Boost Your Metabolism By Adding HIIT

Many people go through the motions of going to the gym, lifting weights, doing some cardio, and then going home. But did they ever stop to think about their level of intensity? Are they pushing themselves to the max or just trying to get through their workout.  You best believe that those who stay lean burn fat more often than others are not doing the bare minimum. Trust me. If you want to get right and increase your metabolism in the same process, then you must add HIIT into your workout regimen.

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Have you ever looked at athletes such as sprinters and wondered "Why are they so Jacked?" The main reason is sprinter have some of the highest daily caloric intakes out there and incredibly fats metabolisms to match.

Nowadays, many people seem to forget when they start their “Get fit” journeys is the need to tweak your metabolism. There are many ways to slightly boost your metabolism but one way that should never be overlooked is HIIT.

HIIT, otherwise known as High Intensity Interval Training, is one of the world’s most effective metabolic boosters. So listen up!

What is HIIT and why you want to do it

High intensity interval training is a form of exercise that involves short “bursts” of physical exertion followed by brief recovery times. 

What that means is, you are not fucking around. You’re putting in the work and not allowing long rest times in between sets gawking at hot ass Becky over on the squat rack.

When performing HIIT workouts, your body is burning as much glucose as possible at a fast rate, forcing your body to react. First using carbohydrates, such as glucose, in the blood stream as a source of immediate fuel for energy. When those streams of energy are burned up, the body will use oxygen and fat to help the body recover energy levels. 

If you consistently push the body, it will react in a manner that will only benefit you as it tries to recover and replenish itself.

Additionally, you will burn more calories in half the time it takes doing HIIT then that of working out at a slow to moderate pace.

There are studies that show that you can burn as many as 200 calories in just two and a half minutes of hardcore sprints. All else left equal, if you were to sprint for even just 15 minutes with short rest times, you would burn 1200 calories!

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Without trying to sound like a dick, If you’re trying to lose weight don’t waste your time going on long runs or walks, unless you are passionate for those activities or have physical constraints. In fact studies have shown that doing too much cardio long jogs can actually cause your body to store fat. 

Whoa, Hold Up.. There's A Such Thing As "Too Much" Cardio?

If you are specifically looking to lose weight and positively get your body’s metabolism kicking, then you MUST...I repeat… MUST add HIIT exercise into your routine.

EPOC

EPOC stands for Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Effect. EPOC is the phenomenon of an increased rate of oxygen that your body uses following strenuous activity. What that means is that after working out, the body will keep burning calories even after you have finished working out. But with HIIT, that rate is higher rate than that of steady or slow state intensity.

Essentially meaning, you will continue to burn more calories after you are done with HIIT then that of slow to moderate paced workouts.

I will repeat it, after working out or exerting your body it will continue to burn calories until you cool down. 

Your body will use more oxygen after strenuous workouts in order to make up for the oxygen deficit that occurred during your HIIT workout. A higher amount of oxygen is needed to restore hormone levels and refuel your glucose levels which is needed to repair muscle damage.

After intense working out, the body breaks down fats stored in the body into free fatty acids that get released into the blood stream. The Free fatty acid become oxidized and turned into glucose (fuel) for the body. To learn more about this process, Checkout the article on lypolysis below.

How To Activate The Fat Burning Process Lipolysis; On A Molecular Level

And lastly we cannot forget that we live in a society where time is the most valuable asset, doing HIIT also saves you time spent in the gym. Because let be honest, no one wants to be in the gym too long.

How to do HIIT

Now that I have talked your ear off, let’s talk about how you can incorporated HIIT into your workouts.

It’s easier than you think and can be used with cardiovascular and strength training routines. Simply put, perform an exercise in short burst with greater than 85% of your effort. You rests should be short. Somewhere in the 20 - 45 second range. Depending on what you are doing. Below are some exercises.

Forms of HIIT

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There are many forms of exercise that use HIIT. A few that you can add into your repertoire tonight when you’re at the gym:

Sprints – 45 Sec sprints, with 30 second rests

Burpees – 45 sec burpees, with 45 sec rests

Wall throws – 1 minute throws with 30 -1 minute rests

Battle ropes – 1 minute ropes, 20 second rests

Plyometrics –  30 to 60 second rest in between sets

Tabata – 20 secs sets, followed by 20 secs rests. Can also be down 30 and 30.

Circuit Training – 45 to 1 minute rests in between exercises

Essentially think of it as 1:1 ratio. If you go hard for 45 seconds, the rest 45 seconds before the next set, etc.

The Wrap Up

I lie to you not, HIIT has been a staple and paramount function of my weekly workouts. I have seen great results within myself and my clients. Staying lean, athletic, boosting the hell out of your metabolism, and staying regular are just a few benefits of HIIT.

I suggest that all give it a try!

However, HIIT may not be for everyone especially those with low blood sugar diseases and those with bad joints. If you have some of the issues mentioned above, HIIT should be added into your workout regimen at least once per week to prevent injury or death. For all others, at least 2- 3 times per week.

Finally, I challenge you all today to give HIIT a chance for 3 months then come back and comment your results. I know that you will see a difference and your metabolism will be on another level. Trust! God Bless and Happy Lifting.

-Kingsley 
#TheFittestBlogger 

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