A randomized trial revealed that HIV-positive individuals who participated in moderate and high intensity exercises improved their functional capacity, and gained from all the benefits of exercise without deterioration in physical or mental health.
In fact, studies thus far have shown that exercise does not negatively affect your CD4 counts. So whether you are a weekend warrior, a gym rat, or a sedentary salary man, your HIV seropositive status shouldn’t be an excuse to cease exercising.
Do you want to build a better, healthier body? Are you tired of spending hours in the gym to burn fat? If so, try high intensity interval training. Also referred to as HIIT, this form of exercise boosts your metabolism, increases strength, and improves your overall fitness. Compared to steady state cardio, it burns more calories in less time. A typical HIIT session doesn’t last more than 20 minutes.
What Is HIIT?
Increasingly more people are choosing HIIT over traditional cardio. This popular workout alternates short bursts of high intensity exercise with short periods of “recovery” time. Research indicates that high intensity interval training burns fat and preserves muscle. It also improves cardiovascular health and speeds up metabolism for hours.
HIIT appeals to people of all ages and fitness levels, including athletes, bodybuilders, and regular gym goers. Whether you want to build muscle, shed fat, or keep your heart healthy, you can try this approach. Not only you’ll spend less time in the gym, but you’ll also get better results from your workout routine. Strength training is probably the best way to complement your HIIT sessions. This allows you to get bigger and drop body fat at the same time.
Regular cardio burns fat and enhances aerobic endurance, but it may also cause muscle wasting. Doing more than 30 minutes of cardio a day can increase cortisol production, lower testosterone levels, affect your strength gains, and weaken your immune system. On the other hand, HIIT workouts promote fat loss and lean muscle growth. A recent study has shown that 12 weeks of high intensity interval training increase muscle mass while reducing visceral fat, without any changes in diet. This form of exercise is up to 50 percent more efficient at burning fat compared to low-intensity cardio.
There are different HIIT routines available, such as Tabata, sled drags, heavy rope training, kettlebell swings, and sprints. You can actually apply HIIT principles when jogging, squatting, swimming, cycling, cross-country skiing, or jumping rope.
This form of exercise doesn’t require any special equipment. You can do it at home, in the gym, in the park, or anywhere else using body weight, free weights, resistance bands, kettlebells, dumbbells, or gym machines. A typical beginner HIIT workout is running fast for 30 seconds to one minute, and then walking for one to two minutes. It can also include lunges, butt kicks, touch toes, sprints, trunk twists, high knees, push-ups, and dynamic stretching. HIIT routines can be easily adjusted to people with back pain, knee pain, and special conditions.
Train Less for Better Results
The health and fitness benefits of HIIT have long been studied. This form of exercise is beneficial for both cardio and strength training. It’s the best approach for those looking to burn as much fat as possible, or minimize fat gain when bulking. High intensity interval training will improve your aerobic and anaerobic endurance, speed up weight loss, and help you build muscle. Other key benefits of HIIT include:
- Improved body composition
- Higher testosterone levels
- Less muscle fatigue
- Greater energy
- Faster metabolism
- Reduced cholesterol levels
- Improved insulin sensitivity
- Better cardiovascular health
- No equipment necessary
- Quick and convenient
- Better results in less time
- Increased stamina
- Elevated heart rate
- Accelerated fat burn
- Can be adjusted to any workout routine
When done regularly, high intensity interval training can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also improves insulin sensitivity, which helps your muscles use glucose for fuel more efficiently.
Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)
Traditional cardio doesn’t burn calories post workout. HIIT boosts your metabolic rate, so you’ll continue to burn fat long after your workout is done. That’s because it increases excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) for over 24 hours after exercise. You won’t receive this benefit by simply doing steady state cardio.
High intensity interval training stimulates your body and metabolism in a way that cannot be paralleled by other forms of exercise. Although both regular cardio and HIIT have a similar goal, high intensity interval training uses a different approach. This translates into greater strength, accelerated fat loss, improved mental focus, and faster results. Research indicates that just 150 seconds of intense training can burn more than 200 calories over the course of the next 24 hours. Additionally, HIIT lifts your mood and makes you smarter by increasing brain oxygenation.
This workout is ideal for athletes and bodybuilders as well as for people with a busy schedule. You can burn more calories in 15 minutes of HIIT than the girl running on the treadmill for an hour. After only a few weeks, you’ll feel stronger and have more energy. Your cardiovascular endurance will be significantly improved. The best part is that you’ll lose fat, not muscle. HIIT is a great choice for those who get bored quickly. You can try a new workout routine every day. As your fitness level improves, you’ll be able to go for a higher intensity and more complex workouts.
If you have doubts concerning your fitness for exercise, please consult our senior family physician or your HIV specialist in Singapore.
If you are HIV negative, and suspect that you have been exposed to the virus, please consider HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis (HIV PEP), and/or HIV screening and testing.
Special thanks: Written in collaboration with Andra, a nutritionist and professional fitness trainer.
