Is HIIT training effective?

What is the deal with HIIT training? Is it as good for you as we might think? Is HIIT training effective?

 I’ll go into all this in this article and hopefully I can make sense of some questions you might have. 

There is a higher risk of injury with HIIT training than with something slower and most times lower impact. The reason why is 

• It often involves impact to high impact elements 
• It often uses squat lunges and pushups in various forms. At a high pace with little focus on form, there is a high chance of overuse injuries and niggles to develope.
• It increases the stress levels in the body temporarily. So if you are aiming to do HIIT on a regular basis and already have high levels of stress then this won’t help. 
• Your body might not be conditioned for the intensity associated with HIIT workouts. This leads to overuse injuries and nigges

There is a study made by Rutgers Universite that shows how there is a higher risk of injury with HIIT training. Especial in the knees and shoulder.

When is HIIT training beneficial?

• Yes if you are short of time and want a harder training session, then it will do the job.
• It can increase your power, strength and overall fitness level.
• It gives you a adrenaline kick.

What counts as an effective workout?

No, it’s not more effective than any other form of physical activity. You can argue about what makes a workout effective. I only promote sustainable ways to health and fitness and I know that people tend not to be able to stay consistent with HIIT. Consistency is key and if we cant be consistent with HIIT, then it’s not more effective than anything else. HIIT has been promoted to be a fast way to burn calories and get lean. Being healthy is so much more than that.

HIIT is not bad though, It can be a fun element to add to an exercise/movement regime as long as you are aware of the pros and cons. And that you know that being able to do a HIIT workout and burn fast calories is not the IDEAL of health.