
Neither walking nor gym: the ideal exercise for adults that improves agility and endurance
HIIT can be adjusted in intens-ity and duration, an efficient alternative for healthy aging.
Incorporating HIIT ( High Intensity Interval Training ) as part of your daily workout is not only possible, but, when well supervised, can become an ally of autonomy and quality of life .
This high-intensity interval training has been shown to improve variables such as:
the resistance
the force
and the metabolism of fats in short periods of time , in addition to contributing to the prevention of chronic conditions.
Far from being an activity exclusively for young people, HIIT can be adjusted in intensity and duration , offering an efficient and evidence-based alternative for aging better.
Why HIIT is key to fitness
“It is an anaerobic exercise whose impact is so intense that it cannot be sustained for very long ,” explains Virginia Zehnder, a trainer specializing in HIIT.
And he assures that it is an absolutely effective exercise: " Not only does it improve aspects related to health, but in a short time you obtain evident physical results."
Classes don't exceed 50 minutes, and it's best to do them two, three, or at most four times a week, according to Zehnder. The types of exercises vary: from stationary bikes to kettlebells and treadmills, among other equipment. "The key is variety and rest periods between exercises," he says. However, he advises that beginners should start slowly and begin with shorter workouts, gradually increasing the duration as their bodies adapt to the effort.
A typical HIIT exercise that the trainer illustrates could be: doing sprints for 60 seconds with short intervals of 15 seconds to rest or recover.
Benefits of HIIT
HIIT training puts a greater strain on physical endurance. Proof of this is a study published in the Journal of Physics that demonstrated improvements in an athlete's endurance, speed, agility, and power when performing HIIT. This is because high-intensity training leads to key physiological adaptations such as cardiovascular efficiency —and therefore, better oxygen consumption —and increased tolerance to lactic acid buildup —a substance produced by muscle tissue and red blood cells that transport oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body.
It is worth noting that the World Fitness Trends Survey has repeatedly named HIIT among the most popular workouts in the world.
“It’s fashionable because of its obvious results: it improves physical fitness, and at the same time it’s remarkable to see how the body acquires good muscle tone and loses fat,” Zehnder concludes.
Goal: fat burning
A study from Victoria University in Australia concludes that HIIT is more effective at increasing fat burning than aerobic exercise . Researchers evaluated a total of 511 people who participated in different control groups: supervised HIIT training, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and a group that did no exercise.
After 12 weeks of continuous HIIT, they discovered that the participants' bodies transformed into fat-burning "machines." The professionals emphasized that those who engaged in high-intensity interval training not only burned more fat during the training sessions, but also during other types of physical activity, such as brisk walking, swimming , and playing sports.
The research details that fat metabolism improved after just four weeks of HIIT and continued to improve over time. The professionals emphasized that without a commitment to daily HIIT training, the improvements in metabolic health would not be as noticeable.
Professor Zeljko Pedisic, who led the study, emphasized that for high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to be effective, the heart rate needs to be above 80% of a person's maximum capacity. He added that HIIT is ideal for those who want to target fat loss in specific areas of the body.
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