Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBenefitsHow HIIT ComparesBest HIIT Workout ExercisesBenefits of HIIT ClassesSpecial Considerations
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Benefits
How HIIT Compares
Best HIIT Workout Exercises
Benefits of HIIT Classes
Special Considerations
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a workout style involving periods of high-effort exercise intermixed with recovery periods of lower-effort exercise. It’s known to have many benefits, includingaerobic fitness, weight loss, and improvedcardiovascular (heart) health.It’s also practical since it takes less time than traditional continuous exercise.
In this article, learn more about high-intensity interval training and how it can help you work toward your health goals, especially if you have cardiovascular disease risk factors, diabetes, or other health conditions.
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HIIT Workout Benefits to Know
HIIT has many benefits; one of its biggest draws is that it helps you achieve these benefits in shorter periods, leaving you with more time for the rest of your busy life. Compared to typical exercise, which can take up to an hour, an effective HIIT workout can be completed in as little as 20 minutes or less.
Below are some of the main benefits of HIIT.
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Improves Cardiovascular Health
Improves Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness
According to some research, HIIT is more effective at improving your VO2 max than comparable continuous exercise.VO2 maxrefers to the amount of oxygen your body can use at any one time, and it’s the primary measure ofaerobic capacity.
Reduces Blood Pressure
Another benefit of HIIT is lowering blood pressure. One study that compared HIIT cycling to continuous cycling among overweight men with high blood pressure found that HIIT was more effective at lowering blood pressure.
Blood pressure measures the force of blood against blood vessel walls.High blood pressureis a risk factor for several cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.
Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Adequate insulin sensitivity has important implications for helping prevent or manage diabetes and pre-diabetes.
Reduces Cholesterol
HIIT is effective at reducing your totalcholesterol.This is important because high cholesterol puts you at risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke.
According to one study, HIIT is comparable to other forms of aerobic exercise in managing overall cholesterol. However, it was more effective than other forms of exercise in raisingHDL(the “good” cholesterol).
Burns Fat and Builds Muscle
HIIT helps with much more than just weight loss. It’s known for reducing body weight—particularly abdominal fat—while helping you maintain muscle mass. Participating in regular HIIT workouts can result in a leaner body composition while making you stronger for functional movement in your everyday life.
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How HIIT Compares to Other Exercise Forms
HIIT gives you the same (if not more) benefits than other forms of exercise but takes less time to complete.
According to one systematic review comparing HIIT to continuous moderate-intensity exercise, HIIT improved vascular health on cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiovascular risk factors, inflammation, insulin sensitivity, andoxidative stress.
HIIT also tends to burn about 6-15% more calories than traditional steady exercise due to the use of more oxygen during the post-exercise recovery period.
Who Is HIIT Right For?You should be able to consistently do three to five weekly sessions of 20-60 minutes of aerobic exercise for at least a few weeks before starting HIIT. If you haven’t exercised for a while, start slowly with a more steady form of exercise or strength training before trying HIIT. Discuss HIIT with your healthcare provider if you have risk factors forcoronary artery disease.
Who Is HIIT Right For?
You should be able to consistently do three to five weekly sessions of 20-60 minutes of aerobic exercise for at least a few weeks before starting HIIT. If you haven’t exercised for a while, start slowly with a more steady form of exercise or strength training before trying HIIT. Discuss HIIT with your healthcare provider if you have risk factors forcoronary artery disease.
While there is no universal definition for HIIT, a common rule of thumb is that during the high-intensity period, you’re working at 80-95% of your maximum heart rate and 40-50% during the recovery period.
Types of HIIT Exercise
There aren’t limitations on what types of exercise you can do HIIT with, as long as they’re aerobic and interspersed with recovery periods. Some examples include:
For Weight Loss
HIIT is a general form of exercise, and all types of HIIT can have weight loss as a benefit. However, some may be preferable over others.
