HIIT training has been around for quite a few years now and its big attraction seems to lie in the “get fit and lean in the least amount of time” theory. It involves short bursts of intense exercise, such as sprinting for 30-60 seconds repeated several times.
It’s a great fitness model with credible research to back it up, HIIT does indeed work! However, far too many people are jumping in with both feet without thinking about the consequences. There are many factors which should be taken into consideration before facing this challenge, including your current level of fitness. Allow me to take you through the good, the bad and the ugly of HIIT training.
I discovered HITT training many years ago after reading some very credible research on a 15 minute HIIT routine that (according to the research study) would burn more fat off your body than running on a treadmill for 2 hours. It involved flat out intensity on a bike, elliptical or on the spot for 30 seconds and resting for 90 seconds. It sounded too good to be true and I decided to put the theory to the test for myself.
Being a huge fan of the rebounder I decided to do my sprints on it. Besides the many health benefits the rebounder has to offer, including lymphatic drainage. I was able to reach my target heart rate with zero impact on my joints. Once warmed up, I modified my routine doing 30 second sprints with a 60 second recovery time in between and repeated this eight times. The results I’ve achieved have been nothing short of amazing and I went from being slim(ish) to very lean and toned, with a healthy glow and younger looking skin. It has been an integral part of my training which I still do at least twice a week.
One very good reason to do HIIT is to get lean and reverse ageing with this powerful hormone!
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) declines with age and by the time we hit 40 we have less than a third of the HGH production of our youth. And it seems only those with huge bank balances can afford to have injections of HGH and take expensive supplements. But if you really care about your health, holding onto your youth and blasting fat off your body, the good news is that you have access to this amazing hormone (for free) with HIIT. And get this … it will flood your body in abundance! You will produce a whopping 500 – 700% HGH above baseline during the workout and for two hours afterwards! Quite simply HGH is an amazing lean and youth hormone.
- This is what HGH does for you
- Fat loss and increased lean tissue.
- Increased cardiovascular exercise performance.
- Firms your skin and reduces wrinkles.
- Higher energy levels and sexual desire.
- Lowered blood pressure and greater heart output.
- Increases good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL).
- Stronger bones.
- Stronger organs with reported regrowth of heart, kidneys, liver, spleen and other organs that shrink with age.
- Reduces anxiety and depression.
It’s important to understand that your body does not produce HGH after long, slow exercise. Only short, quick-burst anaerobic type of exercise will accomplish this. You’re working the super fast twitch muscle fibres in your heart by working anaerobically, and this in turn releases HGH.
Okay now that you understand the enormous benefits of Human Growth Hormone in your body through my HIIT training programme, the last thing you want to do is to lose that HGH. And there is one sure way to do this. By consuming carbs, sugar or fruit after your HIIT training.
DO NOT CONSUME CARBS, SUGAR OR FRUIT FOR 2 HOURS AFTER HIIT TRAINING!
Are you ruining your gains and obliterating HGH by eating carbs after HIIT training? This has been a huge part of the success of my HIIT programme QuickTone8 because of the negative effect sugar has on growth hormone levels. It will quite literally blunt the effectiveness of youth and muscle gain. To maximize the HGH after HIIT training, exercisers are advised to eat protein and avoid carbs and sugar (including fruit) for 2 hours after training.
So far HIIT training ticks all the boxes, right? Wrong! HIIT is not for everyone and the exercise phenomena has gone over the top.
- HIIT is not something you can simply jump into. You’re going to have to be relatively fit so it’s advisable to start out slowly and build up your heart muscle.
- If you are new to HIIT training or unfit, start out with steady state cardio such as walking or jogging whilst working on your core, flexibility and mobility.
- According to research there is no need to perform HIIT more than 3x a week and more than this is not advisable. This overtraining can put huge strain on your body, joints, and central nervous system.
- HIIT training is not advisable if you’re stressed, not sleeping or suffering from anxiety. The knock on effect will cause a surge in cortisol levels and HIIT training will make this worse. Instead of burning fat, it’s more likely that you will put it on! So when you’re feeling whacked, opt for some gentle exercise instead to give you a boost of energy. HIIT training is wonderful, it works and it’s quick. However, you need to implement all the other aspects of your fitness routine to maximise your results. Please refer to my blog post on
my favourite routine QuickTone8.
