You’re giving your body a quick break to recover before it has to get back to work.Īlternating between work and recovery is the foundation of high-intensity interval training. In this recovery period, which typically lasts up to a minute, you’re letting your heart rate come back down. Or you might jump off the treadmill to catch your breath.

This might be active aerobic recovery, like switching from sprinting to walking on a treadmill. You give it all you’ve got for anywhere between 15 to 45 seconds, depending on the type of exercise you’re doing and your fitness levels.Īfter this short burst of exercise, you recover. That’s why the work period of any high-intensity interval training is limited. It’s hard to maintain this heart rate for very long. Your heart rate is high, anywhere between 80 to 95 percent of your maximal heart rate (MHR). During the period of anaerobic exercise, you work at maximum capacity. HIIT workouts alternate between short periods of high intensity anaerobic exercise and short periods of recovery. HIIT has maintained its popularity over the years for one good reason: It works! This type of interval training has a number of science-backed benefits linked to weight loss, enhanced performance and cardiovascular fitness. If you’re short on time but want to feel the burn, then HIIT workouts are for you. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) focuses on short bursts of intense exercise.

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