10 Best Benefits of HIIT Workouts In 2024

HIIT, or “high-intensity interval training”, is a type of cardiovascular workout. It is designed to spike the heart rate by eliciting short bursts of maximum power with relatively short recoveries. It has many benefits that apply to both physical and mental health.

Among other advantages, HIIT is one of the best cardio weight loss exercises you can perform. It efficiently raises the heart rate to increase calorie and fat-burning potential in a short amount of time. It also greatly improves cardiovascular health and endurance as it challenges the heart to perform at a heightened capacity.

HIIT workouts positively impact mental health and stress relief. They release endorphins for a natural mood enhancement and increase mental toughness for improved resilience. These benefits can be applied to many other aspects of daily life.

Furthermore, HIIT workouts improve performance in many functional, daily tasks requiring stability, core strength, and endurance. These include carrying your child, lifting heavy objects, or reaching from a high shelf.

These components all contribute to an improved overall quality of life. HIIT workouts are great for many individuals including endurance athletes, bodybuilders, and general fitness enthusiasts. No matter your goal, these workouts can produce great results for your fitness routine.

10 Benefits Of HIIT

Below are the main benefits you can achieve by doing HIIT workouts, regardless of your fitness level or goal. Keep them in mind for your next session.

Reduced Body Fat

HIIT workouts are effective at reducing body fat for several reasons. Their intense bursts of activity increase caloric burn. This can result in a caloric deficit which supports weight loss and fat loss goals. 

Additionally, they increase baseline metabolism resulting in more calories burned throughout the day even when resting. This is called “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” (EPOC) which lasts hours after the workout. 

As discussed earlier, they are effective at toning muscle and improving definition. They help build and preserve lean muscle mass to work towards an improved physique and overall body composition.

Utilize HIIT workouts with a healthy diet to support weight loss goals and reduce body fat. This will ensure you achieve the caloric deficit necessary to lose weight and body fat.  

Improved Cardiovascular Health

One of the most important benefits of regular exercise is improved cardiovascular health. This is due to the challenge placed on the heart to work harder and more effectively. When you perform regular cardio exercise, the heart becomes more efficient at operating with less effort. 

HIIT training is extremely effective at improving cardiovascular health as it improves blood vessel functioning resulting in reduced blood pressure. It can also help lower unhealthy LDL cholesterol, raise healthy HDL cholesterol, and increase insulin sensitivity. These factors all contribute to reduced risk of heart disease.

Studies have shown that incorporating just three HIIT sessions resulted in an approximate improvement of 14% in V02 max levels. This depicts the rate your body can consume oxygen when performing high-intensity exercise.

Furthermore, it aids in reducing unhealthy visceral body fat levels. This type of fat surrounds internal organs and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Incorporating HIIT workouts into your routine can lower visceral fat thus improving cardiovascular health.

Increased Stamina And Endurance

Cardiovascular endurance refers to the duration the heart and muscles can withstand a certain intensity while exercising. During exercise, the heart and body adapt to become stronger. HIIT workouts increase cardiovascular endurance by providing the necessary stimulus for adaptation to occur.

Many different types of HIIT workouts are beneficial for increasing endurance. One of the most effective is incorporating running interval workouts on a treadmill. The benefits of running on a treadmill are that you can adjust the speed and intensity as your workout progresses.

Improved Muscle Tone And Physique

A primary goal for many fitness enthusiasts is developing a more toned and sculpted physique to improve appearance. This comes as a result of reducing body fat, increasing lean body mass, and improving muscle tone.

HIIT workouts are effective at building and toning muscle as they often incorporate bodyweight or resistance training into the routine. This helps to improve overall muscle definition by encouraging muscle fiber breakdown and rebuild. These factors result in improved physique and overall body composition.

When using HIIT workouts to improve your physique, it is important to follow the correct technique for proper muscle activation. This involves concentrating on engaging the target muscles during the movements. Most HIIT workouts activate multiple muscle groups which helps achieve balanced muscle development leading to an improved physique.

Increased Muscle Strength

Muscle strength refers to the function of the muscles against resistance as a stimulus. When working against resistance for a certain duration or intensity, the body adapts to become stronger. 

To continue adapting and progressing when exercising, you must incorporate progressive overload, or continuously increase the intensity and/or duration. Due to the high intensity, HIIT increases muscular strength and endurance by providing the necessary stimulus for adaptation to occur. 

When performing HIIT workouts, remember to focus on squeezing the target muscles during each exercise. This ensures you are applying the necessary stimulus to adequately activate the muscles even when only using body weight. Aim to target many muscles to achieve balanced development and muscle symmetry for optimal results. 

