The VO2 levels in the blood determine how much oxygen is getting to the skeletal muscles and other parts of the body. HIIT has shown to significantly enhance VO2 levels in the body and enhances stroke volume. Since the stroke volume is enhanced through high intensity workouts, more blood gets sent to the body every single time the heart contracts. This is a good thing for the skeletal muscles since they start getting more blood.
The circulatory system of the body is responsible for transport of nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and other organs. When the skeletal muscles get more blood, they also get more oxygen and nutrients. This is essential for proper growth and functioning of the muscles.
Using this oxygen, they can respire and release energy using the mitochondria present in them. At the same time, the amino acids in the nutrients are further used for repair and for synthesis of new proteins that are needed for the muscles.
High intensity workouts also increase cardiac contractility which refers to the force with which the heart pumps blood. As the pumping force is increased, the blood reaches all muscles and organs of the body. When skeletal muscles get more blood, they build up endurance. It is due to this excessive endurance that the individual has shorter recovery time and can perform much better in gym sessions.
HIIT Builds Endurance In Skeletal Muscles
High intensity workouts also build endurance in skeletal muscles. When you perform these exercises, the vasculature of the skeletal muscle is changed. The vasculature refers to the size and number of blood vessels that are present in the area. Due to these workouts, tiny blood vessels become apparent in the skeletal muscles.
They enhance the heart stroke by sending more blood to the heart. The muscles, when contracting, send blood back to the left ventricle of the heart. If more blood is being sent to the heart, it means more blood is being oxygenated too. Thus, heart stroke is enhanced and more blood is sent back to the body in oxygenated form. This increases the amount of nutrients getting to the muscles.
HIIT also enhances endurance by increasing the strength of muscle fibres. The muscles fibres are made up on proteins. In high intensity workouts, the blood circulation is enhanced and more of these proteins are being made using the amino acids present in the blood. This enhances the flexibility of the muscle fibres and makes them stronger.
Motor Units And HIIT
The skeletal muscle fibres have something called motor units. These units are important for signalling in the muscles and for building endurance. High intensity workouts increase the number of motor units present in the body. This can aid in two things.
• If more motor units are present in the skeletal muscles, then muscle coordination improves and the person has better endurance.
• Motor units also help to reduce the fatigue time for exercises. As such, anyone with enhanced motor units does not tend to get tired quickly.
Does HIIT Affect Qmax?
Qmax is referred to the maximum amount of blood that your heart can pump to the body in a minute. It has been seen in studies that high intensity workouts have little or no significant effect on Qmax. On the contrary, low intensity workouts such as aerobic workout plans are great for increasing Qmax.
Therefore, HIIT takes cardiovascular pathways to increase endurance. It increases the density of mitochondria in the cells along with enhancing the functioning of mitochondrial enzymes. Furthermore, it strengthens the muscle fibres by giving them more proteins for repair and strength. High intensity workouts also increase endurance by overall increasing the VO2 max and by keeping the oxygen volume in the blood high at all times, for transfer to the skeletal muscles.
HIIT Supplements 2
Healthy Diet
Drink plenty of Water
What is HIIT?
Science of HIIT