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New research has confirmed that specific forms of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be the key to cutting fat from exercisers’ waistlines.

While it has been known for some time that HIIT is an effective way to burn fat, the recently published results of a study by the University of Nicosia in Cyprus have highlighted that HIIT has real waistline-reducing benefits.

The study tested two groups of exercisers.

One group followed a conventional gym training program four days a week, the other did two conventional gym workouts and two workouts that included high-intensity interval training based LES MILLS GRIT™ cardio workouts a week.

Both groups trained for the same total amount of time each week.

At the end of the eight-week study, both groups saw a reduction in total body fat, but it was those doing high-intensity interval training who really took the fat burning up a notch.

Head of Research for Les Mills International, Bryce Hastings, says these individuals shed an average of 2.2 centimetres from their waistlines while also experiencing an overall loss of 2.2% visceral fat.

Hastings explains “visceral fat is the awful gut fat that clogs up organs and has been shown to increase the risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes.

“The people in this group also benefited from a significant increase in cardiorespiratory fitness, sprint speed, and arm strength.

“Getting a flat stomach can be hard for both men and women. It’s a soft spot that can be one of the most challenging to tone up but our research findings have really highlighted that LES MILLS GRIT is a method that works better than conventional training.”

While the results are significant, the length of the workouts was not.

Those who incorporated the the increasingly-popular training method didn’t need to slog it out for hours at the gym - the LES MILLS GRIT sessions they did twice a week were just 30-minutes long.

LES MILLS GRIT workouts are short, but explosive, combining intervals of speed and power training with body weight exercises such as squat jumps and lunges, they are designed to maximize calorie burn during the workout, and beyond.

Just two LES MILLS GRIT workouts a week can increase aerobic fitness, grow lean muscle tissue and amplify fat burn.

Click here to view the full study, titled ‘GRIT and abdominal fat’.

This latest research project is one of several studies carried out by Les Mills about the benefits of HIIT using LES MILLS GRIT.

Click here to contact Les Mills Asia Pacific via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

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