The high intensity interval training has become an integral component in a variety of body building and weight loss curricula. This is because it helps speed up the fat burning process to a great extent.

In order to lose calories, the human body needs to burn more fat than it takes in. The body then draws energy for future activities by burning the stored body fat.

Typical cardio exercises, such as treadmills and exercise bikes that people generally opt in to are time consuming and require long hours of rigorous and exhausting workouts. Not only do we get bored just after a few workouts, but also hurt our joints and overly tire our body.

Greatly effective and less-time consuming, the high intensity interval training is capable of burning calories real fast. High intensity interval training, even if not more, burns the same number of calories as any other traditional cardio exercise.

What is HIIT?

While also alternating between two intensity levels, the high intensity interval training workout combines relaxed, moderate, and fast-paced exercises unlike normal workouts.

Alternating between paces relaxes the body for a short while during the slow to moderate paced session before the next session of high intensity workout begins. Due to which, the body can endure the high intensity sessions that are uncommon otherwise.

A sample list of exercises you can include in your regular workout sessions:

• Warm up – 5 minutes
• Moderate-paced jogging – 1 minute
• Fast-paced sprint – 20-30 seconds (repeat about 7 – 10 times)
• Relax/Cool down – 5 minutes

There’s no strict rule to limit you to these exercises alone. You can choose to alternate the above activities with the ones below:

• On the spot jogging or marching/skipping (jump rope)
• Cycling (vary the speeds to alternate between fast and moderate intensities)
• Burpees

These 15 to 20 minute sessions will accelerate your heart beat during the high intensity sessions and during the moderate intensity sessions, let your body relax and get ready for the next high intensity session.

A 30 to 40 minute high intensity inteval workout session can burn more calories than the normal 40 minute cardio excercises.

Interval training with high intensity workouts are much more effective when paired with resistance training (using weights). The resistance training should, however, be completed before the high intensity interval training workout session.

Avoid any normal cardio workouts following your resistance training. This will make your body recede to the anabolic phase. On the other hand, the combination of the two, high intensity interval training and resistance training will induce further hastening of the body's metabolism, that helps repair the body muscles. Every body building and weight lossprogram must, therefore, consider this training an inherent part for its irrefutablebenefits with respect to effectiveness and time.

For even quicker and safe results, follow your HIIT workout with  suitable workout recovery nutrition.