What is HIIT? Brief bouts of high intensity exercise with intermittent recovery periods.
What is HIIT Good For? * Time Efficient * Large Motor Unit Recruitment * Near maximal cardiac output (myocardial adaptation) * Improved buffering and Anaerobic Threshold
Not great for: * Improving Economy * Fatigue management “When combined with other training may result in greater stress and risk of injury as a result of overtraining * Enjoyment
1. HIIT is not superior for body fat loss
Meta Analysis: 13 studies Keating SE, Johnson NA, Mielke GI, Coombes JS. A systematic review and meta-analysis of interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training on body adiposity. Obes Rev. 2017 Aug;18(8):943-964. doi: 10.1111/obr.12536. Epub 2017 May 17. PMID: 28513103.
2. Low-volume HIIT, therefore, appears to be a time-efficient treatment for increasing fitness, but not for the improvement of body composition.
Meta Analysis: 47 studies Sultana RN, Sabag A, Keating SE, Johnson NA. The Effect of Low-Volume High-Intensity Interval Training on Body Composition and Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2019 Nov;49(11):1687-1721. doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01167-w. PMID: 31401727.
3. HIIT and MICT show similar effectiveness across all body composition measures suggesting that HIIT may be a time-efficient component of weight management programs.
Wewege M, van den Berg R, Ward RE, Keech A. The effects of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2017 Jun;18(6):635-646. doi: 10.1111/obr.12532. Epub 2017 Apr 11. PMID: 28401638.
4. Fatigue Management
HIIT Training is more intense and therefore adds more stress to the body than low to moderate intensity training. This needs to be considered when combined with other sport training to reduce risk of overtraining.
5. Metabolic Specificity
Typically we want to match the training energy system demands with the sport energy system demands. Keep specificity or the SAID principle in mind when choosing HIIT or moderate intensity steady state training.
Make sure you check out some of the other CSCS Prep Videos I have done:
Disclaimer: This video does not have any affiliation with, or any recognition, sponsorship, or endorsement by, the NSCA. CSCS® and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® are registered trademarks of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