One recent systematic review—the highest-regarded form of research—compared three types of HIIT (over-ground running, treadmill running, and cycling) to no exercise in terms of how they affected body composition.
The researchers recommended the following training protocol as being effective for weight loss:
For Endurance and Speed
HIIT can also improve your endurance and speed. One recent systematic review of HIIT for racket players found that it was an effective training regimen, particularly long-term, for improving power, aerobic and anaerobic endurance, VO2 max, repetitive sprinting performance, and hitting speed.
The researchers recommended the following training program:
For Muscle Building
Your muscle power is the ability to exert a force quickly—think of tennis players hitting a ball or weightlifters lifting a heavy weight. HIIT is an effective form of muscle-building power.
One study compared high-intensity power training (HIPT) to traditional resistance training. In HIPT, a form of HIIT, your goal is to complete your assigned exercise as fast as possible.
In the study, both forms of exercise were effective at improving upper and lower limb explosive force. Still, HIPT was more effective at improving anaerobic power, which has implications for building muscle.
Benefits of Taking HIIT Exercise Classes
You can do HIIT workouts independently, but some people might prefer attending HIIT exercise classes. Your fitness instructor can guide you through the intervals and create the workout plan. This approach eliminates confusion and distraction so you can focus on the exercise.
A Word From VerywellThere is no one-size-fits-all routine. The great thing about HIIT is its versatility; you can adapt it to various workouts depending on your health goals. Start with an easier and shorter workout plan to help your body adjust. Once you’re ready, mix and match training styles and add more exercises to suit your needs.—AMY KWAN, PT, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
There is no one-size-fits-all routine. The great thing about HIIT is its versatility; you can adapt it to various workouts depending on your health goals. Start with an easier and shorter workout plan to help your body adjust. Once you’re ready, mix and match training styles and add more exercises to suit your needs.—AMY KWAN, PT, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
There is no one-size-fits-all routine. The great thing about HIIT is its versatility; you can adapt it to various workouts depending on your health goals. Start with an easier and shorter workout plan to help your body adjust. Once you’re ready, mix and match training styles and add more exercises to suit your needs.
—AMY KWAN, PT, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Discuss HIIT with a healthcare provider if you have the following conditions that can put you at an increased coronary disease risk from high-intensity exercise:
Like any exercise, overdoing it could cause more harm than benefits. You don’t need to do HIIT workouts daily to experience their benefits. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends starting with one HIIT workout a week and working up slowly from there. You should also personalize the workouts to your fitness level and heart rate to prevent injury.
Summary
HIIT workouts have many benefits, from improved cardiovascular health to leaner body composition and metabolic health. Practically, people also tend to appreciate them because they take less time than traditional workouts yet offer the same or even more significant benefits. There are many ways to enjoy a HIIT workout based on your preferred type of exercise.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American College of Sports Medicine.High intensity interval training.Gillen JB, Gibala MJ.Is high-intensity interval training a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve health and fitness?Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014;39(3):409-412. doi:10.1139/apnm-2013-0187Kilpatrick MW, Jung ME, Little JP.High-intensity interval training: a review of physiological and psychological responses.ACSM’S Health & Fitness Journal. 2014;18(5):11-16. doi:10.1249/FIT.0000000000000067Patel H, Alkhawam H, Madanieh R, Shah N, Kosmas CE, Vittorio TJ.Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system.World J Cardiol. 