HIIT me, baby, one more time!

distinctlybeautiful

Yeah, I just referenced Britney Spears. What of it?

But seriously, two questions!

Do the lengths of the intervals matter? (I tend to keep my rest intervals at half the length of my intense intervals.)

Is it effective even if I'm not at 100% effort? (I definitely sprint, but I'm not sure I'm at 100%. Being on a treadmill - combined with being a total klutz - makes me too nervous to push it and find out if it's really 100%.)

Thanks y'all!

distinctlybeautiful

Ok, it only posted the first line of my question! I'll retype it now!

robertw486

distinctlybeautiful wrote: »

Ok, it only posted the first line of my question! I'll retype it now!

And here I was thinking you had a closet Britney Spears thing, since you usually don't post one liners!

robertw486

distinctlybeautiful wrote: »

Yeah, I just referenced Britney Spears. What of it?

But seriously, two questions!

Do the lengths of the intervals matter? (I tend to keep my rest intervals at half the length of my intense intervals.)

Is it effective even if I'm not at 100% effort? (I definitely sprint, but I'm not sure I'm at 100%. Being on a treadmill - combined with being a total klutz - makes me too nervous to push it and find out if it's really 100%.)

Thanks y'all!

I had no idea your corrected post would end up back on top.

Really I think HIIT has become a grossly overused term that could mean a million different interval training types. Not that I know where the line is really drawn in the sand... that's the thing.

Personally I think any higher effort intervals have their place. Regarding the length, I do know that on the Tabata protocols he actually tested two, and the shorter period of high intensity was deemed slightly more efficient. But that was due to the intensity being so high that people struggled to maintain it for the longer time period. In that case they were talking the difference between 20 and 30 seconds IIRC. The intensity level was so high that some people could not maintain it for the additional 10 seconds. But he did use the protocol that had 20 seconds of high intensity, and a 10 second rest. I have no real gauge how that would apply to the workload level you might use on a treadmill.

As for the second question, once again a matter of details. I would think even trying a Tabata type interval on a treadmill would be a recipe for a viral video of someone going end over end. I can completely understand setting a reasonable limit on the treadmill settings, and doing it within your comfort and safety levels.

From my own experimentation on my elliptical, the intensity level and length of the intervals are very closely related. The Tabata protocol I did was based on 20 second intervals, 10 seconds rest, at 170% of VO2max workload. Doing 6 or 7 of those intervals was hard freaking work. But knocking things down to 120% or so, I can go much, much longer on the high intensity side, as it takes a lot longer for the heart rate to spike up as you become oxygen deficient.


I would think any type of interval training would benefit most people. If you are pushing harder than usual, the muscles engage more, you overtax the aerobic system and engage the anaerobic system (hopefully, might vary with machines) and reap the benefits of essentially combining different types of exercises into one. I was actually surprised when I did the Tabata, as I expected it to be harder on the muscles and not as taxing on the breathing system. It was the opposite. My legs were handling it and could have done more. By the last interval I was breathing so hard I felt like I was 100 feet under water and had to make it to the surface.

LKArgh

distinctlybeautiful wrote: »

Yeah, I just referenced Britney Spears. What of it?

But seriously, two questions!

Do the lengths of the intervals matter? (I tend to keep my rest intervals at half the length of my intense intervals.)

Is it effective even if I'm not at 100% effort? (I definitely sprint, but I'm not sure I'm at 100%. Being on a treadmill - combined with being a total klutz - makes me too nervous to push it and find out if it's really 100%.)

Thanks y'all!

From what I have been told by trainers, unless your high intensity intervals have you feeling close to death in 10-20 seconds, it is not HIIT. Interval training is still a good way to train but it is not HIIT (and for most of us, it really does nto matter). I had a trainer demonstrate a few times the difference in effort that turned a spinning workout to HIIT, and the experience was every time definitely unpleasant while it lasted, a few people in the group definitely did not make the 20 seconds, and after a few intervals, we were all done for the day regarding exercise.

wanderinjack

This is why I stopped doing my tabatas while running. I was holding too much back. Now I do a tabata once a week (at home) and alternate every other week between a stationary bike and burpees. When I'm done, I'm really done and near passing out, I can barely walk to a place to lay down.

JQuinnLife

distinctlybeautiful wrote: »

Is it effective even if I'm not at 100% effort? (I definitely sprint, but I'm not sure I'm at 100%. Being on a treadmill - combined with being a total klutz - makes me too nervous to push it and find out if it's really 100%.)

100% or nothing! Don't leave anything behind, don't just find your limits, push past them.

I think it's incredibly important to set goals higher than you can expect to achieve, especially in terms of effort. You can't control much in life, but you can control the amount of effort you put into something.

Plus trust me, when you leave the gym after knowing you gave everything you had to your workout, you'll completely forget about whether or not the percentage of rest to exertion levels are spot on for optimal performance.

Cherimoose

Nage3000 wrote: »

100% or nothing! Don't leave anything behind, don't just find your limits, push past them.

I think it's incredibly important to set goals higher than you can expect to achieve, especially in terms of effort. You can't control much in life, but you can control the amount of effort you put into something.

Plus trust me, when you leave the gym after knowing you gave everything you had to your workout, you'll completely forget about whether or not the percentage of rest to exertion levels are spot on for optimal performance.

She said she has poor coordination skills. Probably doesn't want to be on the next gym fail compilation on Youtube. The extra 20 calories burned by sprinting faster might not be worth the risk.

distinctlybeautiful

Thanks! I appreciate y'all making the distinction between HIIT and interval training. That's something I hadn't thought about.

I'd been doing sprints lately because I'd been having a terrible time running for any distance, but that's not a problem anymore because I recently reduced my speed when trying to run steadily. That's made all the difference, and while I am interested in the little boost in fat loss that comes with interval training, I think I've found I'm more interested in distance running. The sprints will still have their place though.

Cherimoose wrote: »

She said she has poor coordination skills. Probably doesn't want to be on the next gym fail compilation on Youtube. The extra 20 calories burned by sprinting faster might not be worth the risk.

You got it! I'd also prefer to keep my teeth, and somehow I don't think a treadmill faceplant would be conducive to that!

wanderinjack

Time for a burpee tabata!