What is HIIT Cardio Exercise and How Is It Done?

One of the common goals of people who have just started or are already doing sports is to burn fat and lose weight. Although they are basically two different things, what people who do sports really want is to lose weight and burn fat without losing muscle. Fat burning is not an easy process due to its nature, but with certain rules, people who want it consistently can burn their fat.

The most popular type of training used for fat burning is HIIT cardio. Cardio, which takes its name from the cardiovascular system, is a training system in which the heart rate is increased and the body burns a lot of fat and spends calories in this process. However, it has 2 different models, low and intense. One of them is LIIT (Low Intensity Interval Training) and the other is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), which we will talk about today. So what is HIIT cardio? What is HIIT training and how is it done? Let’s answer these questions.

What is HIIT cardio?

HIIT cardio is distinguished from other cardio types with an important feature. HIIT, whose long name is High Intensity Interval Training, is a type of cardio with high intensity, as the name suggests. What we mean by intensity here is that the heart rate is generally at a constant high level. Regardless of the movement, it is aimed to make the movement very fast for a certain period of time and bring the maximum rate of the pulse to 85%-90%. In short, we can say that HIIT cardio is a type of cardio in which the heart rate is kept in a high range.

How to do HIIT cardio?

HIIT cardio can be done easily because it does not require a lot of equipment, but the process is very important, but a warning should be made beforehand. Since this type of cardio will increase the heart rate, people with heart disease should definitely consult their doctor. In addition, if you have tried this workout before and are sick, it is useful to stay away from it. First of all, you can do HIIT cardio such as swimming, cycling, running, jumping rope and various non-equipment movements such as Jumping Jack, Mountain Climber, Jumping Squat, Jumping Lunge. The trick here is to do the moves at maximum speed for a certain amount of time.

For example, you are swimming and want to convert this activity to HIIT cardio. You should get your heart rate up by swimming at your maximum speed for about 60 seconds, then allow the heart rate to recover for 20-30 seconds and the body to replenish energy for the next acceleration. This works with the same logic in all other activities. It is very important that you adjust the times according to yourself, because every beginner may not be able to recover by resting for 20-30 seconds after a very high heart rate of 60 seconds, so do not push yourself too much and increase your resting time if necessary. Remember, the basic logic of HIIT cardio is to keep the heart rate high for a certain period of time. As long as you follow this rule, there is no harm in resting, but you can make the training more efficient by reducing the rest time over time.

How many minutes should a HIIT cardio workout be?

Another outstanding feature of HIIT training is its duration. This type of cardio may take a shorter time than others or weight training. In general, the maximum time is determined as 25-30 minutes. Since it is a very tiring type of training, your body will not be able to go beyond 30 minutes at first, but HIIT cardio is not a cardio that is known for its long duration. If you are struggling, you can get results even with 10 minutes of cardio, but we recommend that you do a minimum of 15 minutes and do not exceed 30 minutes.

But is HIIT cardio done every day?

Although HIIT is a type of training that doesn’t require much rest like cardio and weight training, if you’re just starting out, your leg muscles or the muscles you use the most may be overworked and tired. If you feel pain the day after the training, we recommend you to rest, but it is okay to do it every day, except for this situation, but if you do not want to lose your muscles and do not want to gain a lean but oily appearance, which we call “Skinny Fat”, we recommend you to support the program with weight training. HIIT can support cardio muscle building, but remember that weight training is still the number one muscle building training model today.

Advantages of HIIT cardio:

• Time saving due to short duration
• More calorie expenditure in a short time
• Post-workout fat burning
• Increased metabolic rate
• Can be done without equipment

Disadvantages of HIIT cardio:

• Risk of injury
• Can be dangerous for beginners
• Loss of muscle

Advantages of HIIT cardio:

You can save time because it takes a short time:

Today It is getting harder and harder to manage time efficiently. When we say work or school, it can be difficult to allocate time for ourselves. HIIT cardio takes very little of your time, as it takes a maximum of 25-30 minutes. By spending only 30 minutes a day, you can both save time and burn fat successfully.

HIIT cardio burns more calories in a short time:

According to studies, HIIT cardio provides 25% – 30% more fat burning compared to other forms of exercise. Since it takes 25-30 minutes maximum, more fat is burned in a short time. On the other hand, while you need to work harder in other types of exercise to reach the same calorie value; HIIT cardio creates high calorie expenditure in a much shorter time.

