There are many fitness approaches and terms that can easily confuse someone just getting into a training program. Just with the products we carry here, you will hear things like “muscle confusion”, “sectional progression”, “lean phasing”, and “stacking”. Before long we will be adding High Intensity Interval Training to that list. This is the approach that Shaun T. takes with the Insanity workout program and it is one worth learning about.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is not unique to the Insanity workout. This type of training has been used for a long time but recently, within the last 10 years, has gained in popularity. The idea behind this approach to working out is extremely intense bursts of cardio activity marked with short “rest” periods. Don’t get it confused, these rest periods don’t involve taking a seat and catching your breath. Before you can recover, you will be back at it again with HIIT.

High Intensity Interval Training has taken the fitness world by storm with many people singing the praises of it. According to Jeff Bayer at AskMen.com, HIIT can burn up to 9 times more fat than a regular training session. This leads to dramatic changes in body composition in a relatively short amount of time.

HIIT works because it is so intense. You cannot claim to do a high intensity interval training session without giving it everything you’ve got, or you simply won’t see the benefits. According to Wikipedia quoting a study on HIIT, when done correctly HIIT raises your resting metabolic rate for 24 hours following a workout. This means that you will continue to burn fat at super-high levels for an entire day after your workout!

High Intensity Interval Training is what makes the Insanity workout system “insane”. You will, quite literally, push your body to limits you may not have known existed. Because of this, however, you will see results you have likely not seen before.