Short & Intense Workouts: The Secret To Burning More Calories

For many years I worked out and tried nearly every workout craze that existed.

I used to put in long hours at the gym. I would work out with various personal trainers to achieve a cut and defined body.

Then I met someone who was in incredible shape and asked them what they did to stay in shape. They let me in on their secret: high-intensity interval training or HIIT workouts.

Surprisingly, short - but intense - periods of exercise are more effective than working out for a longer, continuous period. Fifteen or 20-minute intervals of intense exercise, studies have shown, can increase fitness and help burn more fat.

Richard Cotton, the National Director of Certification at the American College of Sports Medicine, told TIME, "The return on investment of interval training is fabulous, and it keeps exercise interesting.”

What is HIIT Workout?

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Tabata (a type of HIIT) are short, intense workouts. They are usually 20 minutes or less.

Doing a 20-minute workout to achieve maximum results seemed counterintuitive to me and it probably does to you as well. You may have been taught to do 30 minutes or more of cardio and then do some weight lifting on the back end of your workout.

So, you might be thinking, how is it possible to work out for less than 20 minutes and get in better shape?

HIIT workouts are effective because of the high intensity of the workout and mixing up the variations of what you are doing so that you don’t plateau.

You force your body to work harder for short periods of time, and this results in significant benefits for your body.

Myths of Longer Workouts

Here's how longer workouts can be less effective than shorter ones: When you workout longer it’s easier to lose interest and harder to stay committed to your workout plan.

But, when you do short, intense interval workouts it’s simpler to commit to exercise for 12 – 20 minutes a day, which keeps you on track.

However, when you do longer workouts, your appetite is greater. This happens because you want to make up for the energy you lose during your workout.

There is almost an entitlement with a longer workout, and you justify higher rewards in what you eat. This impacts your goal of weight loss.

One study of individuals with Type 2 diabetes found that participants had more benefits when they did interval walking instead of walking one long, continuous time. Their blood sugar levels are more controlled versus those who worked out in a steady-state.

You should alternate between different intensities of exercise. Then, change up the intensity of your exercise.

Allow time to rest between bursts of action creates better results. You can do this by increasing the speed at which you walk. You can also run for a few minutes throughout your workout.

If you want results quicker, HIIT is your best choice. HIIT has a difference in your body in as little as two weeks. It gives you the same results of longer workouts in half the time. This is the kicker: HIIT also helps to give you cardiovascular and muscular benefits while boosting your metabolism. Your body will burn fat and calories much quicker.

Now it makes sense why runners who do sprints had so much muscle and definition in their bodies!