Should I ditch the HIIT? Hmm... It sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of that kettlebell class. HIIT exercise – high-intensity interval training for the blissfully uninitiated – is undoubtedly hard work.
That’s why some people like it.
It’s an efficient way to exercise, with lots of benefits for health and performance.
There’s good evidence, for example, for its role in building endurance, losing fat, increasing muscle power and improving health markers like blood pressure and glucose control.
That’s not to say it’s for everyone.
People with certain health conditions, including some lung problems, are generally advised to sit HIIT out. There’s also some evidence that you can overdo it.
In one Swedish study, researchers found that when people do more than 150 minutes of HIIT per week, their athletic gains plateau and oxidative stress in their cells builds up.
That tends to happen after every HIIT workout, but only for a short-term period. So long as you’re not overtraining, you should get a longer-term antioxidant boost, where the biological effects of stress in the body are reduced.
Most recommendations say that up to 90 minutes of HIIT per week is perfectly healthy.
Still not buying it? Fair enough. The most effective exercise tends to be the kind you want to keep going with long-term.
If you prefer a gentle jog to a sprint, know that there’s a healthy body of evidence to show that it too improves heart health, cardiovascular fitness and many other aspects of health.
One study in Copenhagen even found that slow runners have a lower risk of mortality than strenuous runners.
Another benefit of so-called ‘steady-state’ exercise is that you can hold a conversation while you do it, which encourages some people to get out running with friends, for example.
You can’t say that for HIIT. When your heart rate is 150bpm or more, there’s not much chance of chit-chat.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Bruce Morris, via email) 'Should I ditch the HIIT?'
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