If you’re looking for a new training regimen, or just looking for new challenges, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) might be for you. It’s an interval-style workout that features fast, intense bursts, followed by short recovery periods. Give it your all for short bursts, take a quick break, and then repeat the cycle. Don’t be fooled by the short nature of the intervals, if you get it right these short gusts will leave you sucking wind. This technical training that has garnered a lot of attention in recent years, and for good reason. Here are three great benefits of HIIT workouts.

More efficient

First of all, high intensity interval training is much more efficient than a typical exercise routine. This is especially true for people who have limited time to exercise. 20-30 minutes is enough time for a HIIT workout. Even if you don’t spend as much time in the gym, the intense bursts will make up for it compared to steady-state training like a long run.

Better cardiovascular fitness

Going through high intensity interval training works wonders for your metabolism because your body burns calories during training and for hours afterward. This leads to more fat loss if you are trying to lose weight or are simply toning down. Plus, high-intensity interval training is great for your cardiovascular health, as you’re cycling between your maximum heart rate and then back to a normal heart rate. Over time, your cardiovascular system will become much more efficient at lowering your heart rate immediately after a heavy blast. You will begin to notice that you are in better shape to handle HIIT workouts, and your cardio will be in better shape as well. This leads to improving your endurance as an athlete. If you are training for a marathon, combining HIIT workouts with your regular training will help you build your endurance faster.

Grow with you

This is often overlooked, but high intensity interval training grows with you. Most other training regimens stabilize the participant once they have reached a certain level. This is seen by people who train the same way over and over again – their bodies have adapted to that level of training and it’s not challenging enough for them to see big improvements. This is not the case with HIIT, as it grows with you. You’re ready for intense bursts. 100%. Supreme effort. As your athletic and endurance abilities increase, what was once 100% for you may now be only 70%. As it improves, so does its peak. This means that you will go through stages and get in better shape quickly, and improve faster, compared to standard workouts.

HIIT offers many advantages compared to normal training regimens. They are very time efficient, greatly improving your cardiovascular health, and allowing you to reach new levels of fitness due to their inherent nature of growing with you. Now that you know a little more about the benefits of high intensity interval training, it’s time to get out there and start blowing up!