May 27, 2013

Should You Do HIIT More Than 3 Times Per Week?

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By Russ Hollywood


While many exercise lovers adopt HIIT into their workout plans, very few take the time to prepare for their sessions accordingly. There are a couple of risks involved in using this popular technique.

Whether it's using creatine supplements without researching, or trying weights without learning the correct technique, the gym can be a dangerous place if you don't learn the ropes.

Before you try something as intense as interval training it would make sense to look at the things which other people get wrong and ensure you learn from their mistakes. []

While it's primarily seen as an excellent way to lose weight, high intensity interval training can also become a negative influence on your training if you fail to use it correctly. The two main areas we will be looking at here are as follows:

1) How many sessions per week are needed for maximum fat loss results?

2) How can you avoid unnecessary injuries?

One of the biggest myths of the gym is that more training means better results. This myth was born in the early 1980's with the rise of the aerobics home workout phenomenon. People would perform long, drawn out cardio workouts every single day. If you adopt this approach here, however, you will damage your own results.

With the interval method, the results do not happen when you are in the gym working out. They occur after you have left. Your body will continue to burn off calories, more specifically body fat, at almost 27% higher than the usual rate and this period lasts a mighty 14 hours. Some call it the afterburn effect, but to fitness professionals this is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. If you go back to the gym before you have allowed time for this vital recovery period you hinder your own results, so keep your hit sessions at a maximum of three per week.

Injuries are also quite common with interval training. This is down to the explosive nature of the exercises being performed and it usually comes down to participants neglecting their warm up period. Under no circumstances should you try to perform this type of physical activity if you are not sufficiently warmed up.

To truly get the most out of the hiit method you must be prepared to look at the potential risks and not be blinded by the fat loss benefits. If you neglect your warm-up it's much the same as taking a whey protein or creatine product without taking the time to learn how to get the most from them. Simply put, you'd be asking for trouble.




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