10 more reasons to love High Intensity Interval Training

Extreme HIIT
  1. HIIT was better than the standard  multidisciplinary approach (exercise, diet and psychological support) at helping overweight kids reduce their cardiovascular risk factorsHere’s the study
  2. HIIT can prevent cardiac death in type 2 diabetic individuals. Here’s the study
  3. HIIT should be a required treatment for all Metabolic Syndrome patients. 16 weeks of HIIT training significantly reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease, in terms of improved VO2max, endothelial function, blood pressure, insulin signaling, and plasma lipid composition. Here’s the study
  4. HIIT substantially improves insulin action. Say bye-bye to type 2 diabetes & metabolic syndrome. Here’s the study
  5. HIIT increases levels of HDL cholesterol – that’s the  good cholesterol. Here’s the study
  6. HIIT improves the HRR (Heart Rate Recovery – a measure of how quickly your heart returns to normal post-exercise)) in already well-trained cyclists. Here’s the study
  7. HIIT drastically improves cardiovascular function (V02max) in patients with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Here’s the study
  8. Interval training produced a 302% greater increase inV02max when compared to a long, slow distance training protocol. Here’s the study
  9. HIIT significantly improved the aerobic fitness of a group of prepubescent children (aerobic fitness measured by peak oxygen consumption $$ (\dot{V}{\text{O}}_{{2{\text{peak}}}} ) $$ and maximal aerobic velocity) Here’s the study
  10. HIIT improves the erectile function of hypertension patients  Here’s the study fellas

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About Douglas Robb

Doug Robb is a personal trainer, a fitness blogger and author, a competitive athlete, and a student of nutrition and exercise science. Since 2008, Doug has expanded his impact by bringing his real-world experience online via his health & fitness blog, Health Habits. Read more posts by Doug at Hive Health Media.

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I wasn't aware of some of these studies. Found this article to be very useful. In your opinion what would be the main contraindications to HIIT training? I see that some of these studies had participants who suffered from chronic illnesses. Just curious as to the risks involved for getting certain individuals with chronic illnesses started on a HIIT program.

That's the beauty of HIIT & HIRT - they rely on intensity.
If you're in poor shape, your max effort is much lower than someone in good shape. With that being said, specific medical conditions are going to require closer monitoring and adjustments

Good stuff Doug! I implement hight intensity training with my clients in addition to barbell training. Keep up the good work!

I have been doing hitt training for a year or so now.....best results ever!! love it love it!!!!!

As a researcher/writer/editor and fitness person, I so appreciate that you include research and the links. One thing I'd like to say about your intro blurb on Hive - for some people doing running, Jazzercise, etc. is NOT wrong. I would be sad if the people who are deconditioned or completely new to exercise decided not to even try exercise based on that intro. They might think, "Well, HIIT is too hard for me, so never mind," and forget the whole idea. HIIT is great - I teach it - yet it is not the only way to become healthy or at least, healthier.
Again, you are a very good writer and researcher, I just wanted to add that thought. Thanks

Hi Alexandra,
Great point!
While I believe that most exercisers are doing themselves a disservice by focusing too much on low intensity cardio exercise & never revving the engine up to HIIT levels, my intention is NOT to have anyone avoid doing cardio
I thought that I was clear enough with my little Hive intro blurb, but I guess not.
That's for the "heads-up"

Can you overdo HIIT cardio to a point where it can be detrimental to your health? Buddy of mine said daily HIIT cardio is not good and should be done three times a week only. His source is Al Sears, MD. Thanks.

In theory, you can overdo / overtrain any form of exercise...jogging, yoga, hiit, weightlifting.
In practice, we start with our own unique levels of fitness, anatomical quirks, lifestyles, stress, diet, etc...
Avoiding overtraining becomes more a matter of understanding your body and how it reacts to the training than any set of hard & fast rules. I don't mean to confuse the issue, but I don't understand where the recommendation for no more than 3x HIIT per week comes from.
All of us "exercise gurus" that promote HIIT are basing our claims on a growing body of HIIT research. We are ALL building our businesses & reputations on the theoretical & applied research of other people.
And at this point, I know of NO research that has looked into overtraining due to excessive HIIT training.
Like I said above, you can overtrain with any form of exercise. But, I have a big problem with the no more than 3x per week warning. Claims like that need to be backed up with research or at least a good amount of personal & professional experience. If Dr. Sears was to say that in the 15 years he has been training/helping clients with HIIT, he has found that anything over 3x per week resulting in overtraining injuries, I would be eager to listen & learn.
Blanket statements...not so much
try it yourself...start with 3x per week..add a 4th...pay attention to your body...see how it responds..make another change...

HIIT coupled with full body triplanar motion adds the eleventh benefit: perfect posture and lifelong mobility. This in turn taps further into the psychological, emotional and mental gain that can be made from HIIT. Great little article. Turn your movement programmes into 3D and live the dream
Gary Ward

In my 20s, I couldn't care less about posture or mobility...big mistake
Lots of power + muscle/joint imbalances = pain
Too bad (for me) that you work out of the UK. Looked at your site - very interesting stuff. Would love to learn more

I had a personal trainer that told me to do this. I kept failing at working out because I would get too tired. I also hated the treadmill. As it turns out I was trying to do something that my body didnt want to do. HIIT is so much better and Ive been losing weight

Awesome, blog post!!

Love this piece, this is going to be the second phase i go into after my muscle building stage to shed the pounds of fat but maintain muscle mass!!! this just reiterates why you should do it!!! holmez4.com

That is exactly the method for V02max figures, now you know what you capable of it is time to maximise