Alternating moments of great physical activity with breaks to rest is one of the pillars of heart and general health.
The famous high-intensity interval training or HIIT (for its acronym in English) consists of something as natural as alternating periods of maximum physical activity with breaks. That is, moments when the heart accelerates, breathing intensifies and body temperature increases, with moments of recovery.
It has been shown that HIIT is a very simple workout, suitable for all ages that favors, above all, cardiovascular system.
HIIT: WHAT IS IT?
Interval training consists of alternating periods of low-intensity effort with high-intensity ones, always timed.
It is important not to confuse interval training with series training. The difference is that in the second there are breaks to allow recovery. In interval training the intensity is lowered, but you do not rest (until the time comes, of course).
Ideally, everyone should decide their own interval training, since the intensity that can be achieved depends a lot on the physical condition or the objective of the training. A well-trained physical therapist or personal trainer can help. In case of illness, medical approval and guidance is required.
It is enough to perform interval training once or twice a week.
HIIT TRAINING FOR BEGINNERS
To start you can perform the following routine (you will need a stopwatch and a heart rate monitor):
- Walk for 20 minutes.
- Perform a gentle jog for 10 more minutes.
- Run with low intensity for 30 seconds (an adequate heart rate is between 120 and 130 beats).
- Run with high intensity 30 seconds (do not exceed 170 beats when you make the maximum effort).
- Alternate low and high intensity for 4 minutes.
- Walk for 10 minutes.
- Perform gentle stretches.
HOW TO TRAIN HIIT AT HOME
HIIT can be applied in many exercise classes adapting it to our circumstances and tastes: walking, walking fast, running, going up and down stairs, work on a mat, yoga at home, jumping rope, dancing … There is no specific formula:
- It can be just walking, or it can be alternating speed races with 15-20 seconds of jogging or walking. In fact, protocols have been created for students and sedentary people, and these simple protocols have been shown to improve aerobic fitness as much or more than intensive protocols designed for athletes.
- In long-lived populations it has been seen that they never abuse excessive exercise, but do only what is necessary to solve daily survival problems: making fun, for example, agricultural tasks, such as a game, without competing or exhaustion.
- Having fun while doing the exercise is key; So, you can maintain the periods of maximum intensity from a few seconds to about 3 or 5 minutes, depending on your capacity and training.
- The total duration of the interval session should not be more than 20 to 40 minutes. Repeat daily or at least 3 days a week.
HIIT: BENEFITS FOR THE HEART
HIIT produces equal or greater short-term cardiometabolic gains than continuous aerobic exercise, and improves apoptosis and autophagy, helping to eliminate waste substances.
High-intensity interval training strengthens the heart more than moderate exercise. Researchers are finding reasons for this and other benefits.
Dr. Tomas Stolen, who works for the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, says that short, intense and repeated physical activity could improve heart function and performance even in people affected by heart failure, according to studies he has done with animals.
Stolen and his colleague Morten Heyday are the lead authors of a comprehensive study published in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. The researchers set out to find out what happens inside heart muscle cells after exercise.
They found that up to 18 variants of micro-RNA molecules, which interact with genes, were elevated to healthy levels in lab animals that engaged in intense exercise.
Through their effect on genes, these molecules improve important functions such as the management of calcium – essential for the contraction of the heart muscle – or the conduction of electrical signals in the heart. These improvements allow the heart to beat more vigorously and may prevent potentially life-threatening heart rhythm disorders.
The human heart normally beats between 50 and 80 times per minute when it is at rest. This is enough to supply all organ systems and cells in the body with the amount of oxygen-rich blood they need to function properly.
When we get up for a walk, our heart automatically starts beating a little faster and pumping a little harder so that the blood supply adapts to the higher level of activity. The higher the intensity of the activity, the harder the heart will have to work.
Exercise strengthens the heart so it can pump more blood to the rest of the body with each beat. That’s why well-trained people have a lower resting heart rate than people who haven’t done regular resistance training.
INTERVAL EXERCISE IS INDICATED TO TREAT HEART FAILURE
People with heart failure – often due to a heart attack – have weak pumping and organs may not receive enough blood. When exercising, they quickly become out of breath, but in their case intense exercise – for example, running on a treadmill daily, following the doctor’s instructions – is recommended to improve heart function.
In addition, exercise counteracts the processes that cause the heart to become larger and stiffer. In short, exercise with the right intensity makes each beat more powerful and reduces the severity of heart failure. The risk of dangerous ventricular fibrillation was also reduced.
According to the researchers, steady-paced exercise is also beneficial, but it needs to be gradually increased to achieve effects similar to interval training.
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