High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has become really popular because it's great for our heart health. When we learn about how HIIT affects our heart both right away and over time, we can see why it's so beneficial and how to include it in our workout plans.
When you do HIIT, your heart reacts in a few noticeable ways right away:
Faster Heart Rate: One of the first things you’ll notice is that your heart starts beating a lot faster. During the tough parts of the workout, your heart rate can jump to 80-95% of its max speed. For example, if your max heart rate is about 195 beats per minute, you might hit over 150 beats per minute during a HIIT session.
Higher Blood Pressure: Your blood pressure goes up while you exercise to help deliver more blood to your muscles. This helps your body get the oxygen and nutrients it needs when you're working hard.
More Blood Pumped: The amount of blood your heart pumps in one minute goes way up during HIIT. It can go from about 5 liters a minute when you’re resting to around 20-25 liters a minute when you’re really pushing yourself, depending on how fit you are.
Blood Flow Changes: When you're working out hard, blood is sent more to your muscles rather than to other parts of your body like the digestive system. While you’re resting, your digestive organs get more blood, but during HIIT, your muscles can get up to 85-90% of the blood.
Increased Blood and Oxygen Levels: Short bursts of hard exercise can make your blood volume increase a little, which helps carry oxygen. After a tough workout, your blood cells can become more concentrated, allowing more oxygen to flow to your muscles.
If you do HIIT regularly, your heart starts to change in some great ways:
Better Oxygen Use: Doing HIIT can improve something called VO2 max, which shows how fit you are. A better VO2 max means your body uses oxygen more efficiently, helping you do better in endurance activities.
Lower Resting Heart Rate: With regular training, your heart gets better at pumping blood. Athletes often find that their resting heart rate drops from about 70 beats per minute to as low as 40-50 beats per minute.
Lower Blood Pressure: People who regularly do HIIT usually see their blood pressure drop a lot, which lowers their chances of high blood pressure in the future.
Changes to the Heart’s Size: Over time, HIIT can help your heart become stronger and bigger. This means it can pump more blood with each heartbeat, which helps your body get what it needs.
Healthier Blood Vessels: HIIT can help the cells lining your blood vessels work better. This leads to healthier blood flow and less chance of blockages that can cause heart problems.
In conclusion, HIIT leads to both quick changes and lasting improvements in heart health. By understanding how these changes happen, we can appreciate how much HIIT helps our hearts and fitness levels. So next time you’re working hard during a workout, remember that your heart is putting in a lot of effort now and helping you have a healthier future!
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has become really popular because it's great for our heart health. When we learn about how HIIT affects our heart both right away and over time, we can see why it's so beneficial and how to include it in our workout plans.
When you do HIIT, your heart reacts in a few noticeable ways right away:
Faster Heart Rate: One of the first things you’ll notice is that your heart starts beating a lot faster. During the tough parts of the workout, your heart rate can jump to 80-95% of its max speed. For example, if your max heart rate is about 195 beats per minute, you might hit over 150 beats per minute during a HIIT session.
Higher Blood Pressure: Your blood pressure goes up while you exercise to help deliver more blood to your muscles. This helps your body get the oxygen and nutrients it needs when you're working hard.
More Blood Pumped: The amount of blood your heart pumps in one minute goes way up during HIIT. It can go from about 5 liters a minute when you’re resting to around 20-25 liters a minute when you’re really pushing yourself, depending on how fit you are.
Blood Flow Changes: When you're working out hard, blood is sent more to your muscles rather than to other parts of your body like the digestive system. While you’re resting, your digestive organs get more blood, but during HIIT, your muscles can get up to 85-90% of the blood.
Increased Blood and Oxygen Levels: Short bursts of hard exercise can make your blood volume increase a little, which helps carry oxygen. After a tough workout, your blood cells can become more concentrated, allowing more oxygen to flow to your muscles.
If you do HIIT regularly, your heart starts to change in some great ways:
Better Oxygen Use: Doing HIIT can improve something called VO2 max, which shows how fit you are. A better VO2 max means your body uses oxygen more efficiently, helping you do better in endurance activities.
Lower Resting Heart Rate: With regular training, your heart gets better at pumping blood. Athletes often find that their resting heart rate drops from about 70 beats per minute to as low as 40-50 beats per minute.
Lower Blood Pressure: People who regularly do HIIT usually see their blood pressure drop a lot, which lowers their chances of high blood pressure in the future.
Changes to the Heart’s Size: Over time, HIIT can help your heart become stronger and bigger. This means it can pump more blood with each heartbeat, which helps your body get what it needs.
Healthier Blood Vessels: HIIT can help the cells lining your blood vessels work better. This leads to healthier blood flow and less chance of blockages that can cause heart problems.
In conclusion, HIIT leads to both quick changes and lasting improvements in heart health. By understanding how these changes happen, we can appreciate how much HIIT helps our hearts and fitness levels. So next time you’re working hard during a workout, remember that your heart is putting in a lot of effort now and helping you have a healthier future!