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

gemmamgreen

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?

jeffd247

Maybe because there's too many variations of HIIT workouts?

gemmamgreen

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

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

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

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

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

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

As in a bicycle power meter? I don't do cycling for HIIT I do mainly Plyo and Calisthenics

sijomial

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.