HIIT confusion

lostinwebspace

Hey all,

I'm doing HIIT running at 20 minutes a session for a 1:1 ratio. I've been doing this for a while, but took a break because I got sick of the exhaustion and switched to walks. I actually don't mind the walks! The longer sessions to meet the same calories was not an issue for me if I had the time to spare. So let's get that out: I enjoy the longer walks at a slower pace than I do the quicker HIIT sessions.

But...I've been reading about the benefits to HIIT over steady-state cardio (benefits aside from calories burned), and now I'm convinced it's time to get back into it. But I also read I might not be doing it effectively.

So here are some random questions if you'll bear with me.

1. I based how fast to sprint on my heart rate in relation to my max heart rate, but I learned that might be a bad way to measure how fast to sprint. How do I calculate my Vmax and Tmax? I know I could get a method online, but I always think after, "I could have pushed myself more," which would make me doubt I was actually at my Vmax and Tmax. I've never actually calculated these things, so can anyone give me a link or some info that cuts through all the doubt and says, "This is it regardless of your opinion after the fact on how much you pushed yourself"?

1b. Is VO2 max the same as Vmax?

2. I'm at a bulking phase. When I did HIIT, I ate back the calories--because I didn't want my hypertrophy to suffer--and just wanted the side benefits to HIIT like the afterburn and the added cardiovascular health. Is there any point to eating back the calories...or to doing HIIT during a bulking phase at all? I *do* have a few pounds of fat left to lose, maybe 3 or so, but I wanted to bulk up a little more before losing those last 3 pounds. Maybe HIIT will help lose the fat while preserving the muscles? Or will HIIT get in the way by using the calories that my body needs to bulk?

4. If I enjoy walks more, should I just stick to the walks? Or do they suppress hypertrophy worse than HIIT?

I'll probably have other questions that I think of later. Thanks!