Knowledge Is Power

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At Train Together, we let the research speak for itself. Check out the following studies that explain why HIIT training is superior to all other training methods.

• Cardiovascular fitness

A 2015 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that HIIT training and traditional endurance training both lead to significantly improved cardiovascular fitness in healthy adults ages 18–45 but greater improvements in VO2 max were seen in those participating in the HIIT exercise regimen.[20]  Another analysis also found that HIIT regimens of one month or longer  effectively improve cardiovascular fitness in adolescents and lead to  moderate improvements in body composition.[21]  Furthermore, a separate systematic review and meta-analysis of seven  small randomized controlled trials found that HIIT (defined as four  intervals of four minutes at 85–95% of max heart rate with three-minute  intervals at 60–70% of max heart rate) was more effective than  moderate-intensity continuous training at improving blood vessel  function and markers of blood vessel health.[22]

• Cardiovascular disease

A 2015 meta-analysis comparing HIIT to moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) in people with coronary artery disease found that HIIT leads to greater improvements in VO2 max but that MICT leads to greater reductions in body weight and heart rate.[23]  A 2014 meta-analysis found that the cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by VO2 max, of individuals with lifestyle-induced chronic cardiovascular or metabolic diseases (including high blood pressure, obesity, heart failure, coronary artery disease, or metabolic syndrome) who completed a HIIT exercise program was nearly double that of individuals who completed a MICT exercise program.[24]  In a study published out of Arizona State in 2018 found that, "HIIE  protocols performed ∼18 h before ingestion of a high-energy fast food  meal attenuated but did not entirely eliminate postprandial endothelial  dysfunction in young men largely by improving fasting endothelial  function."  These findings suggest that HIIT training has a  physiologically protective mechanism associated with it which can carry  over into successive days of non-training.[25]

• Metabolic effects

HIIT significantly lowers insulin resistance compared to continuous training or control conditions and leads to modestly decreased fasting blood glucose levels and increased weight loss compared to those who do not undergo a physical activity intervention.[26]  Another study found that HIIT was more effective than  moderate-intensity continuous training at fasting insulin levels (31%  decrease and 9% decrease, respectively).[27] 

• Fat oxidation

A 2007 study examined HIIT's physiological effects on fat oxidation in moderately active women.[28]  The participants in the study performed HIIT (defined as ten sets of  4-minute cycling bursts at an intensity of 90% VO2max separated by 2  minutes of rest) every other day over a 2-week period. The study found  that seven sessions of HIIT over a 2-week period improved whole body fat  oxidation and the capacity for skeletal muscle to oxidize fat in  moderately active women. A 2010 systematic review of HIIT summarized the  results of HIIT on fat loss and stated that HIIT can result in modest  reductions of subcutaneous fat in young and healthy individuals, but  greater reductions for overweight individuals.[29] 

• Brain power

A 2017 study examined the effect of HIIT on cognitive performance among a group of children (N=318).[30]  The authors show that HIIT is beneficial to cognitive control and  working memory capacity when compared against "a blend of board games,  computer games, and trivia quizzes" and that this effect is mediated by  the BDNF  polymorphism. They conclude that the study "suggests a promising  alternative to enhance cognition, via short and potent exercise  regimens".

             20.

• Milanović  Z, Sporiš G, Weston M (October 2015). "Effectiveness of High-Intensity  Interval Training (HIT) and Continuous Endurance Training for VO2max  Improvements: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled  Trials". Sports Med (Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis). 45 (10): 1469–81. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0365-0. PMID 26243014. 

            21.       

• Costigan  SA, Eather N, Plotnikoff RC, Taaffe DR, Lubans DR (October 2015).  "High-intensity interval training for improving health-related fitness  in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis". Br J Sports Med (Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis). 49 (19): 1253–61. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2014-094490. PMID 26089322. 

            22.

• Ramos  JS, Dalleck LC, Tjonna AE, Beetham KS, Coombes JS (May 2015). "The  impact of high-intensity interval training versus moderate-intensity  continuous training on vascular function: a systematic review and  meta-analysis". Sports Med (Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis). 45 (5): 679–92. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0321-z. PMID 25771785.  23.
• Liou  K, Ho S, Fildes J, Ooi SY (July 2015). "High Intensity Interval versus  Moderate Intensity Continuous Training in Patients with Coronary Artery  Disease: A Meta-analysis of Physiological and Clinical Parameters". Heart Lung Circ (Meta-Analysis). 25 (15): 01269-X. doi:10.1016/j.hlc.2015.06.828. PMID 26375499.  24.
• Weston  KS, Wisloff U, Coombes JS (August 2014). "High-intensity interval  training in patients with lifestyle-induced cardiometabolic disease: a  systematic review and meta-analysis". Br J Sports Med (Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis). 48 (16): 1227–1234. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092576. PMID 24144531.  25.
• Tucker,  Wesley J.; Sawyer, Brandon J.; Jarrett, Catherine L.; Bhammar, Dharini  M.; Ryder, Justin R.; Angadi, Siddhartha S.; Gaesser, Glenn A. (2018).  "High-intensity interval exercise attenuates but does not eliminate  endothelial dysfunction after a fast food meal". American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 314: H188–H194. doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00384.2017. PMID 29101171. 26. 
• Jelleyman  C, Yates T, O'Donovan G, Gray LJ, King JA, Khunti K, Davies MJ  (November 2015). "The effects of high-intensity interval training on  glucose regulation and insulin resistance: a meta-analysis". Obes Rev (Meta-Analysis). 16 (11): 942–61. doi:10.1111/obr.12317. PMID 26481101. Compared  with CON, HbA1c decreased by 0.19% (-0.36 to -0.03, P = 0.021) and body  weight decreased by 1.3 kg (-1.9 to -0.7, P < 0.001).  27.
• Trapp, E. G.; Chisholm, D. J.; Freund, J.; Boutcher, S. H. (2008-01-15). "The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on fat loss and fasting insulin levels of young women". International Journal of Obesity. 32 (4): 684–691. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803781. ISSN 0307-0565.  28.
• Talanian,  Jason L.; Galloway, Stuart D. R.; Heigenhauser, George J. F.; Bonen,  Arend; Spriet, Lawrence L. (April 2007). "Two weeks of high-intensity  aerobic interval training increases the capacity for fat oxidation  during exercise in women". Journal of Applied Physiology. 102 (4): 1439–1447. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01098.2006. ISSN 8750-7587. PMID 17170203.  29.
• Boutcher, Stephen H. (2011). "High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss". Journal of Obesity. 2011: 1–10. doi:10.1155/2011/868305. ISSN 2090-0708. PMC 2991639. PMID 21113312.  30. Moreau D, Kirk IJ, Waldie, KE (2017). "High-intensity training enhances executive function in children in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial". eLife. 6:e25062. doi:10.7554/eLife.25062. PMC 5566451. PMID 28825973.