Breaking Down the Benefits of HIIT
High-intensity interval training (a.k.a HIIT) has taken the fitness industry by storm. These short yet powerful workouts can do wonders for your health. They’re comprised of short bursts of intense exercise followed by a brief period of rest; however, the length of each interval can vary drastically from workout to workout. Our KILLER workouts are a great example of HIIT, with our 3-minute rounds that consist of 2.5-minutes of moderate-intensity exercise and 30 seconds of vigorous-intensity exercise, followed by a 30-second active break between each round. Curious to learn more? Then follow along as we break down the benefits of this popular training style!
Burn Calories During and After Your Workout
One of the major benefits of HIIT is that you can burn massive calories during your workout AND you can continue to burn calories throughout the day, thanks to something called EPOC. This stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, and it represents the amount of energy it takes for your body to return to its normal state following exercise. The higher your heart rate and the more intense your workout, the longer it will take for your body to achieve this, which means with HIIT, you’ll be burning calories long after your workout is over!
Get Killer Results in Less Time
Sure, you could spend hours running on the treadmill to get your exercise for the day, or you could do a simple HIIT-style workout for just 30 minutes and get similar, if not better, results. This distinctive feature of HIIT is what has helped it gain a lot of traction in the fitness industry because who wouldn’t want to spend less time at the gym and still get strong results? One reason why HIIT workouts can be shorter than other types of exercise is you can combine various types of exercise into a single routine.
At 9Round, we combine aerobic, anaerobic, and resistance exercise all into one 30-minute full-body workout that keeps your heart rate in those ideal fat burning zones, so you get the most out of your time at the studio.
Improve Your Cardiovascular Fitness
Everyone should participate in some type of cardio training on a regular basis, so why not use HIIT to get it done? The recommended guidelines for exercise are 75-minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio or 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week. HIIT is a great option to help you meet these guidelines in less time, as it’s known for its ability to get your heart pumping. It’s a great source of aerobic exercise, meaning with oxygen, to help condition your heart and lungs to work more efficiently over time. This not only improves your overall fitness, but also helps to lower your risk of heart-related diseases as you age.
Shed Fat and Build Lean Muscle
Because HIIT relies on your aerobic system, which utilizes carbohydrates and fat to supply energy for your workout, you have the opportunity to shed fat and build lean muscle more effectively. This helps adjust your body composition over time, which will start to help you look and feel more in shape. Body composition is our preferred method of measuring results because this allows you to see your muscle mass and body fat percentage as you progress, rather than just numbers on a scale. A quick body composition scan will show you an exact breakdown of what makes up your body, including water, fat, and muscle content.
DYK: Many of our 9Round locations offer body composition scans? Check with your Champion Trainer during your next workout to see if this service is available at your local studio, so you can see how 9Round is affecting your body composition!
9Round is the perfect HIIT workout to help you punch and kick your way to better health. Come see why we’re the best in kickboxing fitness with a free workout at your local studio. Sign up using the link below and get ready to crush it!
