Intervals seem to have evergreen popularity in the fitness industry. They never go out of style! With everyone from olympic athletes to your mother trying interval routines you may be wondering: why are these workouts so popular? Should I give them a shot? Well, we’ve got answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about intervals to help you make a decision!

Are intervals better than running?

One of the most ongoing debates in the fitness industry is whether or not interval workouts like HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) are better than steady state cardio like running, walking or cycling.

We know that intervals are popular for a reason. While steady-state cardio works out your aerobic fitness capacities, HIIT intervals use both an aerobic and anaerobic fitness state. Training your anaerobic systems improves your endurance. This means that intervals not only improve your ability to do interval workouts, those fitness improvements will transfer to other sports.

Are Intervals good for weight loss?

Intervals are becoming one of the most widely-prescribed types of workouts for weight loss, and for good reason. When you’re trying to lose weight it’s important to make sure that you’re working smart. There are so many aspects to weight loss, keeping your exercise simple is key to maintaining your routine.

Intervals workouts can help you burn more calories and make significantly better improvements in your fitness in less time than other forms of exercise. Studies show that intervals workouts can quickly increase fitness markers. This makes exercise more enjoyable more quickly, and leads to calorie burn and an increased likelihood that you will continue exercising.

Interval workouts are also great for improving your insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a hormone that regulates how your body uses carbohydrates for fuel, and insulin is well known for its impact on weight. Overweight people often have significantly reduced insulin sensitivity, which can lead to overeating and reduced metabolism. Because interval workouts can so quickly improve insulin sensitivity they can lead to significant improvements in metabolic disease. This is extremely promising for weight loss, HIIT workouts seem like the best option for  a workout beginner who is trying to use their time wisely.

How do intervals burn fat?

Intervals may be the best tool for weight loss through exercise. We all know that weight loss is a huge part of exercise for a lot of people. They are super effective for calorie and fat burn for a few reasons.

Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption is a state where after you exercise your body ups its metabolic rate to bring your body back to the state it was in before exercise. Activating this system in your body keeps you burning calories long after exercise. Even when you're sitting still later, your body is still working.

EPOC is what we all want the most when we’re looking to burn fat. Rather than working all day at the gym, with a few changes to how we work out we can keep our metabolic fires burning all day long. Because studies show that interval training activates this response much better than other forms of exercise HIIT training is one of the best ways to burn more fat with less exercise.

Intervals also can get your heart rate very high very quickly. While steady cardio sometimes takes a long time to warm you up, intervals tend not to. When your heart rate is high you are burning more calories. By using a HIIT routine you can burn the most calories in a short time.

How do I track intervals?

FITIV Pulse is working on the perfect solution for all of your interval fitness needs! FITIV Intervals are the one-stop solution to workout planning and recording. Just choose your interval targets, start your workout on Apple Watch, and get prompts to help you maximize your workouts.

FITIV Intervals are coming soon, but if you want early access it's time to join our beta testing team. To download the FITIV beta tap here, our keep an eye out for updates in the App Store!

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