Burn Fat With HIIT

Cardio plays a big role in helping you achieve your fat burning goals; nevertheless is it the best exercise to burn fat? What if your results could be achieved at a faster rate dependent on the type of cardio you are performing?

If you find yourself in a calorie deficient diet and running long distances every week, you may be burning fat at a slow and steady rate (a bit like jogging), whilst at the same time you may be losing muscle mass at the same time. Jogging and other forms of low-intensity cardio are popular methods for weight loss, maintaining weight and keeping fit, however this does not make them the most effective methods, especially when it comes to fat loss. If your main objective is to burn fat, stay away from long steady state cardio.

Long steady state cardio can put a lot of stress on your body resulting in your stress hormone known as cortisol increasing. This stress hormone can encourage your body to store greater levels of abdominal fat, whilst at the same time decrease testosterone levels, vital for both fat burning and muscle building.

This does not mean you should ignore long-distance or steady state cardio altogether, be it cycling or jogging. The benefits of getting outdoors and breathing in the fresh air is something the majority of us enjoy as it has many other benefits such as improving overall mood and well-being. Nevertheless, if you are trying to burn fat or build lean muscle, keep sessions to a minimum.

So what type of training should you be doing? High intensity cardio mixed with weight training. Many people overlook the need to lift weights to burn fat, thinking that this method is only effective at building muscle. Any form of resistance training helps release growth hormones within your body, which in turn helps burn fat as well as build muscle. The more muscle we have, the more calories our body burns, even when at rest. Combine this with short, more intense cardio training, such as high intensity interval training (HIIT) and there will be no holding you back. HIIT has a similar effect on your body as weight training without the added stress of long steady state cardio.

HIIT can be any form of short, intense periods of cardio followed by short and slower periods. It can be swimming, running, cycling or circuit training. Think a minute of 100% maximum effort sprinting followed by a minute of walking or slow-paced jogging, then repeat for eight to ten times. Similar to resistance training, it generates a debt of oxygen within your body because your muscles are using oxygen at a much faster rate than you can take in. Once you have finished training, your body has to replenish this debt to enable it to return to a balanced condition. During this stage of metabolic increase, your body burns far more calories whilst at the same time releasing more growth hormone and less stress hormone. In other words, you are still burning fat long after you have finished training.

HIIT can be hard work; therefore it is not something you want to be doing everyday. It is also very effective, meaning it is not something you need to be doing everyday either. Aim for two or three sessions a week in between resistance training. To begin with, start with an adequate warm up, them try 30 seconds of maximum effort followed by 45 to 60 seconds of slower pace to recover. Repeat this for 8 to 12 cycles before finishing with a warm down. As you get fitter, increase the max effort times and decrease the recovery times and take your fat burning, fitness and lean muscle building results to a whole new level.