Five Fitness Myths About HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)—Busted!

Just what is HIIT? Well, it’s exercise at short bursts of high-intensity periods that’s mixed into moderate or low impact exercising. For example, say you’re on the treadmill doing a nice brisk walk; the way to amp it up with a HIIT is to increase the speed to a fast jog or run for 30 seconds to one minute then go back to a brisk walk for five minutes. We’ve all heard the stories, haven’t we? One being that HIIT provides great effects for people that are trying to lose weight. There are several myths out there about HIIT, just as there are with many famous nutrition and fitness trends like the Paleo diet or CrossFit. But don’t worry, we intend to expose some of those HIIT myths for you!

Myth #1: To Lose Weight and Remain Fit, the Only Fitness Routine You’ll Need is HIIT

We all know that for men as well as women, strength training is an important part of an exercise program and could considerably enhance athletic performance, strength, physical appearance and power. But did you know that muscle is essential during the course of losing fat? Fat in your muscles are burned and utilized as energy; therefore, the more muscle you have in your body, the more energy you’ll need and the more fat and calories you’ll burn off during the day—even during your sleep! Think of your body as a car—a car with a larger engine uses more gas as you drive. Likewise, it’s crucial to have more muscle so that you can burn off more calories and get more benefits from doing HIIT. So the best fitness routine includes not only HIIT but a good balanced diet and a complete strength training program as well.

Myth #2: A HIIT Workout Can Be Done By Anyone

Would you run in a marathon without training for it first? Of course not! You wouldn’t even run in half of a marathon without some training. So why would you expect to just jump right into a HIIT routine? No one wants to raise the danger of injuring themselves—which is exactly what you’d be doing if you suddenly started a HIIT workout. You should always be careful when you’re beginning or restarting a fitness program. You need to start out slow. Begin by doing some low-impact aerobics; when you’re able to perform a moderate-intensity run for 30 uninterrupted minutes, then you’ll be able to start a HIIT routine.

Myth #3: Fixed Pace Cardio Isn’t As Good As HIIT

A 30-minute aerobics workout such as an elliptical trainer, treadmill or stationery bike has been declining in popularity when compared to HIIT and many times is thought of as an interference with gaining muscle from strength training. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Besides the fact that an aerobics program will extend your fitness level, incorporating an aerobics routine of low-intensity, like cycling, won’t harm any strength you might gain and, for men, aerobics could actually assist with enhancing muscle size in addition to muscle gain. On the days between your HIIT—the “recovery days” as they’re called—low- to moderate-intensity aerobics is a wonderful form of exercise to perform.

Myth #4: SMIT and HIIT Are Identical

There’s a lot of confusion here because SMIT and HIIT are not the same. SMIT (supramaximal interval training) is, in reality, done by numerous people and they call it HIIT in error. The difference is that SMIT demands doing full bursts of fitness with full periods of rest mixed in. HIIT is performing periods of high-intensity exercises during low- or moderate-impact workouts. If you’re training for an event, such as a marathon, SMIT could be more beneficial to you than HIIT because it builds better stamina. However, your body is great at adjusting to your workouts which will, in the end, mean your workout isn’t as efficient; if you were to perform SMIT all the time, you’d get bored. So you won’t always be able to use SMIT. You should try mixing it up a bit—some days do HIIT and other days perform SMIT. This way, your exercise routines will be more interesting, successful and comprehensive.

Myth #5: Workouts Are Always Better With More HIIT

It’s essential that you let your body rest in between fitness programs and don’t do too much HIIT during the week. Just as the name implies, HIIT pushes your body hard and is intense interval training. For the greatest benefits, all you need is to perform HIIT three times each week; any more than that and you’ll be risking an injury.

There’s no question that there are many advantages to HIIT. However, don’t get obsessed over it to the point that you ignore all other beneficial types of fitness and never listen to anyone that states one type of fitness program is better than another—it’s simply untrue. You need different kinds of exercise programs. Think of it this way— would you just eat a diet consisting of only leafy, green veggies all the time? No, you wouldn’t. Well, it’s the same with exercising. Fixed pace aerobics, HIIT and strength training all have distinct limitations as well as benefits but should be incorporated into your exercise routine.