Before we break down the difference, I want to make something clear: If you love doing videos labeled “HIIT,” and they’re part of an exercise routine that makes you genuinely happy, keep on doing them. I’m not trying to take away a thing that you love.
High-intensity interval training was born as a buzzword after exercise scientists noticed that people got better at the Wingate test every time they took it. The Wingate protocol calls for people to pedal a stationary bike all-out, at a high resistance, for a pukeworthy 30 seconds. Then you get to rest for four minutes, and do it again.
These are not workouts that people do for fun. Everyone I’ve seen recount the experience has said that it was complete agony. The scientists often note that people can rarely push themselves hard enough to replicate these protocols on their own. Workout classes and videos don't push you that hard, either. Peloton offers "Tabata" classes that ask you to do those four-minute blocks several times in the same workout, meaning you definitely didn't push yourself to exhaustion on the first one.
Another accessible version of HIIT is the Norwegian 4x4, which uses four-minute intervals at a hard but not exhaustive effort, with three minutes' rest in between, repeated four times. This takes longer than the HIIT protocols I mention above—about 40 minutes for a complete workout—but it's been shown to be effective for cardio gains.
How do newer HIIT videos compare?
HIIT’s popularity had been building for years when COVID hit, and from there it exploded. If you’re a trainer or influencer trying to come up with something you can easily film, you’ll probably gravitate to no-equipment home workouts. And to make them sound exciting, you’ll call them HIIT.
You can tell how far removed these workouts are from real HIIT by judging the promises they make. Are they saying they’ll improve your VO2max, which was one of the original benefits noted? They won’t—not usually. Let’s do a quick rundown:
Do they burn more calories after the workout? In theory, your body keeps burning calories after a hard workout session. But there are two caveats: First, this is only significant when the workout is really intense. Second, after you do a hard workout, your body often wants to conserve calories for the rest of the day, so it all evens out while you’re lying on the couch. Even Gibala has said that afterburn is overstated.
Do they build muscle? Maybe a little, but they won’t get you the booty/arms/whatever of your dreams. You optimize muscle growth with strength training routines that ask you to lift heavy and then rest until you're recovered again—usually at least one minute, often longer. "HIIT" workouts that keep you moving the whole time, or that only have short rests, can build some muscle, but pretty soon you’ll be strong enough that the workout isn’t challenging your muscles enough to grow. You really do need to train increasingly heavy if you want to build muscle.
How do I know if an HIIT video is actually good?
As I mentioned above, sometimes we do “HIIT” videos not for any specific outcome, but because it feels good to move our bodies and we like the moves in the video. This is fine and good, and it definitely counts toward the 75 to 150 minutes of exercise you should be getting weekly. But if you have specific goals, seek out the best ways to achieve them. Chances are, there’s something out there that’s better for you than yet another “HIIT” video.
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