Website design By BotEap.comHigh-intensity interval training (HIIT) isn’t new, but seeing it promoted in a home exercise program is. Chalene Johnson, creator of TurboFire, said that one of the reasons she created the new home training program is because she wanted a fitness system that harnessed the benefits of high-intensity interval training. One such benefit is that, according to TurboFire promotional information, HIIT can deliver 9 times more fat-burning results than steady-state aerobic workouts. This is quite an affirmation; could it be true? To break it all down, we’ll look at high-intensity interval training and some of the many scientific studies that have been done to prove the effectiveness of this training system. Our goal is to determine if the seemingly sensational fat loss claims being made by TurboFire’s promoters could be true and if it really is much better than constant aerobic training.

Website design By BotEap.comWhat exactly is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?

Website design By BotEap.comHigh-intensity interval training, speed interval training, or just interval training has been around as a technique with a fancy name since the 1930s. Many credit German trainer Dr. Woldemar Gerschler for popularize the interval training method for Olympic runners. Some call him the “father” of interval training. As one might guess, Gerschler used intervals to improve athletes’ speed.

Website design By BotEap.comThe interval training method developed by Gerschler is different from the methods most commonly used today. Gerschler and cardiologist Dr. Herbert Reindel worked with thousands of runners to find the precise training system that would maximize the efficiency of the heart. The method they perfected was based on heart rate and not timed intervals. Gerschler would have his runners do sprints of 100 meters or more to achieve a heart rate of 180 beats per minute (bpm). The heart rate was then checked, and as soon as it dropped back to 120, the next sprint was run. If the heart rate remained elevated above 120 for more than 90 seconds, the sprint was reduced in intensity or duration. Athletes who trained with Gerschler using his interval training system had remarkable success. His runners set world records in 1939, 1952 and 1955.

Website design By BotEap.comHigh Intensity Interval Training Today

Website design By BotEap.comModern HIIT practitioners follow the principles Gerschler and Reindel developed, but have refined them to include some consistent aerobic exercise during the recovery period. This has been shown to increase the effectiveness of interval training. Also, most HIIT today is done by timing the intervals instead of measuring heart rate like Gerschler did.

Website design By BotEap.comWhat used to be called wind sprints is the simplest and oldest form of high intensity interval training. So if he played any kind of field sport when he was young, his coach probably had him do HIIT, even though they probably didn’t use that term or the cool acronym.

Website design By BotEap.comFor a long time, the ideal ratio between recovery and intense training was considered to be 2:1, that is, a short burst of exercise of one minute separated by a recovery period of two minutes. But many programs and coaches differ greatly from this formula. For example, one well-known study used a 1.25-to-1 ratio regimen and another had an 8-to-1 ratio. Although the ratio of recovery sessions to intense training varies widely, both studies that used these ratios measured positive results. of high-intensity interval training workouts. The common rule of thumb is that HIIT workouts should be 15-20 minutes long and should include warm-up and cool-down periods before and after intense sessions.

Website design By BotEap.comHigh Intensity Interval Training and Fat Loss

Website design By BotEap.comThe seemingly unbelievable claim that High Intensity Interval Training will result in “9 times” the fat burning that is so often cited comes from a 1994 study by Angelo Tremblay, Jean-Aime Simoneeu, and Claude Bouchard, which claims who measured a “nine-fold” increase in fat loss in the interval training (HIIT) group versus the steady-state training-only group. Although some have questioned the use of this number as “out of context”, other studies have drawn conclusions, which have also shown much greater efficiency with HIIT.

Website design By BotEap.comTo avoid the accusation of taking something out of context, here is the relevant quote from the Tremblay study in its entirety: “When correcting for the energy cost of training, the decrease in the sum of six subcutaneous adiposity induced by the HIIT program was nine times greater than by the ET program. Subcutaneous adiposity is the term the medical community and researchers use to describe what the rest of us call fat. “ET” in the study refers to “resistance training” or steady-state training.

Website design By BotEap.comIt is important to note that in this study the researchers corrected for energy costs; In other words, they compared the fat loss effectiveness of exercise and not the total amount of fat lost. The actual difference in fat loss was 3 times. Both groups of participants in this study saw a reduction in fat, but neither group lost much weight. Others have noted that in this particular study, the HIIT group had a higher body fat composition on average than the control group and have suggested that this contributed to the increased fat loss results in the interval training group high intensity

Website design By BotEap.comAs far as we could find out, there were no other studies that measured fat loss and high-intensity interval training, but there are plenty of other studies that measure the effectiveness of HIIT. A study published in March 2010 by scientists at Canada’s McMaster University showed that just 2.5 hours of high-intensity interval training or speed interval training spread over a week produced muscle biochemical changes similar to 10.5 hours of resistance training and similar benefits on endurance performance. . Therefore, according to this study, high-intensity interval training is more than 4 times more effective than steady-state training. This study did not measure fat loss, but the factors that determine “voluntary exercise performance” or what we laymen might call fitness.

Website design By BotEap.comAnother study conducted by Jeffery King for a thesis at East Tennessee State University found that HIIT increases resting metabolic rate for the next 24 hours. This has also been cited as a contributing factor to greater fat loss with high-intensity interval training.

Website design By BotEap.comThis is not a study, but the following quote from a New York Times article is a strong endorsement of high-intensity interval training: “Bursting intense exercise not only improves cardiovascular fitness but also the body’s ability to burn fat, even during low-intensity or low-intensity exercise. moderate-intensity workouts, according to a study published this month in the Journal of Applied Physiology. “Interval training also stimulates a switch in the mitochondria, where fuel is converted to energy, causing them to burn fat first.”

Website design By BotEap.comSo it seems the scientific and fitness communities agree: High-intensity interval training is an unusually effective way to burn fat and get fit in less time than doing a standard aerobic workout. A study has determined that HIIT is 9 times more effective at burning fat than a standard aerobic workout. And while some have questioned the methodology of this study, since the promoters of TurboFire are citing an academic study, they are on solid ground in stating that it burns more fat than steady-state aerobic workouts.

Website design By BotEap.comHowever, we must keep in mind that to do HIIT correctly requires that you be able to exercise at maximum effort repeatedly. This requires that you have been doing some exercise. Some guidelines suggest that you should be able to exercise at least 30 minutes at 70% of your estimated maximum heart rate without exhausting yourself to train safely with HIIT. Anyone below this fitness level would need to exercise regularly at a less intense level to get to this level and be able to use HIIT. And as always, consult your doctor before engaging in any strenuous physical activity if you have any concerns about whether you can handle high-intensity interval training.