Why Joe Wicks’ HIIT really is the secret to staying slim: Brutal flows of squats, burpees, and pushups claim more fat burn than just running, study says
- HIIT fanatics burn up to 0.13 grams more fat per minute than the activity they do
- This could lead to them losing an extra 10 kilograms over a decade, according to researchers
- The exercises include burpees, squats and push-ups with rest
A study has found that following Jo Weeks’ brutal exercise regimen is indeed the best way to lose weight.
The nation’s favorite teacher, nicknamed the Body Coach, is an advocate of high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
It burns sweat by making people do burpees, squats and push-ups with periods of rest.
But experts have now confirmed that it’s more effective at maintaining your waistline than traditional aerobic exercises, such as running or swimming.
Researchers claim that just three 30-minute sessions a week can turn your body into a “fat burning machine” — and they say it may work best for obese people.
According to a team of international researchers, those who do high-intensity interval exercise weekly burn up to 0.13 grams more fat for every minute of physical activity they do, compared to those who do no exercise. The exercises, which include barbells, squats and push-ups with rest, were made popular by Joe Weeks (pictured), who uploaded videos online as a body trainer.
They still encourage people to stick with other traditional forms of sweat burning.
Although the Victoria University Melbourne team encourages people to become HIIT fanatics.
Their calculations indicate that adding three quick sessions each week may help burn an additional 0.13 grams of fat per minute from exercise.
Over the course of a decade, those who engage in aerobic exercise for the recommended two and a half hours, theoretically may lose an additional 10 kg (22 lb).
“If you aren’t already doing it, you should probably try,” said study author Professor Zeljko Bedesic.
Several studies have shown that HIIT promotes fat oxidation – the process of breaking down fats stored in the body.
So far, however, researchers have not compared rates of fat oxidation among those who do HIIT with other forms of exercise.
To investigate, researchers pooled results from 18 studies, each of which looked at the amount of fat burned during workouts.
About 511 participants took part in supervised exercise – HIIT or moderate-intensity activities such as running and cycling – or did no exercise.
They were monitored for three sessions per week for two to 14 weeks.
The results, published in the British Journal, Sports Medicine, showed that just four weeks of HIIT training improved fat burning by an additional 0.08 grams per minute compared to those who did no exercise.
People who prefer traditional aerobic exercise, such as jogging, will also see an improvement in their fat metabolism.
The results showed that the benefit was lower than for those who used HIIT (0.03 grams per minute).
This means aerobic enthusiasts will need to exercise longer to see the same effects, the team said.
The researchers acknowledged that their findings were not foolproof because they included studies that used different training methods and in different populations.
They only monitored the effects for three months.
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