HIT training is a higher intensity form of cardio or aerobic training. With HIT you perform very short, but very high intensity cardio followed by a longer recovery period.
The thought behind cardio training for fat loss has been medium intensity for a longer duration. This is great for fat loss, but can also become very boring and repetitive. The thought also is that HIT training should only be used with training elite athletes. These ideas are now changing and more and more trainers and people in general are incorporating the HIT program into their everyday exercise programs.
The science behind the HIT program is that when you exercise at a very high intensity you are raising your heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. This means that after performing the HIT program you will be burning fat for the rest of the day.
The HIT program is an extremely exhausting and intense workout. Before performing this type of training one should consult a physician if one has any pre-existing cardiac problems, or any other reason that would prevent one from starting an exercise program.
An example of a HIT program would be to sprint at 100% percent of one's VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen you can uptake during exercise, for 15-30 seconds with a 2 minute recovery period. For a slightly lower intensity HIT program one could run at 80% of one's VO2 max for 1-1 1/2 minutes with a 1 1/2 -2 minute recovery period.
The HIT program can also be performed in various ways such as on a bike. Coaches have implemented this into their athletes training regimens for years and have found it to be very beneficial in improving endurance, VO2 max, running times, etc. This type of training can also be used by non-athletes to lose fat, improve endurance, and just to add a bit of variety to what can be a very repetitive training program.
This type of training is very strenuous and can increase one's chance of injury. The HIT program, because of its intensity level, should only be implemented 2-3 days per week.
There have been a number of studies conducted using HIT; however little is known as to what type of HIT program is optimal to produce the greatest improvements in endurance performance. For fat loss any type of HIT program could be implemented and be very effective. For runners who are looking to increase their run times and VO2 max, one would suggest sprinting and running. For cyclists one would suggest training the HIT on a bike as this will increase ones VO2 max and time.
The HIT programs can be used in a variety of ways and can be very effective for a number of overall improvements.
