How Often Should You Do Hiit?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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That translates on average to

two 30 to 45-minute HIIT workouts a week

. If you’re properly conducting a HIIT workout, a 30-minute workout would include 15 minutes of HIIT and 15 minutes of recovery. So, two a week would be just fine.

How often should I do HIIT to lose weight?

To reap the benefits of HIIT, Rondel recommends doing HIIT workouts

two to three days a week

. You should also strength train to lose fat and build muscle – aim for two to three days of strength training a week, Rondel said.

Is 20 minutes of HIIT enough?

I’ve found that

the sweet spot is somewhere in the 20-30 minute range

. If your workout lasts any more than 30-minutes, you’re probably not working hard enough to optimize the benefits of HIIT.

How often should I do HIIT workouts?

Doing HIIT

two to three times a week

is more than enough, and you should aim to recover at least 48 hours between your workouts, per the ACE. LISS cardio is a great way to add variety to your workouts and prevent overtraining.

Can I do HIIT 5 days a week?


Gottschall recommends that you only introduce HIIT after at least six months of consistent exercise, doing a mix of cardio and resistance training across five days a week

. “At this point you can replace one cardio session with one or two shorter HIIT sessions, separated by two sleep cycles.”

Can I do HIIT 6 days a week?

HIIT done wrong could lead to injuries, burn out, and loss of motivation to continue. Realize that your body can only handle so much intense exercise per week.

If you attempt to do HIIT and full-body weight lifting sessions 5 or 6 days a week, it’s only a matter of time before your system crashes

.

Can I do HIIT 2 days in a row?

Since HIIT in particular involves every muscle group in the body,

you should only be doing it every other day at most to give your body time to rebuild

, Gallucci said. But any form of cardio that’s light-to-moderate intensity is A-okay to do daily, unless that involves targeting one specific area especially hard.

How long does it take for HIIT to see results?

If you are looking to increase cardiovascular fitness and VO2 max, HIIT can offer results in

6-8 weeks

. If you are looking to lose fat using HIIT, the results are 100% dependent on your ability to place yourself in a calorie deficit, which HIIT can help with, but is not the only factor involved in weight loss.

Can you do HIIT on rest days?

If done regularly, HIIT will help you lose weight and build muscles. Although it’s an efficient mode of workout when it comes to achieving quick results,

overdoing cardio and HIIT or doing it on rest days can prove to be a double headed sword

. It can both harm and benefit you.

Is HIIT better than cardio?



HIIT is a great way to lose weight in less time

. Most people can burn the same number of calories in a 20-minute HIIT workout than they can in performing constant cardio or strength training for 45 minutes. HIIT also increases lung capacity and blood flow within the body.”

Is it better to do HIIT in the morning or evening?

Morning exercise has been found to increase cognitive abilities as effectively as a cup of coffee, and has also been shown to improve decision-making later in the day. Therefore,

doing HIIT in the morning may lead to a more productive day, with higher levels of focus and thinking abilities

.

Is it better to do HIIT or cardio first?


Many say that it’s better to perform your cardio beforehand

, as it gets your heart rate up and can serve as a warm-up for your body. Performing some cardio right before you weight train can be a nice warm up, but you can also target your warmup. For example, if you’re working chest, try warming up on a rower.

How often should I do HIIT per week?

That translates on average to

two 30 to 45-minute HIIT workouts a week

. If you’re properly conducting a HIIT workout, a 30-minute workout would include 15 minutes of HIIT and 15 minutes of recovery. So, two a week would be just fine.

How much HIIT should you do a week?

So how much HIIT should I do?

Two to three days a week

is a solid amount of HIIT, says Wong, as long as you build in 24 hours of rest and recovery between sessions. So if your goal is to work out four times per week, he recommends two HIIT sessions and two resistance training sessions.

Can I do 15 min HIIT everyday?

Vigorous means high-intensity training (HIIT) – meaning that

15 minutes a day works, but only if you’re going hard

.

Can I do HIIT twice a day?

TWICE PER DAY CAN LEAD TO EXTRA CALORIE BURN

are getting so much attention. But

intense exercise such as HIIT can be dangerous to do every day, and even more at risk to do twice a day

. Aim to have up to one of the daily workouts at or near maximum effort.

How do I know if Im doing too much HIIT?

  1. Your Resting Heart Rate Gets Whacked Out. Monitoring your resting heart rate can be a good indicator that you’re training too hard, says Gibala. …
  2. You’re Having Trouble Sleeping. …
  3. You’re Always Tired And Dread Working Out.

Can you overdo HIIT?

Overdoing any type of exercise can spell damage for your body, but with HIIT, it’s important to be especially cautious. Recent research has shown that

performing too much high-intensity exercise may undo the very benefits you started doing it for in the first place.

Does HIIT burn belly fat?

HIIT to the rescue? Can HIIT reduce stomach fat? The answer is yes, according to a 2018 meta-analysis, which looked at 39 studies involving 617 subjects. “

HIIT significantly reduced total (p = 0.003), abdominal (p = 0.007), and visceral (p = 0.018) fat mass

,” the study’s authors said.

Can HIIT replace cardio?

“Numerous research studies have shown that

HIIT programs can yield similar cardiovascular improvements when compared to more traditional, steady-state exercise programs

, like running or cycling,” Kusmiesz said.

How long should a HIIT session be?

The total duration of a HIIT session should be about

30-60 minutes

in length, with warm up and cool down included in that time. HIIT Ratios: As written above, each high intensity interval consists of a work phase and recovery phase.

Should I rest after HIIT?

Rest up to recover.

This process, called hypertrophy, is how muscles grow stronger. As with most repair processes in the body, you do your best work in rest mode.

Getting at least six hours of sleep after your HIIT class is key to giving your body the rest it needs to repair and adapt.

Should you have a rest day after HIIT?

Physical recovery: The best thing you can do after a HIIT workout is to keep moving — slowly.

A few minutes of walking or slow cycling gives your heart a smoother transition from work to rest and keeps your blood flowing, delivering more nutrients and oxygen to your fatigued muscles.

How much weight can I lose in a month with HIIT?

Adding HIIT to your routine can be an incredibly effective tool to lose

10 pounds

in a month. In fact, one study in nine men compared the effects of HIIT to running, biking and resistance training, demonstrating that a 30-minute HIIT session burned 25–30% more calories than the other activities ( 33 ).

Does HIIT make you bulky?

HIIT exercises do build muscle, which is a good thing, as it helps your metabolism. But

doing too much HIIT, or the wrong type of HIIT exercises, can cause you to gain unwanted bulky muscle

.

Will HIIT workouts get me ripped?


HIIT, when done properly, burns more calories than a steady cardio workout which causes you to shred the excess fat while you don’t lose any of your hard earned muscle mass

.

James Park
Author
James Park
Dr. James Park is a medical doctor and health expert with a focus on disease prevention and wellness. He has written several publications on nutrition and fitness, and has been featured in various health magazines. Dr. Park's evidence-based approach to health will help you make informed decisions about your well-being.