Why is HIIT so popular? The answer to this is very simple in essence, it works!
Most, if not all who have tried High Intensity Interval Training have found
that using this as their main Cardio sessions can reward the Athlete with an
efficient, difficult and incredibily high calorie burning training session.
The obvious example of High Intensity Interval Training over recent years
in gymnasiums globally is through the always popular Body Pump classes.
During these classes participants will use light fixed weight Barbells and sometimes Dumbbells and perform basic compound
movements such as stiff leg dead lifting, bent over back rows, squats and overhead shoulder press. The exercises themselves are not that important during
body pump classes, as it is the manner in which they are performed which creates all the benefits of HIIT.
During a standard body pump class the participants are required to mix high
intensity working sets with short rest periods whilst keeping the heart and
respiratory rate reasonably high during the rest periods to keep the intensity of
the training session and therefore keep the athlete within the fat buring zone. Throughout the working periods of the body pump sessions the participants are encouraged to work flat out for short period of times, for instance
after 40 seconds of rest (sometimes total rest, sometimes jogging on the spot) they are required to do 20 repetitions of stiff leg dead lifts before taking another 40 second rest and then required to do 20
repetitions of bent over back rows and so on.
During body pump classes or any other HIIT routines such as body combat, the exercises are mixed with various muscle groups used. This is done so the Oxygenated Blood is moved from muscle group to muscle group, this keeps the Heart and Lungs working hard and further encourages the anaerobic
system to go into overdrive during the working sets. It is this combination of activity in the respiratory system and the brief rests between sets which keeps the body in a fat burning zone.
The traditional Cardio that most people use to lose weight such as slow jogging, Cycling or Swimming are not always demanding on fat stores. As they vary rarely keep you in a fat burning zone the body often chooses muscle as the major fuel
so although people will lose weight as a calorie deficiency is created with low impact Cardio, the body is not always sculpting the way in which the athlete
intended. The exact same thing can happen with exercise that is too intense, although logic would say that the harder you work, the more Fat you will burn, Science tells us otherwise. When energy is needed urgently, the Body quickly uses Protein stores as this is more easily accessed and Metabolised and Fat stores are overlooked.
Moving on
to 2012, and it is Kettlebell exercises which personal trainers are favouring as the number one piece of equipment to supplement their HIIT routines. For use in a HIIT routine, the Kettlebell offers the athlete everything they could want - a challenging piece of equipment which has no rest bite whilst in the working period but also something that is completely adaptable and can be used to train the shoulder muscles one minute and then used for Squats the very next minute with no changes in equipment needed.
Due to design of the Kettlebell and the force of the weight and directional pull of
the weight which unlike a Barbell is directly underneath the handle it forces your core to work very hard all the way through every movement. Using a Kettlebell as oppose to a Barbell or Dumbbell prevents your muscles from resting during the sets and involves each and every part of your core muscles throughout every movement. This extra involvement of the core throughout each movement instantly increases the calorie burn and increases the Heart rate and makes it harder to fall below the Fat burning freshold even during your resting periods of your HIIT session.
Sometimes
referred to as HIIT training, it is essential to remember that one of the main advantages is that you don't have to pay a personal trainer to design a
programme for you as high intensity interval training isn't about the exercises you choose. HIIT exercises are not an actual thing, it is how you do the exercises that make it HIIT. That being said, the reason why Kettlebells are used now is that they are scientifically proven to be more efficient at calorie burning, not just during your Kettlebell workouts but post training in the muscular repair stage.
