Benefits of Short and Intense Exercises
Intense and short exercises have many advantages. This type of exercise is ideal for all kinds of people, but it’s especially good for people who are short on time.
It’s an excellent option to stay healthy through the regular practice of physical activity. Next, we’ll take a look at some of the most important benefits of intense and short-term exercises.
What are intense and short exercises?
Also known as HIIT workouts, intense and short exercises are one of the best options for making the most of your time during exercise.
This type of training has a high level of effectiveness and brings with it the same benefits as exercising with moderate intensity over a longer period of time.
But, what does a workout with high-intensity intervals consist of? These routines consist of exercising the body intensely for short periods of time, such as 30 seconds. As an example, there are routines and HIIT programs.
Gradually the intensity is lowered to a medium level for 40 or 45 seconds. Then, it rises again for 35 seconds and so on, varying the time between one interval and another. This type of training should not exceed 20 minutes a day.
The best benefits of doing intense and short exercises
1. Time is no excuse
Undoubtedly, one of the main advantages and benefits of intense and short exercises is time. This kind of training is especially recommended if you don’t have a lot of time to exercise.
Although it seems incredible, with less than 20 minutes a day you can enjoy amazing results with this kind of intense exercise. However, it’s necessary to have the minimum capacity to do them without physical decompensation.
2. Burn more calories
Another great benefit of intense interval training is that it generates greater fat and calorie burning. Hence, as explained above, extraordinary results can be observed in less time than estimated.
In practice, interval training not only burns more calories at the time of practice but also during the 24 hours after the exercise.
3. Improves cardiovascular health
The health of the heart also benefits from practicing intense and short exercises. In fact, scientific studies show us that following continued training practice, the risks of developing various heart diseases and diabetes reduces.
4. Loss of weight but not muscle
Generally, cardiovascular exercises are associated with the loss of muscle mass. One of the advantages of short, but high-intensity exercises, is that, although there is a significant decrease in fat and weight, the same doesn’t happen with muscle mass.
This practice maintains muscle mass, and can even increase it, depending on the types of exercises performed. This happens, mainly, because the training time is very short and it’s not enough to start spending the muscle.
5. Improves oxygen consumption
Oxygen consumption is understood as the capacity that muscles have and develop for effective consumption. Traditionally, oxygen consumption improves after performing physical activities such as running continuously or riding a stationary bicycle at a moderate speed.
Currently, it’s been shown that short and intense exercises are also very effective in improving oxygen consumption.
6. More efficient
Interval training is much more efficient than low or moderate intensity training for longer periods.
In a data analysis, an interval training four times a week with a duration of between 15 and 20 minutes practiced for two weeks, is equivalent to aerobic training with a duration of six or eight weeks.
Intense and short exercises are an excellent option for anyone who wants to improve their physical condition but doesn’t have the time to perform long sessions of cardio and weights in the gym.
Similarly, it’s also a type of training recommended for those who want to lose weight and see faster results, as well as for those who are worried about losing muscle tone. It’s without a doubt, a training method with many advantages and benefits.