2017;9(2):134-138. doi:10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.134.Clark T, Morey R, Jones MD, et al.High-intensity interval training for reducing blood pressure: a randomized trial vs. moderate-intensity continuous training in males with overweight or obesity.Hypertens Res. 2020;43(5):396-403. doi:10.1038/s41440-019-0392-6National Institutes of Health.High blood pressure and older adults.Wood G, Murrell A, van der Touw T, Smart N.HIIT is not superior to MICT in altering blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2019;5(1):e000647. doi:10.1136%2Fbmjsem-2019-000647Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cholesterol.Ramos JS, Dalleck LC, Tjonna AE, Beetham KS, Coombes JS.The impact of high-intensity interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training on vascular function: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports Med. 2015;45(5):679-692. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0321-zCoates AM, Joyner MJ, Little JP, Jones AM, Gibala MJ.A perspective on high-intensity interval training for performance and health.Sports Med. 2023;53(Suppl 1):85-96. doi:10.1007/s40279-023-01938-6American Heart Association.Target heart rates chart.Khodadadi F, Bagheri R, Negaresh R, et al.The effect of high-intensity interval training type on body fat percentage, fat and fat-free mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2023;12(6):2291. doi:10.3390/jcm12062291Liu Y, Abdullah BB, Abu Saad HB.Effects of high-intensity interval training on strength, speed, and endurance performance among racket sports players: a systematic review.PLoS One. 2024;19(1):e0295362. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0295362Chang YH, Chou YC, Chang YC, Tan KH, Wu MH.The effects of high-intensity power training versus traditional resistance training on exercise performance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(15):9400. doi:10.3390%2Fijerph19159400
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American College of Sports Medicine.High intensity interval training.Gillen JB, Gibala MJ.Is high-intensity interval training a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve health and fitness?Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014;39(3):409-412. doi:10.1139/apnm-2013-0187Kilpatrick MW, Jung ME, Little JP.High-intensity interval training: a review of physiological and psychological responses.ACSM’S Health & Fitness Journal. 2014;18(5):11-16. doi:10.1249/FIT.0000000000000067Patel H, Alkhawam H, Madanieh R, Shah N, Kosmas CE, Vittorio TJ.Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system.World J Cardiol. 2017;9(2):134-138. doi:10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.134.Clark T, Morey R, Jones MD, et al.High-intensity interval training for reducing blood pressure: a randomized trial vs. moderate-intensity continuous training in males with overweight or obesity.Hypertens Res. 2020;43(5):396-403. doi:10.1038/s41440-019-0392-6National Institutes of Health.High blood pressure and older adults.Wood G, Murrell A, van der Touw T, Smart N.HIIT is not superior to MICT in altering blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2019;5(1):e000647. doi:10.1136%2Fbmjsem-2019-000647Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cholesterol.Ramos JS, Dalleck LC, Tjonna AE, Beetham KS, Coombes JS.The impact of high-intensity interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training on vascular function: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports Med. 2015;45(5):679-692. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0321-zCoates AM, Joyner MJ, Little JP, Jones AM, Gibala MJ.A perspective on high-intensity interval training for performance and health.Sports Med. 2023;53(Suppl 1):85-96. doi:10.1007/s40279-023-01938-6American Heart Association.Target heart rates chart.Khodadadi F, Bagheri R, Negaresh R, et al.The effect of high-intensity interval training type on body fat percentage, fat and fat-free mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2023;12(6):2291. doi:10.3390/jcm12062291Liu Y, Abdullah BB, Abu Saad HB.Effects of high-intensity interval training on strength, speed, and endurance performance among racket sports players: a systematic review.PLoS One. 2024;19(1):e0295362. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0295362Chang YH, Chou YC, Chang YC, Tan KH, Wu MH.The effects of high-intensity power training versus traditional resistance training on exercise performance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(15):9400. doi:10.3390%2Fijerph19159400
