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Article by Infofit

Improve Your Fitness Level With 1 HIIT Interval Session

Improve your fitness level nearly 300%.

Improve Your Fitness Level by Nearly 300% with HIIT

Getting in shape and fit can be done far faster than ever with new proven methods that includes a high intensity interval training or HIIT session. A study by the Journal of Science & Medicine learned that by including 1 intense fitness session combined with 4 relaxed sessions per week you will improve your fitness level nearly 300% more than by performing 5 relaxed fitness training sessions per week.

The researchers looked at 29 unfit men and women with the average age of 36 years. Divided in to 3 groups, the volunteers were asked to start a 12-week exercise program using a treadmills and indoor cycling defined as follows:

1) Low Intensity practicing 30 minutes of exercise at 45 to 60% oxygen consumption reserve done 5 days a week.

2) Low Intensity: done 4 days a week of the mentioned above program and in addition 1 HIIT or high intensity interval training session 60 second efforts done at 8 to 12 repeats at 100% of VO2max (their maximum oxygen capacity ) with a recovery of 2.5 minute between each interval session.

3) Perform no exercise at all.

In just twelve weeks, group 2 increased their VO2max fitness levels by more than 10% over group 3 and 3.9% more than group 1.

How can high intensity interval training make you fitter?

Muscle strengthening requires you train intensely enough to slightly damage the muscle. To improve endurance and speed, your ability to process oxygen must be increased. This is done best by including high intensity interval training. Whatever your fitness levels are, quick bouts of working out at your maximum output will do more to make you stronger and faster far quicker than any amount of casual exercise.

The Best Way to Introduce HIIT

The best way to introduce HIIT session or high intensity interval training into your fitness program is to start your warm up with your chosen cardio activity; cycling, walking or running,  at a slow pace for at least 10 minutes. Once warmed up, increase the pace for ten seconds and then slow down. Recovery time is irrelevant but lets say 1 minute until you start your next interval. Repeat these 10 second high intensity interval training and short 1 min. recovery sessions until your legs start to feel uncomfortable or hurt.

On the following day, you can go back to a regular training pace or if sore take the day off. The following day provided that your legs feel fresh and are not sore, you can try repeating the 10 second interval training session again. Try to continue this fitness program and try to increase the intensity of your intervals until you can sustain 30 seconds for each interval with any recovery time that feels comfortable to you. Consider a 30 second HIIT or high intensity interval training session followed by a 1-2 minute recovery between.

Without question, HIIT sessions or high intensity interval training session just once a week will get you fit and if you practice twice a week, consider it a healthy way to get lean. You can do HIIT sessions more frequently,  but do not plan to do interval training more than every other day or when your legs feel sore and heavy. Any intense workouts with sore muscles increases your chances of injury.

Start out easy on the first day

Take caution if you are out of shape, have not exercised for a long time or are starting a new fitness program or sport. Best to check with a doctor and consider doing what athletes call “Background before Peaking.” Start out easy on the first day; muscle soreness may not show up for several hours or even over night. Try to cycle, walk or jog at a very slow and moderate pace until your legs start to fatigue or hurt. Then stop, even if you did a little for a few minutes. Exercise daily until you can improve it to 30 minutes at a slow relaxed pace. Typically this will take 6 or more weeks of conditioning to be able to do 30 minutes consistently. Then you are ready to start your intervals.