High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an effective and time-efficient workout to help you achieve your fitness goals. It entails quick bursts of hard exercise followed by quick rest intervals. Many exercises can be used in HIIT workouts, which can be performed indoors or outdoors. But how regularly ought one to engage in HIIT exercises?
Frequency of HIIT Workouts
The answer to this question will vary depending on your personal objectives and degree of fitness. Generally speaking, HIIT training can be done up to three times per week with at least one day of rest in between. This will give your body time to recover and help reduce the risk of injury.
Additionally, you should adjust the frequency of your HIIT workouts based on how hard you push yourself and how your body responds to the workouts. For example, if your body is not recovering well after HIIT workouts, it may be best to reduce the frequency.
Since HIIT enables you to complete a demanding cardiovascular and metabolic workout in a brief period, it is a significantly more effective method for improving aerobic fitness and health when compared to conventional steady-state training.
What Exactly Is HIIT?
HIIT is a fitness training or workout planning style involving quick bursts of highly intense exercise followed by similarly short bursts of recovery that can be complete rest or light exercise.
Depending on your fitness level, objectives, preferred form of exercise, and the length and intensity of the intervals you execute, HIIT activities can range from four minutes (known as a Tabata workout) to roughly 45 minutes. However, they commonly lie between the 15–30-minute range.
It is entirely up to you the exercise you do for a HIIT workout. One of the most important considerations when determining how frequently to undertake HIIT activities is the type of exercise you engage in.
Throughout a HIIT workout, your work and rest interval lengths, the ratio of your work to rest intervals, and the number of breaks you complete can alter. A seasoned HIIT practitioner might alternate ten hard repetitions with ten easy repetitions, while a novice might alternate ten complex repeats with ten easy repetitions.
Factors to Consider in Doing On-Demand HIIT Workouts
Although there are many benefits of HIIT workouts, it's generally not a good idea to perform HIIT every day. Excessive HIIT training may have an impact on the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, mitochondrial function, and blood sugar regulation.
Fitness Level
How often you should perform HIIT activities is greatly influenced by your degree of fitness. When starting, beginners should only do one HIIT workout per week. As they gain experience, they can increase this number to two to three. Your body must acclimate to the stress that HIIT workouts place on it over time. The less fit you are, the longer it usually takes to recover.
Fitness Goals
Someone who wants to lose fat and become in better shape can benefit from exercising HIIT as frequently as is safe, depending on their fitness level, the type of exercise they're doing, and the length of the sessions.
However, an endurance athlete preparing for a marathon or other long-distance competition will probably need to devote more training time to longer sessions that boost their physical and mental endurance. This is not to argue that an endurance athlete shouldn't do HIIT, just that it should be done less frequently (like once or twice a week).
Health Conditions
Older people or those with specific medical issues might need longer recovery between strenuous activities.
Can You Do HIIT Every Day?
As previously stated, it's generally not a good idea to perform HIIT challenges every day, with the rare exception of when you might perform a different type of exercise as part of your daily Tabata workout.
HIIT is highly stressful on the body from a hormonal and metabolic standpoint, even with low-impact training. Although the demands of HIIT make it a very effective and efficient form of exercise, the intensity also increases the likelihood of overtraining and greater cortisol levels (the stress hormone).
Conclusion
Ultimately, the best way to decide how often to do HIIT workouts is to listen to your body and adjust your workouts accordingly. If you are starting, it is best to take it slow and increase the frequency of HIIT workouts as you become fitter. With the right amount of HIIT workouts, you can get the results you're looking for without putting your body at risk.
Get into the heart-rate range that will help you burn fat and gain muscle. HIIT involves cardio and strength training. Join our HIIT36 community to participate in daily live workouts, or pick from our collection of 100 on-demand HIIT workouts—new ones are added every week. Book now!