HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is one of the most researched training methods for fat burning and weight loss. High-intensity interval training not only helps your body burn more energy during exercise, but also triggers the EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) effect, which means your body continues to burn calories even when you are resting.
Compared to traditional cardio (like jogging at a moderate pace for 30–60 minutes), HIIT often produces faster results in a shorter amount of time. A HIIT session only takes 15–30 minutes but can burn the same amount of calories, or even more, than long-term cardio.
What are the benefits of HIIT for weight loss?
Including 4 outstanding benefits as follows:
1. Effective fat burning
Many studies have shown that HIIT has the ability to reduce 28-30% of total body fat, an impressive number compared to traditional cardio methods. The reason is that HIIT causes the heart rate to increase in a short period of time, forcing the body to mobilize more stored energy, especially from excess fat. This helps you not only lose weight faster but also tone your body.
2. Save time
A HIIT session usually lasts only 15-30 minutes but brings the same effect, even higher than continuous cardio for 45-60 minutes. This is a great advantage for people with limited time but still want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For example, a busy person only needs to spend 20 minutes a day on HIIT and can still see clear results after a few weeks.
3. Improve cardiovascular and muscle health
Unlike light cardio that only focuses on the cardiovascular system, HIIT also combines many types of movements that affect the muscles, such as squats, burpees, planks or sprints. This not only improves cardiovascular endurance, but also helps increase lean muscle mass, thereby promoting metabolism, causing the body to continue burning energy even when resting.
4. Post-exercise burn effect
One of the reasons why many people choose HIIT is EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) – the effect of burning calories after exercise. After you finish your workout, your body still needs a lot of energy to recover, regulate your heart rate and regenerate muscles. Thanks to that, you continue to burn calories for many hours, even the next day, even when you are sitting at work or resting.
Who should avoid HIIT?
Despite its many benefits, HIIT is not always suitable for everyone. This is a very high-intensity training method, requiring flexibility and the ability to withstand great pressure from the cardiovascular, muscular and respiratory systems. For those who are new to training, jumping into HIIT right away can cause exhaustion, dizziness or injury because the body has not had time to adapt. Similarly, people who are overweight also need to be careful, because jumping, sprinting or high-speed squatting can put a lot of pressure on the knee joints, spine and cardiovascular system.
In particular, those with underlying medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or bone and joint problems need to consult a doctor before choosing HIIT. In this case, starting with light, moderate cardio such as brisk walking, slow cycling or swimming will be safer. When the body gets used to it, you can gradually increase the intensity, moving on to short and moderate HIIT sessions.
In addition, HIIT is not a “magic wand” that helps you lose weight automatically. To achieve clear results, you need to combine it with a scientific diet, balanced nutrition and controlled calorie intake. If you only practice HIIT but still eat uncontrolled, your body will find it difficult to create the necessary calorie deficit, causing the weight loss process to slow down or be almost ineffective.
Thus, HIIT is a powerful training method, helping to burn fat quickly and lose weight effectively in a short time. However, it is important to choose the right form of exercise for your physical condition and combine it with a healthy diet. When you know how to apply it correctly, HIIT will become a powerful assistant on the journey to regain weight and sustainable health.
