Save time in half! Is "High-Intensity Interval Training" a powerful fat-burning effect? Experts remind "two types of people" not to try lightly
Is “high-intensity interval training” more effective at reducing fat if you don’t have enough exercise time?
Regular exercise is vital to maintaining health, but modern people live busy lives and have a serious lack of exercise time. The exercise pattern of “3 times a week, 30 minutes each time” is out of reach for many people, and they turn to “high-level exercise” “Intensity Interval Training” (HIIT) exercise method. High-intensity interval training does not refer to specific training movements, but a method of “short-term intense exercise” with intermittent short rests. Each exercise time ranges from about 45 seconds to a few minutes, which greatly shortens the exercise time.
In many small studies, it is believed that high-intensity interval training can bring about more prominent “maximized exercise effects” than moderate-intensity exercise. A 2012 study of 46 obese men found that those who performed high-intensity interval training experienced a significant reduction in abdominal fat after a 12-week controlled trial. Another study pointed out that high-intensity interval training or other exercises can burn more calories in a short period of time than other exercises of the same duration.
In addition, HIIT is also believed to improve body metabolism and help regulate blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. A 2015 study pointed out that 10 weeks of high-intensity interval training brought the same cardiovascular benefits to the body as moderate-intensity exercise, but consumed more than 50% less exercise time. Even for people whose weight is within a healthy range, high-intensity interval exercise and sprint exercise can have the benefit of increasing maximum cardiorespiratory endurance.
Is high-intensity training one size fits all? Older people and cardiovascular disease should be careful
I-Min Lee, a professor at Harvard Medical School, pointed out that some small, short-term studies have shown that high-intensity interval training can achieve equal or even greater improvements in blood pressure and blood sugar, but the exercise patterns and intensity used in these studies They are all different, and the age and health status of the subjects are also different. Therefore, it is still unclear whether high-intensity interval exercise is suitable for all groups.
Professor I-Min Lee believes that the benefit of high-intensity interval training is to shorten the time required for exercise, but if you are an elderly group or have cardiovascular disease, you must consult a professional doctor before taking this kind of training. There are also more and more cardiovascular rehabilitation treatments that will help patients perform tailor-made high-intensity interval training, coupled with physiological monitoring, to avoid symptoms such as acute chest pain during exercise.
How to do high-intensity interval training? The most important thing is that the exercise effect can be “sustained”
In a five-year study in Norway, healthy adults aged 70-77 were divided into two exercise modes. One group exercised at moderate intensity for 50 minutes, with moderate intensity reaching 70% of the maximum heart rate. A simple estimate of maximum heart rate is “200-age”, multiplied by 60% or 70%.
Another group of subjects who took HIIT exercise performed a five-stage exercise model.
10 minutes of brisk walking or jogging at 60% of maximum heart rate to warm up;
4 minutes of high-intensity exercise at 85-95% of maximum heart rate;
3 minutes of low-intensity jogging or brisk walking at 60% of maximum heart rate;
Repeat Phase 2 and Phase 3 for a total of 4 sets of training;
Rest for 5 minutes.
The research team claimed that only 3 people suffered accidental sports injuries during the 5-year follow-up period. The number of deaths in the high-intensity interval training group was slightly less than that in the control group, but there was no significant difference in the overall mortality rate. This study has many limitations. For example, the participants themselves have exercise habits, and the mortality rate is about half that of the same age group. In the high-intensity interval training group, only about 50% actually perform high-intensity training regularly. Whether exercise intensity brings corresponding benefits requires further research in different age groups.
Overall, exercise is still of irreplaceable importance in maintaining health and improving physical condition. Even slight or small amounts of exercise are more beneficial than no exercise at all. Professor I-Min Lee believes that if the body has sufficient load intensity after evaluation by a doctor, you can moderately add high-intensity interval exercise to your daily routine, combined with aerobic exercise such as jogging, cycling, and swimming. The most important thing is to find an exercise pattern that you like and can sustain, which is the healthiest way to exercise.
Source:
High-intensity exercise and your heart
High Intensity Interval Training for Maximizing Health Outcomes