Convenient And Accessible

HIIT workouts are convenient and accessible as many require no equipment and can be performed anywhere. They often incorporate movements such as jumping squats, lunges, and burpees which you can do without access to a gym. These movements are easily modifiable, making HIIT workouts a versatile option to be customized for any fitness level.

Furthermore, they are typically short, only lasting 15–30 minutes, making them a great option when you’re on a time crunch. You can use them as an effective workout in much less time than a standard gym routine. The compound approach of HIIT enables them to burn fat while building muscle so you accomplish multiple goals at once.

Improved Core Strength

During many aerobic exercises, your core muscles engage to maintain stability in the trunk and spine. To activate, inhale, and engage your core. Focus on continued engagement throughout the exercise to stabilize the spine and prevent lower back strains.

Proper core muscle function is also crucial in everyday tasks involving sitting, standing, and stabilizing your trunk. It contributes to maintaining proper posture by correcting muscle imbalances, which is important for improved health and quality of life.

Performing HIIT abs workouts that engage the core muscles are valuable for improving functional strength and posture. These muscles work together to stabilize the body and reduce lower back strains and injuries. Focus on the mind-muscle connection to engage the core throughout your HIIT workout to maximize this benefit.

Reduced Stress And Anxiety

Exercise has significant benefits to mental health including reducing anxiety and depression, increasing self-confidence, and improving cognitive functioning. 

HIIT workouts release endorphins which naturally enhance mood, helping to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that physical activity has significant positive impacts on reducing anxiety and improving quality of life. 

Additionally, exercise such as HIIT stimulates new brain cells and increases blood flow to the brain. This can improve memory and critical thinking skills which positively impact mental health and overall brain function.

Improved Mental Resilience

Cardiovascular exercises such as HIIT can help improve mental resilience by facilitating a training mindset. It exposes the body to physical stress that initially feels uncomfortable, but when performed consistently over time the body adapts. This can improve the ability to manage all stressors associated with daily life.

HIIT workouts also improve body composition which generates feelings of strength and control. These factors can lead to increased self-confidence and esteem which positively impact mental resilience. 

Exercise such as HIIT encourages goal-setting increasing feelings of accomplishment when setting and reaching those goals. This helps increase mental resilience by creating a desire and drive towards reaching goals for self-improvement.

Improved Joint Health And Flexibility

HIIT promotes increased flexibility by targeting multiple joints simultaneously. Most exercises typically use a full range of motion and encourage joint stabilization throughout the routines. This can increase joint health and flexibility when performed using the correct technique. 

Improving joint health greatly reduces the risk of developing joint injuries and strains. It benefits performance and stability when carrying out everyday tasks involving lifting, pulling, and jumping. This makes HIIT workouts beneficial for an overall enhanced quality of life.

Sample HIIT Workout

Below is an example of a HIIT workout that can be accomplished in 20–30 minutes:

Warmup: 4 minutes

• 1 minute of jumping jacks.
• 1 minute of leg swings.
• 1 minute of bodyweight lunges.
• 1 minute of jumping jacks.

Workout: 20 minutes

Perform each exercise for 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest. Repeat 4 times.

1. Burpees: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down and jump back into a plank. Do a push-up and then jump back up.
2. Mountain Climbers: Start in the plank position. Bring one knee up to your chest then switch legs like you are climbing up a mountain.
3. Plank to Pushup: Start in a plank position on your forearms. Press up to a push-up and then lower back to a plank.
4. Jump Squats: Perform a bodyweight squat and jump up explosively on your way back up.
5. Sprints: Sprint on a treadmill or outside as fast as you can while remaining in control. Pump your arms and engage your core and glutes.

Cooldown: 4 minutes

• 2 minutes of walking in place. 
• 1 minute of static stretching. 
• 1 minute of the child’s pose.

Conclusion

In addition to supporting fat loss and a sculpted and toned physique, HIIT workouts have multiple functional and health benefits. They significantly improve cardiovascular health, joint flexibility and mobility, core strength, and mental resilience. Furthermore, they are convenient, time-efficient, and versatile to be modified as needed to fit your needs.

There are different approaches you can take to HIIT workouts depending on your unique goals and fitness level. You can focus on improving endurance and stamina with sprints or follow a boot camp style with squats, pushups, and lunges. Regardless of your goal or fitness level, you will get an effective and intense workout to achieve multiple benefits.

This guide provides all the motivation you need to get on track with your HIIT exercise routine!

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