Does HIIT Burn Fat? Benefits Of HIIT Training

Does HIIT burn fat?

You bet your sweet ass it burns fat, but to discover how, and why, we need to dig a little deeper.

You see, over the years people have become brainwashed into believing that the number on the scale is the only thing that matters.

Dieters will jump on the scale week after week excited with anticipation as they slowly watch the number on the scale go down. Only to be disappointed when they look in the mirror and still see a huge wedge of fat around their midsection.

You have to remember that just because your losing weight doesn’t necessarily mean you are losing fat.

Your diet and training regiment are still huge key players in the process and without having them both dialed in with pinpoint precision, you’re not going to see the results you want.

Enter HIIT training…

 

Benefits Of HIIT

The benefits of HIIT training from a fat loss perspective are nothing short of astounding, to say the least.

Not only does HIIT burn fat, but it does so in a way that helps you retain almost all of your lean muscle. So any weight you DO lose will come mostly from your fat stores.

But the benefits don’t stop there…

HIIT has been scientifically proven to burn more fat from your frame even at rest.

Due to the increased oxygen consumption that is needed during your short, intense HIIT session, your body is constantly trying to replace the lost energy reserves that are being eaten up while training.

So once the workout is over, your body then has to play catch up which as a result, will get you burning fat even when you’re not actually workout out.

Trust me, by adding HIIT into your routine just a few times a week, you’re going to feel fitter, move better, and have more energy than you ever thought possible.

 

Want Proof?

Let me give you a typical example…

Mo Farah is one of, if not the greatest endurance athletes of our time.

His ability to run the incredible distance he does is nothing short of amazing.

But from a physique standpoint, you wouldn’t say that he looked like an athlete, would you?

Now, let’s compare him to the greatest sprinter on the planet… Usain Bolt

In the 100m sprint, Usain Bolt needs to be able to deliver maximum effort in a very short period of time.

Usain’s physique is strong, lean, athletic, and what men would probably strive for.

Now, the only difference between these two extraordinary athletes is how they train.

Mo Farah will no doubt endure hour upon hour of steady state cardio training. It’s what is required of him when he steps out onto the track.

Usain, on the other hand, will focus on short intense bursts of exercise similar to HIIT training.

This is what gives him his lean, athletic physique.

And as you can see, the results speak for themselves.

 

 

Does HIIT Burn Fat – The Science

Over the years, multiple studies have been carried out that have compared steady state cardio to HIIT training.

Interestingly enough, one of these studies was performed on rats.

Scientists took 9 rats and put them through their paces on a treadmill. Performing 2 minutes of interval training at 80% max effort, followed by 3 minutes at 50% effort.

The study concluded that not only does HIIT training burn significantly more fat than steady state cardio. But there was a significant increase in the rats’ endurance capacity and total muscle weight.

 

Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption

Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC is the act of your body continually burning fat well after your HIIT session is over.

Due to the increased workload, we take on whenever we perform HIIT training. Our bodies require an additional supply of something called ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate).

This ATP is used to help us perform an exercise in an anaerobic state (without oxygen).

But once this ATP is used up anaerobically, our body is forced to find an alternative source of ATP

So what happens next, is our aerobic pathways open up to increase the flow of ATP to our anaerobic system. Delivering ATP at a much higher rate than it normally would.

And that’s where the magic happens.

You see, once the HIIT workout is finished this demand for ATP is still present. Due to this demand, your aerobic system is still working hard to replenish what was lost during the intense workout. Boosting your metabolism and burning through more and more fat for the next 24-48 hours.

Confused?

Let me break it down a little clearer.

Imagine your HIIT workout as a long car journey.

Throughout the journey, your engine is continually having to work at a higher rate to keep up with the demand with the speed you are traveling.

Once the journey is over what do you think happens to the engine?

Does it instantly cool?

Of course not…

Just like a car your body has to take the time to return itself to its original workout order.

Your energy needs restoring…

…your heart rate needs to lower itself

…your core temperature needs to decrease

All of these things don’t just happen at the flip of a switch. It takes time. Which is why your body continues to work hard well after the workout is finished.

Make sense?

 

Anabolic Effects Of HIIT Training

The anabolic effects of training are what cause muscle growth.

Whether it’s through heavy lifting, HIIT training or strenuous manual labor, keeping your body in an anabolic state is what keeps athletes looking so strong and ripped.

This happens when the substrates in your body react with your enzymes causing these substrates to essentially piece together to form a larger molecule.

This is why it’s so much easier to retain muscle when you carry out HIIT training.

A catabolic state, on the other hand, is caused through long bouts of slow and steady work such as running a marathon.

When you’re in a catabolic state the enzymes in your body are constantly breaking down substrates in your body. This breakdown plays a huge factor in the muscle you lose during long bouts of cardio.

So the longer you’re in an anabolic state the better of you will be.

That’s why it’s wise to perform HIIT workout at least 2-3 times a week as this will keep your body primed and ready for burning huge amounts of fat. Even at rest.

 

HIIT Training And Fat Oxidation

In a nutshell, fat oxidation is the process of fats being broken down in our body.

This broken down fat can either be used as an energy reserve, or they can be stored in the adipose tissue as fat.

What HIIT training does, and another reason it’s so effective for fat loss is it actually induces fat oxidation which forces the breakdown of fat cells making them easier to dispose of rather than build up in our body.

As an added bonus, this also clears away any fatty deposits found on your liver, while removing cholesterol to improve liver function.

It’s amazing what you learn with a little research, isn’t it?

 

A Word About Diet

Now, before you start rubbing your hands together thinking you’ve found the ultimate solution to your fat burning problems. I’ve got some bad news.

Diet is still key.

You can run sprints, jump rope and do burpees till the cows come home but the fact remains that if you’re overeating, undereating or just eating the wrong things, then no amount of HIIT training is going to help you.

Like anything, HIIT is simply a tool. It’s by no means a magic wand.

And it cannot, and will not, put an end to your problems if everything else is missing.

 

Wrapping Things Up

Anyway, thanks for sticking around for this one Boys and girls. I’m usually not the sort of science type guy that usually writes these sorts of posts.

I’m usually all about the workouts. But hey you learn something new every day.

Does HIIT burn fat better than other forms of exercise? Let me know what you think in the comments below…