HIIT:When can it harm you?

High-intensity exercise or HIIT is considered one of the most effective workouts you can do because in a short time (30-40 minutes) you combine short periods of intense exercise with the same minutes of active recovery. The advantages of this method include fat burning, activation of metabolism, improved body composition. During intense exercise, our body is under stress because it thinks that it is under threat, thus it produces the hormone cortisol. At the same time, the sympathetic nervous system is activated and the “fight or flight” reaction too. The body has the same reaction when it is really under stress. The best introduction to the world of fitness is made through the specialized seminar “Fitness Science” offered by Base Training. One of the factors that makes HIIT training so effective is the production of cortisol. As your legs begin to move faster, your brain receives the message that your life is dependent on this movement and begins to produce cortisol and other hormones. Then various metabolic improvements are made in your body due to that demanding “experience” that you live. The problem starts when you do a lot of high intensity training and the cortisol in your blood exceeds normal levels. Symptoms of overtraining include: -chronic fatigue -exhaustion of muscles -mood changes -lack of physical and mental motivation -insomnia and sleep disorders -feelings of anxiety -decreased immune response and persistent diseases

What to do

As important as exercise is, so is rest and recovery. Only then will you be able to see the positive and not the negative results of HIIT training. During recovery you should pay great attention to proper sleep and a proper and balanced diet, do meditation and breathing exercises, do foam rolling or massages. HIIT training should be done 2-3 times a week and in between there should be days when you either do not exercise at all or do some low impact exercise. Giota Florou Source: www. healthline.com Recent Articles