Why is there no option for HIIT or even just Interval Training??

Options
gemmamgreen
gemmamgreen Posts: 6 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I think it's pretty weird that there is no option to add a HIIT workout to my daily planner. It's a pretty standard workout these days so why isn't it an option?
Anyone else noticed this?

Replies

  • jeffd247
    jeffd247 Posts: 319 Member
    Options
    Maybe because there's too many variations of HIIT workouts?
  • gemmamgreen
    gemmamgreen Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    jeffd247 wrote: »
    Maybe because there's too many variations of HIIT workouts?

    True but the general format is the same across the board? 2 - 3 minutes work at 80 - 90% intensity then 30 seconds rest? It's only as varied as Spinning for example?
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Options
    HIIT isn't a workout. It's a type of workout. If you say you spent 20 minutes "doing HIIT" do you mean running sprint intervals, riding hills repeats on a bike, what?

    Kind of impossible to estimate how many calories you burned for you without knowing what you did.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    gemmamgreen wrote: »
    jeffd247 wrote: »
    Maybe because there's too many variations of HIIT workouts?

    True but the general format is the same across the board? 2 - 3 minutes work at 80 - 90% intensity then 30 seconds rest? It's only as varied as Spinning for example?

    Nice description of HIIT - but it's one of many protocols, plus 90% of what gets described as HIIT actually isn't.
    It's also fiendishly hard to estimate a reasonable calorie burn for most activities.

    Intervals is an even wider subject, in summer my cycling might include hill repeats as interval training (10 minute climb, 4 minute descent). When I switch to winter training some of my intervals are 12 minutes hard, 12 minutes easy or 3 minute intervals easy/moderate/hard/extreme.
  • gemmamgreen
    gemmamgreen Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    HIIT isn't a workout. It's a type of workout. If you say you spent 20 minutes "doing HIIT" do you mean running sprint intervals, riding hills repeats on a bike, what?

    Kind of impossible to estimate how many calories you burned for you without knowing what you did.

    I see your point, maybe they could have a few options like sprints/cycling/plyometrics etc. They have "Circuit Training" as an option which as with HIIT can incorporate many different methods of training.
    Maybe the answer is to just get a heart rate monitor and be done with it lol :)
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited October 2016
    Options
    gemmamgreen wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    HIIT isn't a workout. It's a type of workout. If you say you spent 20 minutes "doing HIIT" do you mean running sprint intervals, riding hills repeats on a bike, what?

    Kind of impossible to estimate how many calories you burned for you without knowing what you did.

    I see your point, maybe they could have a few options like sprints/cycling/plyometrics etc. They have "Circuit Training" as an option which as with HIIT can incorporate many different methods of training.
    Maybe the answer is to just get a heart rate monitor and be done with it lol :)

    HRMs tend to massively over-estimate for high intensity intervals - your HR is elevated during the rest/recovery period out of proportion to the actual work you are doing.
    A power meter is a better option if you have access to one.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
    Options
    For CrossFit, I manually calculate 12 cals/min of actual work (excluding warm-up, strength training, rest periods, stretching), so if I'm there an hour and I do an actual 12 minute workout (MetCon), I would calculate 144 calories (and would probably log 125). This approach has worked for me over the long haul, because I consistently evaluate my calorie intake and losses.
  • gemmamgreen
    gemmamgreen Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    As in a bicycle power meter? I don't do cycling for HIIT I do mainly Plyo and Calisthenics :)
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited October 2016
    Options
    gemmamgreen wrote: »
    As in a bicycle power meter? I don't do cycling for HIIT I do mainly Plyo and Calisthenics :)

    Down to a bit of "guesstimation" then!
    (I'd be tempted to simply use the "circuit training" entry for simplicity if not accuracy.)

    I use a power meter equipped indoor bike and also use a good HRM calibrated to my personal settings - for steady state exercise they pretty much agree on calorie estimates.
    For interval training they diverge wildly (c. 25%) even though my HR recovery is pretty good.

Categories