REHIT stands for reduced-exertion high, intensity training. It's a time-efficient training approach inspired by high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT is exercising in short bursts of intense effort, followed by a low-intensity recovery.
The major difference between a REHIT workout and a HIIT workout is a HIIT workout typically lasts for 30 minutes. A REHIT workout can take as little as 7 minutes and 40 seconds: a 3 minute warmup, a 20 second max sprint, a two minute recovery period, a second 20 second max sprint, ending with a two minute cool down.
Does a workout that short too good to be true? Yes and no.
Yes, in that those 20 second max sprints are harder than you might think.
No, in that a vast body of research shows you can get the same benefits of about an hour of traditional endurance training in 40 seconds' worth of intense exercise.
What's the secret?
The harder and faster you work out, the less exercise time is needed. Exercise intensity is more important than exercise duration. That's the secret of REHIT. Let's see why.
Did you know research has found people who walked a lot didn't live much longer than people who walked just a little bit? Who lived longer? The people who walked faster. Did it matter if those people walked a lot? No, it did not.
The same result was found for cyclists. Did it matter how many miles people cycled per day? You guessed it, no it did not. What mattered is how fast they cycled.
It's counter-intuitive, but intensity really does matter more than duration when it comes to health and longevity.
When you exercise, go hard. Exercise tells your body it needs to improve itself; it needs to change and adapt so that next time, your body will perform better and be less stressed.
How does your body know? It senses decreases in the fuel stores of muscle cells. Normally, it takes over an hour of moderate exercise to trigger these changes. That's a long time.
But something remarkable happens with interval training: it gives your body the same signals as endurance training with a lot less effort.
Intense exercise recruits more muscle fibers, which causes the fuel stores in the muscle cells to rapidly decrease. It's thought that this rapid decrease of energy stores triggers the same sort of exercise benefits as endurance training.
You get more pumping capacity in the heart, more malleable arteries, better glycemic control, fat loss, and a host of other benefits. If you're reading this, it's likely, you're already sold on the benefits of exercise, but like any smart person, you want those benefits with as little time and effort as possible. Max Workout has your back.
So it's not about how long you exercise; it's about exercising hard enough to draw down your energy stores fast enough that your body will give you all the amazing benefits of exercise in a fraction of the time. REHIT is how you make that happen.
But wait, there's one more secret: the change of intensity matters. You're probably used to working out at a moderate level for a long period of time. That's not the best use of your time.
Ideally, you want to go from a rest state to an all-out max sprint. The contrast in levels of effort matters to your body because it gives the best signal to your body that it needs to adapt and improve. And for even better results, you want to go from rest to a max sprint several times in a row.
Does doing all that on your own sound difficult? That's why we created Max Workout. It does everything for you.
Benefits of HIT
Research has found many benefits from high intensity exercise:
- Increased VO2 max.
- Decreased blood pressure.
- Lower all-cause mortality.
- Weight and fat loss.
- Increased insulin sensitivity.
- Improved cardiorespiratory fitness.
- Improved metabolic health.
- Increased muscle mass.
- Increased ability of mitochondria within cells to generate energy.
All gained in the least amount of exercise possible.
High Intensity, Not High Impact
Many people like interval training more than traditional continuous exercise. It’s over quicker. You get more benefits with less work. Twenty minutes of intervals can burn more calories than fifty minutes of continuous exercise. And people like the short attainable goals where you can succeed rather than slogging through another marathon workout with hard-to-see results.
One problem with high-intensity exercise is the potential for injury. But high intensity doesn't have to mean high impact.
A high-intensity sprint can be any activity that helps you reach the target perceived exertion level for the sprint. That includes, but is not limited to, running, sprints, stairs, jumping rope, lifting weights—it doesn't matter.
And it doesn't have to be high impact. Elliptical machines, walking, swimming, stationary bikes, treadmills, and rowing machines are all great low-impact ways to exercise at a high intensity. There are ways to get the benefits of interval training without hurting yourself. You just need to be a little creative.
Seamlessly Add REHIT Workouts Into Your Life
Is it still too good to be true? Not at all. REHIT works. You can read all about it in the research we've collected for you.
Please, make up your own mind, but we're betting you'll find the benefits of REHIT compelling. The next step is how do you add REHIT workouts into your routine?
Max Workout makes it as easy as possible for you to add REHIT workouts into your life, so you can start getting all the health and fitness benefits as soon as possible.
Max Workout offers a large variety of different workouts. All the details are taken care of for you. All you have to do is follow along. It's never been easier to get and stay in shape in 23 minutes a week.