Practice HIIT for a rapid improvement in fitness

Few training techniques are more effective for rapidly improving fitness than high-intensity interval training (HIIT) - a series of short, high-intensity workouts separated by short intervals of rest. The four components of interval training include distance, repetitions, intensity and rests and are defined as follows:

1. Distance refers to either the distance covered or the duration of the training interval
2. Repetitions refers to how often the exercise is repeated
3. Intensity refers to the speed at which the exercise is performed
4. Rest refers to the recovery time between exercises

Canadian scientists found that six sessions of high-intensity interval training on a cycle ergometer increased muscle oxidative capacity by almost 50 percent, muscle glycogen by 20 percent and cycling endurance capacity by 100 percent. The test subjects achieved this amazing progress with just 15 minutes of training in two weeks. Each training session consisted of four to seven intervals of high-intensity exercise (each repetition was 30 seconds at near-maximal intensity) on a cycle ergometer.

Follow-up studies showed that performing HIIT training three times a week for six weeks increased endurance and aerobic capacity as much as five regular training sessions of 60 minutes per week for six weeks.

These studies and many others show the value of high-intensity interval training for building aerobic capacity and endurance.

(ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 19(6): 3 - 6, 2015)

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