Anyone who routinely peruses my website knows that I frequently promote high intensity interval training workouts. My usual recommendation is to engage in high intensity, brief HIIT, and then move into steady state cardiovascular work, and then finish with a long burst of HIIT in order to maximize your outcome. Though I still believe this to be a great way to lose fat, I am also interested in exploring a different type of advanced HIIT training advocated by Rusty Moore (of Visual Impact fame) on Fitness Black Book.
Recently, I commented on a piece in USA Today which suggested that fit individuals were able to burn larger amounts of fat following a workout than unfit people were. This article is not only compelling for the outcomes of its study, but also tells us something important about HIIT training at the advanced level. The oxygen that a person uses during a 1 minute period of exercise is referred to a VO2 max. The research in this article determined fitness based on a person’s VO2 max. Individuals classified as fit exhibit higher VO2 max levels than those who were deemed unfit. Therefore if you can increase your VO2 max level, you can theoretically increase the amount of fat burned after a workout.
The theory is that short interval HIIT releases fatty acids into the bloodstream and steady state cardio burns them off. Brief interval HIIT work further works to lower glycogen levels and also facilitates the release of HGH, which is a fat burning hormone that enables simultaneous muscle preservation. Then, in closing your workout with longer intervals of HIIT, you continue to reduce the glycogen in your body which results in EPOC or after burn.
Though you can certainly eliminate fat with my HIIT workout regimen, as you become leaner, it may be possible to overcome a weight loss plateau by concentrating on raising your VO2 max to increase your fitness level. Rusty reviewed a great deal of research and learned that the most effective way to raise VO2 max is to engage in longer interval high intensity interval training workouts at the start of each week, and do shorter interval HIIT workouts toward the end of the week.
The running for long interval HIIT workouts on the first two days should be about the pace you could sustain for 8 straight minutes. You can intensify your workout by sprinting faster when you are doing your shorter interval HIIT in the latter part of the week. Your legs can burn out if you are not careful, though. Be aware of this, and do not over train. My typical suggestion is to perform only three days of HIIT weekly (non-consecutively), and therefore this regimen ought to be undertaken no more than one month at a time prior to taking a 4-5 day break. Additionally, it’s probably best to avoid direct leg training when performing such a routine.
Novices should begin with the initial HIIT workout plan discussed. But, once you begin to burn additional amounts of fat and gain greater levels of fitness, it may make sense to change gears and undertake the advanced HIIT regimen so that you raise your VO2 max and maximize your ability to burn fat. Whether they offer the effects of HGH release or the combination of HGH release and VO2 max increase, either of these High Intensity Interval Training Workouts could be right for you. Either way, HIIT will help you get your best body ever.
