What are the benefits of high intensity exercise?
Introducing high intensity exercise has many benefits as they allow you to burn more energy over a shorter period of time and will result in greater fitness gains than lower intensity exercise. This will lead to a greater capacity to exercise in the future and will make day-to-day tasks (such as walking to the shops) much easier due to higher fitness thresholds. A commonly held misconception is that you will not lose weight during high intensity training because of lesser fat burning. However, while it is true that at higher intensities less fat is burnt as a percentage of total energy the total amount of fat burnt may be large due to the greater energy requirements of high intensity exercise. Research has found that an intensity of about 75-85% of your heart rate maximum (a relatively high intensity) is most efficient in burning fat. However, it is important to progress your exercise intensity according to your current fitness and health and advice from an exercise professional.
