What is a HIIT Workout?

If you're apart of the fitness community at all, chances are you've heard of HIIT workouts. HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT workouts are short, effective, and incredibly different. Most workouts are 45-60 minutes. But the average HIIT workout is only 15-30. Much shorter, which means... YAY more time to spend getting ready or taking your dog on a walk ;)

In case if you don't know what a HIIT workout actually is, it's short bursts of intense energy & giving it EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT, followed by a short rest period. This is repeated multiple times, and the possibilities are endless! 

Why is a HIIT workout one of the BEST things you can do for your fitness? 

It's been proven that HIIT gets and keeps your heart rate up so that you burn calories at an accelerated rate ALL DAY. HI!! Yes please!! A high intensity workout increases the body's need for oxygen during the workout and creates an "oxygen shortage," causing your body to ask for MORE oxygen during recovery! This after burn effect is commonly referred to as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption also known as - EPOC. EPOC is the reason why intense exercise burns more fat and calories than regular cardio. Your metabolism will have a crazy boost for up to 48 hours AFTER your HIIT workout. So, not only are these workouts shorter, but they're like A ZILLION times more effective. My favourite workout is TurboFire which has 3 different HIIT routines that I absolutely L♥VE!! HIIT 15, HIIT 20, and HIIT 25. If you haven't tried HIIT yet try this routine below! It's only 7 minutes long for 1 circuit, but do it 3 times and you've just got yourself a kick butt routine for the day! 

Have you tried a HIIT workout before? What did you think? Leave a comment below!