High intensity interval training & fat loss

High Intensity Interval Training, also known as “HIIT”, has received a lot of attention in the strength and conditioning industry. And for good reason: It’s effective. But what exactly is HIIT? What are the effects of HIIT? And is HIIT for everyone? As your trainer, I will do my best to educate you on this trendy acronym.

HIIT is exactly what it sounds like: intervals of short but very intense bursts of activity followed by intervals of rest (or “recovery”). The most commonly studied protocol involves the usage of a cycle ergometer. Unfortunately not a lot of research has been done on the usage of other forms of exercise such as running, rowing, or skipping (1).

The Wingate test is the most popular of all the protocols. It involves a 30 second full out sprint against a hard resistance followed by 4 minutes of recovery, usually repeated 3 to 4 times. I have performed this protocol for various lab assignments throughout my schooling, and let me tell you it is anything but easy! This is by far one of the hardest tests out there because it involves extreme self discipline to push for those 30 seconds. By the last 5 seconds your legs feel like jello, and it’s not uncommon to feel nauseated. A gentler protocol involves 4 to 6 second sprints followed by 12 seconds of rest repeated for 60 rounds total. Alternatively, for the novice, perhaps a slightly easier option would be a 2 minute sprint (obviously not at the same resistance as the Wingate) followed by a 3 minute recovery for a period of 20 minutes (1).

There are numerous physiological effects, but I will focus specifically on how HIIT aids with fat loss. There is a significant catecholamine response to HIIT. What does that mean? That means that there is an increase in epinephrine and norepinephrine. In other words, your adrenaline gets going. This is important because epinephrine in particular has been shown to release fat from subcutaneous tissue for lypolysis (1). (That’s the scientific way of saying that HIIT burns fat!) A decrease in post-exercise appetite has also been observed which could be another reason for the increase in fat loss with this type of training (1).

A study by Trapp et al. compared the effects of HIIT (using the Wingate protocol) to steady state aerobic training and to a control group among healthy but inactive nonsmoking women aged 18 to 30 years all with healthy BMI levels (2008). The study found that the woman in the HIIT group lost more weight overall, specifically due to a greater loss in fat mass (2)! If that’s not good enough news then keep on reading: Where was the greatest fat loss? In the abdomen and in the legs! We all know that you can’t spot reduce fat, but this article seems to be proving otherwise.

As I have already mentioned, HIIT is not for those faint of heart. It is an extremely demanding form of exercise both physically and mentally, and is not recommended for those who are brand new to fitness. Be smart when you train. Just because everyone is talking about the latest trend does not mean it’s appropriate for you yet. Here are a few of my personal tips for anyone looking to start their fat loss journey.

Kat’s HIIT Tips:

• If you are brand new, it is imperative that you build your aerobic capacity before delving into HIIT. Build the habit of exercising first, build your tolerance, then slowly start incorporating HIIT into your workout schedule. Stay focused and positive. You will eventually be able to work up to the Wingate!

• HIIT is like cayenne pepper. You can sprinkle it in throughout your workout to add some intensity, but if you do too much, everything else will suffer. I suggest that you start with only one session per week, and eventually work up to 3 non-consecutive sessions per week MAX. Remember, this form of training is extremely taxing, and your body needs rest in order to recover.

• Periodize your training schedule. Incorporate HIIT into your program for no more than 12 weeks at a time. Studies have shown that anything more than this and you stop reaping the benefits of it (1)! Once your 12 weeks of HIIT are up, let your body recover from it before starting it up again. I recommend incorporating HIIT into your summer plan!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me: trainwithkat@gmail.com. 

(1) Stephen H. Boutcher, “High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss,” Journal of Obesity, vol. 2011, Article ID 868305, 10 pages, 2011. doi:10.1155/2011/868305

(2) Trapp, E.G., Chisholm, D.J., Freund, J.J., & Boutcher, S.H. (2008) The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on fat loss and fasting insulin levels of young women. International Journal of Obesity, 32(4), 684-691. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803781

Training Thursday: Planks, planks, planks

This week's Training Thursday is basic but it'll have wincing Holy Mother of Mercy probably after the first set. The workout consists of 3 variations of planks, each performed for 30 seconds. Beginners may shorten this time, and may take rests between each plank. More advanced trainees will perform all of the planks in succession and rest at the end of each set.

Planks explained...

Table top plank: Get onto all fours. Make sure your hands are directly under your shoulders, and your knees are directly under your hips. Curl your toes underneath, slightly tuck your tailbone under and lift your knees only about an inch off the ground. Imagine that you are pushing the ground away from you and keep your spine in a neutral position. Keep your gaze down at the ground to avoid hyper-extending your neck. Hold here.

High plank: From the table top plank, walk your feet back and extend your legs. Keep the torso exactly as you were in the table top plank, and hold here.

Low plank: Carefully walk your hands down towards the ground so you are resting on your forearms. Legs are still extended long, tailbone is still slightly tucked under, and once again you are pushing the ground away from you to engage all of the core muscles. Hold here.

Do you remember that hot lava game from when you were a kid? Imagine you are playing it again and do NOT let your knees come in contact with the ground until you have completed your final plank in the series. Rest for 30-60 seconds between sets.

To make this even more challenging, reverse the order with every set. Aim for 3-4 sets total.

Happy sweating :)

Training Thursday: Tabata

Today's work is very simple. And quick! This bad boy takes only 4 mins, so I do not want to hear ANY excuses that you don't have time to do this.

The name of the game is Tabata training. It is a short and grueling form of interval training in which one alternates between 20 seconds of high intensity exercises with 10 seconds of rest for a total of 8 rounds.

“Originally I thought this type of training was just for speed skaters or other highly motivated athletes because it is very painful and tiring,” says Izumi Tabata, [the training coach who originally spent the time analyzing this protocol] now a professor and researcher at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University. “However, I found that there were groups of people interested in building muscle and therefore doing short high-intensity exercises that trained their muscle, but not those exercises that improved their aerobic training. When this regimen came along, they began to realize they could train both at the same time.”

(source: https://www.acefitness.org/prosourcearticle/3497/is-tabata-all-it-s-cracked-up-to-be)

For this week's Training Thursday you can choose to do just one round of Tabata, or all 4 to get a killer total body workout in just 16 minutes!

            Tabata set 1: Jump squats

            Tabata set 2: Push ups 

            Tabata set 3: Mountain climbers

            Tabata set 4: Burpees

Happy sweating :)