High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which stands for "High Intensity Interval Training", is a sport program that focuses on intensity over time. Spotted among high level athletes, we swear by him to build muscle and especially lose weight in record time.
HIIT, how does it work?
Alternate short, high intensity (for 30 seconds) efforts with very short resting or active recovery times (15 seconds) to develop muscle mass while losing fat. In total, the exercises are chained for 7 minutes.
Ideally, 3 HIIT sessions a week are required to get real results.
A paying effort, since even 24 hours later, our organism - in oxygen debt - continues to draw on the resources it needs in the reserves of proteins and lipids. Result: we lose fat in the very short term ... And all the more effectively when our usual energy reserves have had no time to recover.
Why do less training give more results?
Coaches like Brian MacKenzie were among the first to explain that it was not useful to run for hours to prepare for a marathon, but rather to focus on shorter but more intense training sessions.
Among the most well-known HIIT methods, we find the Crossfit® * or the Tabata ** protocol but also other programs that alternate (for our greatest pleasure) burpees, pumps, abdominals, squats, sheathing, sprinting and other exercises very "cardio"!
What does one have to gain by going to HIIT?
- No need for equipment, a HIIT session does not require any investment, apart from perhaps buying an interval timer.
- We lose fat and not muscle.
- It saves time - in our busy schedule - with always short sessions.
- We train practically everywhere outdoors. It avoids ruin in a gym.
- HIIT is practiced in groups, which can be a way for some to be encouraged and motivated.
* Crossfit : the concept proposed by its creator, the Californian Greg Glassman, has become a real commercial success in North America and gradually in Europe. Crossfit® is today a registered trademark. The sessions follow each other daily with exercises to develop cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, muscle development, balance and coordination. The principle is based on the sequence of different functional exercises, with a high intensity and no previously defined rest time.
** Tabata Intervals : A split method used in cardio-strength training is the "Tabata Intervals" method. The principle of this split is to repeat 8 cycles of 20 seconds of very intense effort - 10 seconds of recovery, or 4 minutes of work. Efforts can be varied: sprints, bike, jump rope, burpees, leg curls, pumps, bag strikes, etc. 1 to 4 blocks can be made.
