of your high-intensity cycles and your lower-intensity cycles will vary, in either or both time and level (incline, resistance, speed, etc.)

It is probably obvious, but high-intensity on a stepper, or a rower, will be much more difficult than on a stationary bike. This means the length of your interval rounds will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Now that you have an idea as to what a HIIT session would look like, let's dive into WHY you would do this.

5 of the Best Reasons to Choose HIIT for Cardio

Reason #1 ...HIIT Will Burn Tons of Calories in a Short Amount of Time

Reason #2 ...HIIT Will Raise Your Metabolic Rate for Hours After Exercise

Reason #3  ...HIIT Can Help You Lose Fat & Gain Muscle

Reason #4 ...HIIT Will Improve Oxygen Consumption

Reason #5 ...HIIT Can Reduce Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, and Blood Sugar Levels

If you are not IN LOVE with these reasons we must assume you are one of those beings who truly enjoy doing things in the slowest, most miserably inefficient manner.

The benefits of just 2-4 HIIT sessions per week should excite everyone, no matter what your starting point.

How to Get Started With HIIT

Seriously, just do it!

If you paid attention to the sample stationary bike HIIT session above, you already know this doesn't take much, time-wise to get done.

Since the stationary bike is just one example, you can choose whatever exercise (running stairs, treadmill, rower, sprints/walks, elliptical, etc) you enjoy the most to get started on.

Once you have just a few sessions under your belt, you can begin to experiment with different durations of exercise and recovery, as well as, more total rounds and even different exercises.

Who knows, maybe you end up enjoying these short, sweaty challenges as much as we do. ‰

The Bottom Line

There should be no doubt, high-intensity interval training is an effective, efficient way to exercise. The ability to burn more calories and preserve more muscle by shorter, more intense workouts is a beautiful thing.

When you take the additional benefits of HIIT into account, there is also no question this should be a part of your weekly routine.

If you agree, and you want to improve the way you look, feel, and perform faster than ever before, give HIIT a try today!

Let us know how it goes.

And, by all means, if you think anyone you know would benefit from HIIT or any of the information above, please share this article with them as well.

Always Remember...

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Until next time...PROGRESS, not PERFECTION!

Don't forget, always consult your physician before making any changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

Live a 3D Life...Decisions Determine Destinations!