How do you respond to High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?

HIIT works through short bursts of high energy activity, followed by longer active rest periods to recover.
Part of the reason why HIIT is so effective has to do with its ability to “switch on” certain genes that stimulate the growth of mitochondria, which in turn triggers many beneficial biological effects related to fitness.
A number of studies have shown that HIIT is extremely effective for regulating insulin, increasing endurance and losing body fat.
While the majority of people can expect to see improvements in their aerobic fitness (VO₂ MAX), about 15% can expect drastically improved results (super-responders) while about 20% of the population may not see any benefit at all (non-responders).
By learning how your DNA affects your HIIT response, you can begin to build a fitness regime that is most effective for you.

When it comes to fitness training, there is no end to the number of theories and techniques espoused by all the various professionals and gurus out there. And for every training method, it seems that there is a large following that swear by the technique but others for whom it does not seem to work at all.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is no exception. So why does a training technique that works for so many, prove ineffective for some? The answer is in our genes.

WHAT IS HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING?

One of the simplest ways to describe HIIT is that it is basically the opposite of cardio. Instead of getting the heart rate up and maintaining a steady pace, HIIT works through short bursts of high energy activity, followed by longer active rest periods to recover. An example would be sprinting at full speed for 10 seconds and then walking for a few minutes to lower the heart rate before sprinting again.

Part of the reason why HIIT is so effective has to do with its ability to “switch on” certain genes that stimulate the growth of mitochondria, which in turn triggers many beneficial biological effects related to fitness. While any type of exercise can do this, traditional cardio work-outs must be sustained for a much longer time period than HIIT work-outs to achieve this.[i]

A number of studies have shown that HIIT is extremely effective for regulating insulin, increasing endurance and losing body fat.[ii] In fact, HIIT works not only while you are training but afterward as well, helping you to burn calories 6-15% longer than you would from conventional cardio workouts.[iii]

This is great news for those who don’t mind putting in the extra level of effort that HIIT work-outs require. Unfortunately for some, putting in the same level of work simply won’t be as effective as it will for most.

THE ROLE OF GENETICS IN HIIT RESPONSE

For some time, the scientific community has understood that different people respond to various fitness regimes in different ways. HIIT response is no different. While the majority of people can expect to see improvements in their aerobic fitness (VO₂ MAX), about 15% can expect drastically improved results (super-responders) while about 20% of the population may not see any benefit at all (non-responders).[iv]

SO WHY TAKE A GENETIC TEST?

Let’s be clear – incorporating a certain amount of exercise into your lifestyle is a healthy choice regardless of your genetic make-up. Understanding how your genes contribute to your overall fitness, however, can be quite useful. For those who are lucky enough to discover that they are super-responders, those results may give them the motivation they need to start a fitness regime. And for those who are non-responders, it will show them that they may need to adapt their workout plan in order to make it more effective – for example, using longer rest periods.

HIIT workouts are an effective option for most people to burn fat and increase endurance, but like most things in life, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. By learning how your DNA affects your HIIT response, you can begin to build a fitness regime that is most effective for you.

[i] http://time.com/4893161/hiit-high-intensity-interval-training-exercise/

[ii] http://www.nature.com/articles/0803781

[iii] https://www.self.com/story/how-the-afterburn-effect-actually-works

[iv] http://www.sciencefocus.com/feature/genetics/high-street-genetic-tests-%E2%80%93-dr-michael-mosley-reports

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