HIIT Workouts: How to Burn Fat and Increase Speed

Worldwide, almost 2 billion people are considered overweight. Obesity is a problem that has become more and more common in recent years, likely due to the growing popularity of fast food and the more sedentary lifestyles that many people follow. Many people try to lose weight to achieve their ideal body image, but losing weight is also important for your health. 

The problem with losing weight is that it can be quite difficult to do. However, if you incorporate HIIT workouts into your workout routine, you will find that burning fat will be easier than ever. But what do the best HIIT workouts involve and how can you do them?

Keep reading and learn more about how to get started with a HIIT workout plan so you can start losing weight and building muscle. 

Understanding HIIT Workouts + Examples

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. As the name suggests, this is quite an intense type of workout, especially when compared to regular exercise routines. Because it is so intensive, it will put your body into a fat-burning state which will make it much easier for you to achieve a leaner and fitter physique. 

The main characteristic of this type of workout is that you only need to exercise in short bursts. This may sound counterintuitive. Don't you have to exercise for an hour or longer at one time to really start burning any calories?

Not necessarily. You can think of HIIT workouts as a way to hack your body and bend it to your will. HIIT workouts require you to follow very intense exercises but only for short bursts of time. 

Doing this will supercharge your body in a way that no other workout is able to. A problem that many beginners have is exercising for periods that are too long. If you exercise for too long, you will start to lose the benefits of the HIIT workout regimen. 

The Details

These intervals are usually only a few seconds long, although they may last as long as 10 or even 20 seconds. After that, it is important to either rest or perform a much milder exercise to keep your heart racing. This resting interval is also short-lived and usually around 20 seconds. 

After that, you will go back to another 20 seconds of intense exercise. All you need to do is keep alternating these intervals until you get the hang of the pattern. But what kind of exercises can you expect to do when exercising in this manner?

High knees are very popular for HIIT workouts. As the name suggests, it involves lifting your knees up toward your chest in a steady but fast rhythm. Another type of exercise that is great for HIIT is the lunge jump. 

This combines lunges and jumps to really get your blood racing and your heart pumping. In a similar vein, you can also try jumping jacks if they're more your style or easier for you to do. Skipping rope is another great alternative that will work out your body in a similar way and it is arguably one of the best HIIT exercises out there.

How HIIT Workouts Burn Fat and Increase Speed

You might be wondering how HIIT workouts are really any different from regular workouts when it comes to burning fat. The main benefit that HIIT workouts have is that they can help you burn fat even when your not exercising. Specifically, after you're done with a good HIIT workout, your body will keep burning fat and calories for a full 48 hours after your workout. 

There are few other workout routines that can boast this. Usually, most workouts can only help you burn fat while you're doing the workout and maybe for a few hours afterwards. But how is this even possible?

It all has to do with a phenomenon known as excess post-oxygen consumption or EPOC which speeds up your metabolism and helps you burn fat at unusually high rates. It is hard to enter this kind of state with ordinary exercises since they usually aren't intense or fast enough. 

What You Need to Know

Because HIIT workouts are so intense and hard on the body, it is recommended that you only do them once every other day or even once every two days. That way, you can maximise the benefits of these workouts without stressing or hurting your body. 

These exercises can also make your body faster and more agile. As mentioned before, some of the common exercises that people do in this kind of training are usually fast workouts such as jumping jacks, lunge jumps, high knees, and so on. Training your body with these fast workouts will allow your muscles to move faster than before. 

This is especially true once you start doing these workouts over a long period of time and your body starts to become more accustomed to their fast rhythms. And, of course, as your body gets used to the exercises, you can continue training with faster and faster exercises. That way, your body will reach a whole new level of fitness and you'll be able to burn all the body fat you want in a relatively short period of time. 

All About HIIT Workouts

As you have already seen, HIIT workouts are unique because they involve exercising in short bursts. Doing this will supercharge your body so that it will keep burning fat for 48 hours. 

If you want to get fit but want a coach to help you on your journey, click here to learn more about it.