HIIT vs steady cardio
Minute for minute, your hard intervals burn far more than jogging. But a HIIT session is short and full of rest, so in total it usually burns less than a longer steady run. What HIIT gives you is a big fitness boost in very little time, which makes it a great fit for busy days.
There's also the afterburn. After hard intervals your body keeps using extra oxygen while it recovers. Research puts this at roughly 6–15% of the workout's calories. It's a nice bonus, not a reason to skip a cool-down.
Calories are estimated with MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.). Real burn varies with fitness, effort and body composition, often by 10–20%.
HIIT calorie questions
How many calories does a 20 minute HIIT workout burn?
For a 75 kg (165 lb) person, 20 minutes of bodyweight intervals with equal work and rest burns roughly 130 to 160 calories, plus a little afterburn. Sprint or rowing intervals burn more.
Does HIIT burn more calories than running?
Per minute of hard work, yes. Per session, usually not, because HIIT includes rest and is shorter. A 40-minute steady run burns more in total than a 20-minute HIIT session. HIIT saves time and builds fitness fast.
What is the HIIT afterburn effect?
It's called EPOC: the extra oxygen your body uses after hard exercise to recover. It adds around 6 to 15% to the calories of the session, so a 250-calorie workout might give another 15 to 40.
How many calories does a Tabata workout burn?
A single 4-minute Tabata round burns roughly 30 to 45 calories for most people. With a 10-minute warm-up and cool-down, a full Tabata session lands around 75 to 100.
How often should I do HIIT?
Two or three sessions a week is plenty for most people. Your body needs time to recover between hard days, so mix in walking, lifting or easy cardio.