HIIT TRAINING AND THE PRINCIPLES

The basics of HIIT training and EMS training in this perspective

Some people love going for runs or long bike rides. Endurance exercise can boost your mood, help you burn fat and make you healthier. However, long workouts aren’t for everyone. Whether you are time poor or lacking motivation, there’s still hope apart from your EMS session: HIIT workouts.

 

Women doing HIIT functional training

What is HIIT training:

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has emerged in the last decades. It’s a style of cardiovascular exercise that is especially helpful for fat burning, building strength, enhancing your endurance and improving glucose metabolism (Metabolism is the pace your body burns fat). 

It’s ideal if …

  • you don’t have a lot of time or 
  • you get bored easily doing endurance workouts like running, cycling or swimming (don’t we all ;), 

HIIT is the way to go. HIIT comes with the bonus that you don’t have to work out for very long, provided your training is intense and at a maximum heart rate (between 85-90%). 

 

What happens to the body during the intervals of your workout?

You are alternating between 

  • hard-charging intervals in which your heart rate reaches 80% of its maximum capacity for a period of time and 
  • then going to periods of rest or less intense exercise.

In the intervals of workout the exercises can vary from simple running with high-knees to using weights and doing fast pace exercises.

In this time, your body works anaerobically. It produces lactic acid because you can’t get enough oxygen to your muscles to keep them working properly. Basically, your body supplements that oxygen with the lactic acid. When lactic acid is produced, adrenaline comes with it, which helps to move fat through your body and creates ‘that’ fat burn and muscle buildup you’re looking for.

 

What happens in your body after your workout?

When you deprive your body of oxygen, it needs to rebuild itself to get those oxygen levels back to normal. You’ll be out of breath after a HIIT session because your body is trying to grab as much oxygen as it can to return to its normal state.

After about 30 minutes, you will most probably be hungry. That’s because your body needs to replace the glycogen fuel stores. Depending on what nutritional lifestyle you follow is how you will replenish these.

Hours after your HIIT session your body is still burning fat because your metabolism is still trying to replace nutrients that were lost during the workout. Your insulin sensitivity will be at its best and so it won’t store glycogen as fat. The effect of a HIIT session could impact your body for as long as 48 hours after the workout.

 

Research and scientific findings HIIT training:

According to the American College of Sports Medicine  with periods for HIIT  of 5–8 minutes long at 85–90% of your maximum heart rate the noted benefits of this form of exercise are:

  • Improved aerobic fitness
  • Improved cardiovascular health
  • Improved insulin sensitivity

A 2016 study from the International Journal of Exercise Science showed it takes longer to recover from HIIT workouts than longer-duration medium-intensity cardio. The researchers speculated you burn more calories after a HIIT workout, even though it’s shorter because it takes a while to recover.  Sounds good, right?

Women doing Diagonal Crunch in EMS Intervals

Is EMS Training HIIT training?

At fu/nis EMS Training we often talk to our clients about how effective EMS can be and how EMS has a strong relationship with HIIT training. 

As mentioned you need to have intervals at a high intensity, with a break to create an effective HIIT training session. With the advanced EMS technology it allows us to create that type of interval of 4 seconds of intensified muscle activation and 4 seconds of rest of your muscle fibres (up to 90% of your skeletal muscle). 

What we do to adjust the intensity is by adjusting your overall setting up to a much higher intensity and using a wide range of challenging exercises which will push your heart rate up. This makes it one of the most effective and efficient HIIT training sessions you will get. 

Is HIIT all I need? 

Here at fu/nis we recommend a balanced workout routine. Usually, if time permits, it’ll be great if you integrate cardio and stretch sessions into your routine. If there’s no time though,  trying out EMS training to give your body a way to strengthen, boost the immune system and feel great, both inside and out is one way to go about it!

 

 

Disclaimer: All content and media on the fu/nis EMS training website is created and published online for informational and inspirational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.

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