Exploring “Reduced High Intensity Training”

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You have probably heard of High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT. It is a traditional training protocol of about thirty minutes and is performed at very high intensity, with recovery intervals. Hence its name.

I would like to introduce you to REHIT: Reduced Exertion High Intensity Training. It’s a fairly new exercise protocol derived from HIIT.

An interesting concept

The REHIT protocol is a training session nine minutes in length composed of two twentysecond sprint sessions sandwiched between three-minute recovery periods.

A recent study from Western Colorado University performed an eight-week study of the REHIT protocol, and the results were quite astonishing. Researchers saw a 12 per cent increase in cardiorespiratory fitness, and 62 per cent decrease in the metabolic syndrome score (MetS).

In the REHIT study, the twenty-second sprints were done at very high intensity on a bike, and depleted the muscle glycogen stores, causing a chain reaction in the body that elicited positive changes at different levels.

Can REHIT replace your regular workout? The researchers actually said no (and I agree). But it can be included a few times a week in an overall training plan. If you have time constraints, this fits easily into a tight schedule.

Give REHIT a try

A bike set up on an indoor trainer, or a stationary spin bike, is the perfect place to give REHIT a try this winter. The protocol is three minutes at low intensity, then twenty seconds of all-out high resistance, followed by three minutes of recovery… and repeat once more; after nine minutes, you’re done.

The key is very high intensity followed by sufficient recovery periods. Can this be applied to different activities? I don’t see why not. It will be interesting to see more research on this emerging protocol.

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Robert Roy

 

Robert Roy118 Posts

Kinésiologue reconnu, Robert Roy utilise l’exercice à des fins de prévention, de réhabilitation et de développement athlétique. Il cumule plus de 30 ans d’expérience auprès d’athlètes de tous les niveaux. Il a fondé le Quartier Général RobFit afin d’offrir un environnement d’entraînement hors pair dans la région. / Well-known kinesiologist and seasoned professional, Robert Roy uses exercise for its preventive and rehabilitative virtues as well as for athletic development. With over 30 years of experience with athletes of all levels, he founded and leads the RobFit KinCenter, the preeminent kinesiology facility in the region.

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