Little time, big payoff – high-intensity interval training packs a punch.
“High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is where the person gives a 100 percent all-out effort in a short, intense burst of exercise, followed by a brief active recovery period – generally about 30 seconds in length,” said Karen Wonders, program director of the Wright State University Department of Kinesiology and Health.
“This keeps your heart rate elevated and is believed to utilize more fat stores as fuel for the exercise,” she said. “It’s effective because you can get a good workout in over a shorter duration of time.”
HIIT is a hit among fitness professionals, as the American College of Sports Medicine surveyed 4,000 such professionals and determined that high-intensity interval training will be the most popular fitness trend in 2018.
“High-intensity interval training has been a consistently high-ranking trend on the forecast in recent years, appearing in the top three since 2014,” said Walter Thompson, ACSM president and the lead author of the survey. “HIIT offers participants a good workout that can be done without a lot of time or equipment.”
Survey respondents mentioned that some of their clients are reluctant to participate in HIIT due to perceived risks but, according to Wonders, those risks can be minimized.
“I believe that as long as modifications are made for certain high-risk populations – like those suffering from chronic disease or the elderly – it can be a safe and effective workout,” she said. “A physician should be consulted before beginning any workout program, and any contraindications to exercise must be avoided. It’s also…
