There are various types of workout in trend today – HIIT, Yoga, Pilates, Boxing, Barre Workout, Zumba, CrossFit, Konga, Muay Thai, just name it and there should be a class listed in the schedule of your gym, or if you prefer a more professional and better experience, join the class offered by certain fitness centers that specialized in a specific workout.

Among all the different types of workouts available, the champion will be high-intensity interval training (HIIT) which has topped the list of the fitness trend worldwide.

Undeniably, HIIT is a time-efficient way of losing fats and the “afterburn” effect that we are craving for, will help us burn a lot of calories by committing ourselves 100% in HIIT in a short amount of time. However, is doing HIIT every day make us stronger, healthier, or slimmer?

1. Muscle Soreness

While HIIT offers plenty of benefits in a short amount of time, we should never overdo it before the negative effects impact on our health. For example, if we are still suffering from muscle soreness from yesterday’s HIIT workout, performing the same workout today will not help in fat loss.

In contrast, it will affect our performance, compromising our form due to the pain we feel from the muscles.

Let’s imagine, our muscles are ripped to shreds yesterday and before it can rebuild, we are using it again. This will slow down our muscle recovery and hence, it will not benefit us as it supposed to be. Plus, our metabolic rate remains high after the workout and our body constantly needs to work hard to return our body to a normal state. That is a lot of work to do and imagine if we ask our bodies to do it every day.

Photo Source: Guillaume Bolduc

2. Increases Chances of Injuries

Prevention of injuries has been stressed by a lot of experts, but it is still being neglected by many people.

The chances of injuries increase from the repetitive movement in HIIT without recovery time. For example, if you are doing HIIT on a treadmill, you might have ankle problems or joint pain over time if you do it every day. You might not see the effect now but in the long run, the symptoms will start to appear, and you will notice a decrease in your performance.

Besides, in accordance with the compromise form mentioned above that if you insist on doing a HIIT workout despite muscle soreness, it will increase the stress in our joints and lead to permanent injuries because we are not using the correct/targeted muscles. A proper form and technique are essential in a HIIT workout.

3. Overtraining and Mental Burnout

Yes, performing HIIT workout requires a tremendous amount of energy and if we do it every day, we will be exhausted- mentally and physically. We feel tired, fatigue and lack of motivation to exercise. Our mind and body will wear out.

Therefore, mix up your workout routine. We can try for other workouts that have different intensity, frequency, the time needed, and strength. It will be fun and interesting to try new things and challenge yourselves! Just schedule a yoga class or go for a slow jog in the park today.

Photo Source: THE 5TH

Generally, the recommended frequency for a HIIT workout should be at least 20 minutes per day for at least 3 days per week or 75 minutes per week.

Andrew Clements once said, “It’s not good to have too much of anything”. Thus, while HIIT is a trendy, efficient, and time-saving workout for us, we should have recovery between the workout to maximize the training effect.

Remember to rest when you need to because it is the way to love yourself and stay healthy!

Cover Photo:  Guillaume Bolduc || Morgan Petroski || John Fornander