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How many days should I rest after HIIT?

Author

William Rodriguez

Published Jan 06, 2026

As with most repair processes in the body, you do your best work in rest mode. Getting at least six hours of sleep after your HIIT class is key to giving your body the rest it needs to repair and adapt.

How many days rest between HIIT workouts?

That said, HIIT is extremely taxing on the body, so you shouldn't do it every day. Doing HIIT two to three times a week is more than enough, and you should aim to recover at least 48 hours between your workouts, per the ACE.

Should you take a rest day after HIIT?

Because HIIT forces you to work to max exertion with minimal rest, you need to take some recovery days in between your sessions to allow your muscles to re-charge. Doing HIIT two to three times a week is enough to reap its benefits without going overboard.

How long does it take to recover after HIIT?

We saw that even when training is continued throughout the post-HIIT recovery period, the time taken to recover to a pre-HIIT state can occur anywhere between 6-38 h depending on the HIIT session, the individual, and recovery measure assessed (Figure 4).

Is it OK to do HIIT every day?

HIIT is a great, safe, and effective workout, but there's no need to do it every day. Keep it to three times per week. You'll still reap the benefits and give your body time to recover properly. Aaptiv has strength training and HIIT workouts you can do at any time.

16 related questions found

Does HIIT burn belly fat?

Can HIIT reduce stomach fat? The answer is yes, according to a 2018 meta-analysis, which looked at 39 studies involving 617 subjects. “HIIT significantly reduced total (p = 0.003), abdominal (p = 0.007), and visceral (p = 0.018) fat mass,” the study's authors said.

Is it OK to do HIIT 5 days a week?

Gottschall recommends that you only introduce HIIT after at least six months of consistent exercise, doing a mix of cardio and resistance training across five days a week. “At this point you can replace one cardio session with one or two shorter HIIT sessions, separated by two sleep cycles.”

Is it OK to do HIIT 3 days in a row?

Aim For 3 to 5 HIIT Workouts Per Week

Completing a HIIT workout multiple days in a row doesn't leave your body much time to recover between sessions. The general recommendation is to leave 48 hours between intense workouts to maximize your muscle rebuilding and strengthening.

What should I do the day after HIIT?

Physical recovery: The best thing you can do after a HIIT workout is to keep moving -- slowly. A few minutes of walking or slow cycling gives your heart a smoother transition from work to rest and keeps your blood flowing, delivering more nutrients and oxygen to your fatigued muscles.

Can I do a HIIT workout two days in a row?

So how much HIIT should I do? Two to three days a week is a solid amount of HIIT, says Wong, as long as you build in 24 hours of rest and recovery between sessions. So if your goal is to work out four times per week, he recommends two HIIT sessions and two resistance training sessions.

Do I need rest days?

Short answer: yes. “Rest days are important to prevent overuse injuries, and to allow for muscles and body to recover from the exercise,” Debra explained. “You are creating small tears in the muscles as you work them, so it is important to give them rest.

Is 2 rest days a week too much?

It turns out, exercise experts pretty much agree on the number of rest days people who are in good shape and exercising regularly should take: On average, you should be taking two days per week for rest and active recovery.

What should I do on rest days?

Here are some examples of low-intensity activities to do on your rest day.

  1. Walking.
  2. Slow jogging.
  3. Biking.
  4. Yoga or tai chi.
  5. Dancing.
  6. Kayaking.
  7. Swimming.
  8. Rowing.

Can you do HIIT 6 days a week?

HIIT done wrong could lead to injuries, burn out, and loss of motivation to continue. Realize that your body can only handle so much intense exercise per week. If you attempt to do HIIT and full-body weight lifting sessions 5 or 6 days a week, it's only a matter of time before your system crashes.

How much HIIT Do I need to lose weight?

'To lose fat, high intensity interval training is the best way, you should be opting for 10-20 second intervals for eight reps with one minute rest,' he said. Lloyd suggests the ideal length of time for a HIIT workout session is 25 minutes for anywhere between two-four times a week.

Why am I so tired after HIIT?

According to Golden-Grant, after an intense workout session the water you drink has been used by your muscles to bring in more oxygen, so the rest of your body is likely to feel depleted.

How many hours after HIIT do you burn calories?

HIIT workouts burn calories quickly

If you're still not convinced, you will be when we tell you that you continue burning calories for about 3 to 16 hours after HIIT, due to a phenomenon called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).

Can I workout after HIIT?

Yes, you can do both weight training and HIIT on the same day. Most individuals who do so perform two separate training sessions on the same day to allow for recovery between sessions. If you choose to perform both in the same session, whichever is trained may not be trained to the same level of intensity.

Can you do HIIT back to back days?

HIIT Training

"High-intensity, total-body workouts (like burpees) don't provide the same muscular stress as classic strength workouts, so it's OK to do them on back-to-back days," says Pire.

Is 1 hour of HIIT too much?

Listen to your body, and don't overdo it.” High-intensity workouts should only be performed two to three times per week, according to both Shoecraft and Levine, to make space for adequate recovery and long-term results. Additionally, Levine discourages people from doing HIIT every day.

What happens if you do HIIT 3 times a week?

If you are looking to increase your cardiovascular fitness and health, one study indicated that doing HIIT three times a week (four sets of four minute work intervals with a three minute recovery interval) in very small doses can be an effective means at increasing cardiovascular fitness (6).

Is a 20 minute HIIT workout enough?

I've found that the sweet spot is somewhere in the 20-30 minute range. If your workout lasts any more than 30-minutes, you're probably not working hard enough to optimize the benefits of HIIT.

Is HIIT better than cardio?

HIIT is definitely better at burning calories and helping you shed unwanted pounds. The biggest reason is the anaerobic form of exercise. It burns more calories than cardio both during and after exercising. This phenomenon is called the afterburn effect, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) effect.

Is 20 minutes of HIIT too much?

Generally this goes on for 20–60 minutes, but for many people, 20 minutes is plenty. What's more, research suggests people find it more enjoyable than slower cardio work. While trainers agree HIIT is a useful tool in any workout regimen, there are some seriously compelling reasons you shouldn't do it too often.

How do you get a flat stomach with HIIT?

Belly fat exercises: Try this HIIT workout to target your abs

  1. Db Russian Twist + Overhead Press (20 reps)
  2. Seated Bicycle Figure 8 (20 reps)
  3. Forearm Side Plank + Thread a Needle (10 reps each)
  4. Overhead Flutters (20 reps)
  5. Seated Jack Knife legs over Db (20 reps)