Here’s how HIIT workouts are risking your health

High-Intensity Interval Training or HIIT has a dedicated fan base as it burns more calories than any other form of fitness exercise, But it has health hazards as well. Doing it moderation is the key!

By: Sudhakar Jha | | Updated: August 13, 2018 4:54 pm

Lower your risk of type 2 diabetes with high intensity exercises © Shutterstock

HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a training technique that requires you to perform quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short and active recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns greater fat in less time. A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort and creates a shortage, thus causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery. This afterburn is the reason why HIIT helps burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts. But is this fitness fad doing more harm than good to you? Here are the risks involved with the training method.

Damage to kidneys: A study published in the American Journal of Medicine found instances of a condition called rhabdomyolysis, which is normally associated with military training camps, among newcomers to HIIT training regime. It was found that the people experience pain due to intracellular muscle constituents breaking down and leaking into their blood stream. The patients could feel that their muscles are melting and when it is left unchecked, the syndrome can lead to kidney damage. The researchers went on to find that there were many case studies of patients who went to A&E departments with symptoms of rhabdomyolysis following their first spin classes.

Increased risk of injury and fatigue: Almost all of us sit at our desks for 8 to 10 hours every day and hit the gym pre or post work hours. Also, it is very common for gymmers to start with an intense training, without warming up their bodies that includes activation of the muscle groups. As HIIT is convenient and popular among the gym-goers, people go for it when they’re new to (or just getting back to) exercise. Acclimatising is the key to HIIT and failure to do so increases the chance of injury. The inexperienced fail to focus on proper form and technique of doing the exercises, and that results in injuries that could be avoided. With intense burst of exercises, and no proper technique, injuries are pretty common and sometimes leads to ruined immune system, insomnia, irregular appetite, release of cortisol, that can lead to more fat gain.

No downgrade: HIIT workouts are structured in a way that there are no downgrades to it. And even the experienced gymmers are not immune to this problem associated with this workout regime. There are certain HIIT workouts which don’t offer a regression of the exercise or a different movement pattern once the participant’s form has broken down. In other words, there are no other options when your body starts to get tired as it requires you to keep moving. Hence, you are forced to continue with the same load of exercise and doing those remainder reps with sloppy form in an extremely fatigued state.

While HIIT has its share of benefits, it’s important to do it in moderation and under the guidance of an expert to prevent extreme fatigue, muscle breakdown and injuries.

Published: August 13, 2018 10:05 am | Updated:August 13, 2018 4:54 pm

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