Tuesday, January 17, 2017

The Benefits and Limitations of High-Intensity Interval Training





Greg Sample is an Alva, Florida, entrepreneur with extensive experience spanning the insurance and financial industries. He has successfully guided numerous Florida financial seminars and built up a large client base. Health and wellness focused, Greg Sample has also completed coursework toward certification as an International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) certified fitness trainer. 

One popular form of workout in recent years is high-intensity interval training (HIT), which combines periods of active recovery and rest with short duration high intensity workouts. When employed properly, it can positively impact metabolism and cardiovascular function, and help the individual lose weight.

For trainers, one aspect of HIT to keep in mind is that higher intensity training is often best limited to a couple of sessions a week, as a way of avoiding muscle strain and tendonitis risk. More reps in a shorter period of time exerts more force on the joints, which means that exercises must be carefully calibrated to avoid negative impacts. Participants who fall short of basic fitness thresholds should not begin a full-blown HIT regimen, but rather have intensity and volume increased gradually.

It is also important to realize the limitations of HIT: half hour sessions are not in and of themselves going to build endurance of the type required for marathons and other long distance events. Interval training should never supplant volume endurance training if the aim is to compete from an ideal endurance base.