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American College of Sports Medicine.High intensity interval training.Gillen JB, Gibala MJ.Is high-intensity interval training a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve health and fitness?Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014;39(3):409-412. doi:10.1139/apnm-2013-0187Kilpatrick MW, Jung ME, Little JP.High-intensity interval training: a review of physiological and psychological responses.ACSM’S Health & Fitness Journal. 2014;18(5):11-16. doi:10.1249/FIT.0000000000000067Patel H, Alkhawam H, Madanieh R, Shah N, Kosmas CE, Vittorio TJ.Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system.World J Cardiol. 2017;9(2):134-138. doi:10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.134.Clark T, Morey R, Jones MD, et al.High-intensity interval training for reducing blood pressure: a randomized trial vs. moderate-intensity continuous training in males with overweight or obesity.Hypertens Res. 2020;43(5):396-403. doi:10.1038/s41440-019-0392-6National Institutes of Health.High blood pressure and older adults.Wood G, Murrell A, van der Touw T, Smart N.HIIT is not superior to MICT in altering blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2019;5(1):e000647. doi:10.1136%2Fbmjsem-2019-000647Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cholesterol.Ramos JS, Dalleck LC, Tjonna AE, Beetham KS, Coombes JS.The impact of high-intensity interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training on vascular function: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports Med. 2015;45(5):679-692. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0321-zCoates AM, Joyner MJ, Little JP, Jones AM, Gibala MJ.A perspective on high-intensity interval training for performance and health.Sports Med. 2023;53(Suppl 1):85-96. doi:10.1007/s40279-023-01938-6American Heart Association.Target heart rates chart.Khodadadi F, Bagheri R, Negaresh R, et al.The effect of high-intensity interval training type on body fat percentage, fat and fat-free mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2023;12(6):2291. doi:10.3390/jcm12062291Liu Y, Abdullah BB, Abu Saad HB.Effects of high-intensity interval training on strength, speed, and endurance performance among racket sports players: a systematic review.PLoS One. 2024;19(1):e0295362. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0295362Chang YH, Chou YC, Chang YC, Tan KH, Wu MH.The effects of high-intensity power training versus traditional resistance training on exercise performance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(15):9400. doi:10.3390%2Fijerph19159400
American College of Sports Medicine.High intensity interval training.
Gillen JB, Gibala MJ.Is high-intensity interval training a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve health and fitness?Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014;39(3):409-412. doi:10.1139/apnm-2013-0187
Kilpatrick MW, Jung ME, Little JP.High-intensity interval training: a review of physiological and psychological responses.ACSM’S Health & Fitness Journal. 2014;18(5):11-16. doi:10.1249/FIT.0000000000000067
Patel H, Alkhawam H, Madanieh R, Shah N, Kosmas CE, Vittorio TJ.Aerobic vs anaerobic exercise training effects on the cardiovascular system.World J Cardiol. 2017;9(2):134-138. doi:10.4330/wjc.v9.i2.134.
Clark T, Morey R, Jones MD, et al.High-intensity interval training for reducing blood pressure: a randomized trial vs. moderate-intensity continuous training in males with overweight or obesity.Hypertens Res. 2020;43(5):396-403. doi:10.1038/s41440-019-0392-6
National Institutes of Health.High blood pressure and older adults.
Wood G, Murrell A, van der Touw T, Smart N.HIIT is not superior to MICT in altering blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2019;5(1):e000647. doi:10.1136%2Fbmjsem-2019-000647
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cholesterol.
Ramos JS, Dalleck LC, Tjonna AE, Beetham KS, Coombes JS.The impact of high-intensity interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training on vascular function: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports Med. 2015;45(5):679-692. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0321-z
Coates AM, Joyner MJ, Little JP, Jones AM, Gibala MJ.A perspective on high-intensity interval training for performance and health.Sports Med. 2023;53(Suppl 1):85-96. doi:10.1007/s40279-023-01938-6
American Heart Association.Target heart rates chart.
Khodadadi F, Bagheri R, Negaresh R, et al.The effect of high-intensity interval training type on body fat percentage, fat and fat-free mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2023;12(6):2291. doi:10.3390/jcm12062291
Liu Y, Abdullah BB, Abu Saad HB.Effects of high-intensity interval training on strength, speed, and endurance performance among racket sports players: a systematic review.PLoS One. 2024;19(1):e0295362. doi:10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0295362
Chang YH, Chou YC, Chang YC, Tan KH, Wu MH.The effects of high-intensity power training versus traditional resistance training on exercise performance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(15):9400. doi:10.3390%2Fijerph19159400
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