High intensity interval training only works with 60-second intervals

HIIT workouts, such as those offered by F45 and Barry’s Bootcamp, are only effective when done in minute-long increments, according to new research.

High intensity interval training only works with 60-second intervals

Jerome Doraisamy

Last Updated: 20 December 2019 Published: 19 December 2019

High intensity interval training (HIIT) – referring to cardio exercise in short bursts (i.e. anywhere from 20 to 90 seconds) – is a time-efficient alternative that has been making headlines in the last decade. Home-based HIIT workouts are particularly popular given how it removes barriers such as the time and money required to go to the gym.

But, HIIT is only effective for improving fitness when performed at 60-second intervals, according to new research from Liverpool John Moores University.

Researchers compared two popular HIIT protocols (6-10 60-second intervals with 60 seconds of rest and 4-8 30-second intervals with 120 seconds of rest) performed for six weeks, three times per week, in a sample of 26 previously sedentary men and women.

They kept track of training adherence and intensity remotely via a heart rate monitor that fed info through a mobile app and looked at three parameters of fitness: aerobic capacity, stiffness of arteries, and body composition (meaning how much muscle and fat they had) during the six weeks of HIIT.

Aerobic capacity increased after six weeks of 60HIIT, but they found that there was no difference for 30HIIT on any of the three parameters.

“This means that 60HIIT should be used over 30HIIT because the former improves fitness whereas the latter doesn’t,” the researchers said.

Hannah Church, one of the researchers involved, said: “In order for people to get the most out of HIIT, which may be the answer to the difficulties of paying for and getting to the gym, we need to get the timing right.”

“Our research showed just how important this is, because we found that 30-second intervals with 120 seconds of rest meant that participants’ heart rates didn’t stay up. 120 seconds is just too long to be resting for!”

Jerome Doraisamy

Jerome Doraisamy is a senior writer for Lawyers Weekly and Wellness Daily at Momentum Media.

Before joining the team in early 2018, Jerome is admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales and, prior to joining the team in early 2018, he worked in both commercial and governmental legal roles and has worked as a public speaker and consultant to law firms, universities and high schools across the country and internationally. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines self-help book series and is an adjunct lecturer at The University of Western Australia.

Jerome graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Social Inquiry).

You can email Jerome at: [email protected]