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As you may know, high-intensity interval training or HIIT is a special form of training that has gained remarkable popularity over the last few decades. This particular training is currently being manipulated and implemented into the daily workouts of athletes in several different professions. In fact, HIIT was originally implemented in the training of bikers and runners, but it is diversifying into other professions such as; basketball, MMA, and football exponentially. Athletes such as; Lebron James, Jorge Masvidal, and Kenyan Drake are inevitably including HIIT in their workouts to refine their explosiveness and reap the benefits that this special training has to offer.
High-intensity interval training involves exercise that is done in short high-intensity work intervals, followed by moderate-intensity recovery intervals. In other words, this can be something as simple as a 30-second sprint (full speed) followed by a 1-minute rest. This type of interval training done at a high intensity requires our body to utilize anaerobic respiration (without the use of oxygen). This form of respiration makes use of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in our body to produce the high energy we need at any given moment. However, it is important to note that the time frame our body can use anaerobic respiration is very short and powerful, so it is crucial to have a recovery time following the high-intensity interval. The key component of HIIT is that it requires athletes to switch between high-intensity and low-intensity recovery intervals multiple times. This provides athletes with enhanced cardio conditioning and can enhance their performance to the next level. HIIT is an excellent way to improve your cardio, enhance your explosiveness, and increase your speed. Athletes that are incorporating HIIT into their workouts are reaping several performance-based and physiological benefits. According to a study by Pinillos et al, (2016) implementing a HIIT-based running plan evidently improves muscular and athletic performance. Based on the results, Pillinios and his colleagues confirmed that the athletes who receive HIIT training perform significantly better on a sprint-distance triathlon. Furthermore, the athletes who are utilizing HIIT in their exercise plans are receiving better scores on vertical jump measures and showcasing improvements in swimming time, cycling time, and running time. Moreover, HIIT also provides several other benefits besides performance-based such as; increased cardiovascular abilities, increased fat loss, enhanced rate of oxygen consumption, and O2 pulse. According to a study (Astorino et al., 2012), short-term high-intensity interval training significantly improves the maximum rate of oxygen consumption (VO2 MAX) and oxygen pulse for the individuals that received that specific training, versus those who are in the control group (received regular training). Further research by Boutcher (2011) suggests that overweight individuals that are utilizing HIIT lost more abdominal fat than overweight individuals that are doing regular training. Moreover, several pieces of research suggest that HIIT improves our aerobic and anaerobic fitness and for those individuals with insulin resistance risk, HIIT can improve insulin sensitivity (Earnest et al., 2013).
It is evident based on many pieces of literature that HIIT is extremely beneficial for athletes. We know that athletes or anyone that plays sports utilize HIIT to improve their performance by building stronger endurance, explosiveness, speed, and agility. However, a lot of regular people implement HIIT into their exercise for several other health reasons such as; faster weight loss, improving the cardiovascular system, improving the rate of oxygen consumption, and improving insulin sensitivity. Thus, if you are looking into improving into any of the areas stated above, you should carefully look into implementing HIIT into your workouts as well
REFERENCES:
Astorino TA, Allen RP, Roberson DW, Jurancich M. Effect of high-intensity interval training on cardiovascular function, VO2max, and muscular force. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Jan;26(1):138-45. Retrieved from,
Boutcher S. H. (2011). High-intensity intermittent exercise and fat loss. Journal of obesity, 2011, 868305. Retrieved from,
de Souza, J., Dáttilo, M., de Mello, M. T., Tufik, S., & Antunes, H. (2017). High-Intensity Interval Training Attenuates Insulin Resistance Induced by Sleep Deprivation in Healthy Males. Frontiers in physiology, 8, 992. Retrieved from, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5725446/#:~:text=Effects%20of%20HIIT,-Several%20studies%20show&text=In%20individuals%20with%20insulin%20resistance,et%20al.%2C%202012).
Pinillos, Felipe & Cámara-Pérez, Jose & Soto Hermoso, Victor Manuel & Latorre Román, Pedro. (2016). A HIIT-based running plan improves athletic performance by improving muscle power. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 31. 1. Retrieved from, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303039331_A_HIIT-based_running_plan_improves_athletic_performance_by_improving_muscle_power/citation/download
It's interesting to think that HIIT is a relatively new training strategy as in many of the sports you named (basketball, MMA and football), there are times where shorts burst of explosiveness are crucial while there are other times where rest is taken (ie getting subbed off). Another sport I think HIIT training would be extremely helpful would be hockey as it has short fast paced shifts followed by periods of rest.
Wow! This blog is super informative! When the gyms were still open, I used to implement HIIT during my cardio workouts (sprinting for 30 seconds and walking for a minute). I found that I actually got a better workout from it!
The blog is full of valuable and factual information. I believe that I got to learn more about HIIT training method and how beneficial is especially for athletes. Also, the positive effects of these kind of training is more useful than any regular exercises. I usually do some regular exercises twice every week so I may include HIIT training method in my workouts from now on :)
Great informative blog, safe to say you have done extensive research on HIIT training method and about the benefits that come with it.