Fat burning can continue after training:

With the effect of high-intensity training called Afterburn, the body continues to spend more calories with the increase in oxygen demand and metabolism after training. is doing. This takes between 15 minutes and 48 hours. In other words, even after your HIIT cardio training, the body continues to burn calories from where you are sitting.

Metabolism rate increases considerably:

According to studies, HIIT training can increase the stimulation of growth hormone up to 450% after training. This also affects the metabolic rate and speeds up the metabolism. A faster metabolism also helps a lot in fat burning.

HIIT can also be done without cardio equipment:

Exercising without equipment is a great convenience. The most important feature of HIIT cardio is that it can be done even during just one running activity. Even pretending to jump rope where you are can turn into a type of HIIT cardio, which eliminates the need for equipment.

Disadvantages of HIIT cardio:

You can get injured while doing HIIT cardio:

Since HIIT cardio requires fast movements due to its nature, the risk of injury can be fast if not warmed up. By doing a little warm-up before the movements, you can make your body adapt to the movements and prevent injury. Especially beginners should be careful about the risk of injury.

HIIT cardio can be dangerous for beginners:

HIIT cardio if you’re not fit and you get tired very quickly from high-intensity activities and this puts you at risk of fainting. It may be the wrong training choice for you. Due to high heart rate and hunger, your energy may suddenly run out and you may faint, so it is necessary to adjust the times very well. If necessary, keep the rest period the same as your working time, but do not stop listening to your body. If you think you will get sick during the training, stop the training immediately. Consult your doctor if you have past bad experiences or a heart condition.

You may lose muscle while doing HIIT cardio:

Yes, unfortunately you can lose muscle when you overdo HIIT cardio. If you lose muscle instead of burning fat, you can still lose weight, but your oily appearance will continue. In addition to HIIT cardio, it will be very beneficial to include weight training in your weekly programs. Thus, you can prevent muscle loss.

Some apps where you can do HIIT training:

• Seven – 7 Minute Workout
• Tabata Timer: Interval Timer
• Nike Training Club: Fitness Plan
• Keelo – Strength HIIT Workouts
• HIIT | Down Dog

Seven – 7 Minute Workout

The application developed by Perigee AB is very popular. You can organize your weekly training programs and add more than 200 movements with the free application that has a 4.5 out of 5 rating from 91,966 reviews on the Google Play Store. You can put these movements in the order you want and when the day comes, you can start doing them actively through the application. You can also join the community or win prizes.

Tabata Timer: Interval Timer

Eugene Sharafan for Android; Developed by Oleksandr Serhiienko for iOS, the application helps you plan your HIIT program in great detail. Through this application, you can arrange all the details, such as when to rest and when to exercise, their duration and how many sets you have left in total, through the program. You can also add descriptions or photos to gestures.

Nike Training Club: Sports Plan

The application developed by Nike Inc. is one of the most ambitious programs in its category. Thanks to the application, you can get many exercise suggestions from HIIT workouts to weight training, learn more than 185 free moves and watch guide videos prepared by professional fitness coaches. The application, which offers separate recommendations and programs for the beginner level, separately for thinning, and separately for building muscle, can make your work much easier.

Keelo – Strength HIIT Workouts

Developed by Throwdown Labs Inc, Keelo can determine how well your body is working by analyzing your programs thanks to its algorithm. If you allow data transfer with Google Fit, you can transfer your burned calories and training time to the application. HD videos help you do the moves and show you how to do the move. The app can work with most heart rate Bluetooth devices. In addition, it is possible to use the application directly without registration.

HIIT | Down Dog

The application developed by Yoga Buddhi allows you to create the HIIT program you want with mixed movements, adjust its duration, equipment to be used and movement levels. Apart from this, its prominent feature is that you can choose the type of music to be played during the movement and motivate you. In addition, it is possible to set a coach voice to instruct you in your training. Your data can be automatically synchronized between your devices.

We have come to the end of our article about HIIT cardio. Do you guys add HIIT cardio to your sports programs or will you add it after this article? Are there any other topics you are wondering about? Do not forget to share your valuable opinions with us.