High Intensity Interval Training
by Andrea Dietrich , B.Kin., CSEP-CPT Fitness and Training Coordinator, Recreation Services at the University of Manitoba High intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, is on trend these days; however it is not necessarily a new concept. Distance athletes have been using HIIT training for years, though it has gone by another name: fartlek. Fartlek is a combination of Swedish words that translate to speed play. Runners will often use this type of workout to get faster at their craft by running at various intensities for a shorter duration of a workout. So what exactly is high intensity interval training? We see HIIT as short burst of intense exercise followed by a brief period of recovery or less-intense exercise, typically in a 45-second workout to 15-second recovery ratio. Because of the time engaged in activity and the level of intensity, our bodies rely on carbohydrates as fuel for the working muscles. However muscles also produce by-products that lead to muscle fati