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What are your unpopular opinions about health / fitness?

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  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I would rather walk for 2 hours than HIIT for 30 minutes.

    IF, you could do HIIT for 30 minutes. Most can't, including me, and it's really recommended one doesn't. A typical program is 5 minute warm up, 5 intervals covering about 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down. If I did HIIT for 30 minutes, I'm sure I would be dead.
    I always get a laugh out of it when people say something like they jogged to the park, did their 30-minute HIIT workout, then jogged back home. If what you did was actually HIIT, you wouldn't have been jogging back home afterward. :D

    Shoot, 4 minutes of legit HIIT is enough to make your heart and lungs explode. 30 minutes of "HIIT" is a joke...
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    J72FIT wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I would rather walk for 2 hours than HIIT for 30 minutes.

    IF, you could do HIIT for 30 minutes. Most can't, including me, and it's really recommended one doesn't. A typical program is 5 minute warm up, 5 intervals covering about 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down. If I did HIIT for 30 minutes, I'm sure I would be dead.
    I always get a laugh out of it when people say something like they jogged to the park, did their 30-minute HIIT workout, then jogged back home. If what you did was actually HIIT, you wouldn't have been jogging back home afterward. :D

    Shoot, 4 minutes of legit HIIT is enough to make your heart and lungs explode. 30 minutes of "HIIT" is a joke...

    So here is a question...wouldn't the High part of this training be defined by the individual ability of the person doing it and your version of High intensity might differ from other peoples?

    Similar to "lifting heavy"...my heavy might not be heavy to you or might be too heavy...

    According to this https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/high-intensity-interval-training.pdf HIIT can last from anywhere from 20-60 mins...
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    J72FIT wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I would rather walk for 2 hours than HIIT for 30 minutes.

    IF, you could do HIIT for 30 minutes. Most can't, including me, and it's really recommended one doesn't. A typical program is 5 minute warm up, 5 intervals covering about 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down. If I did HIIT for 30 minutes, I'm sure I would be dead.
    I always get a laugh out of it when people say something like they jogged to the park, did their 30-minute HIIT workout, then jogged back home. If what you did was actually HIIT, you wouldn't have been jogging back home afterward. :D

    Shoot, 4 minutes of legit HIIT is enough to make your heart and lungs explode. 30 minutes of "HIIT" is a joke...

    So here is a question...wouldn't the High part of this training be defined by the individual ability of the person doing it and your version of High intensity might differ from other peoples?

    Similar to "lifting heavy"...my heavy might not be heavy to you or might be too heavy...

    According to this https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/high-intensity-interval-training.pdf HIIT can last from anywhere from 20-60 mins...

    Intensity will of course be different per an individual's fitness level. But the premise remains, it should be intense FOR YOU. Athlete or beginner, you should be spent within 15 minutes.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    edited September 2017
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    jdlobb wrote: »
    Right now my one and only concern is losing fat. Once I get to a healthy weight I will shift focus to increasing my athletic abilities once again. But until then, fat loss, and muscle maintenance as a result, is the only consideration.

    I get you. The reason I would do it to improve my LISS is that it would increase my VO2 max and I can run for longer and at a better pace. This, for me, is more efficient for calorie burns and thus fat loss. Eg. I burn around 8 to 9 cals per minute walking up and down the hills where I walk. I burn around 14 to 15 cals per minute running.

    One of the issues I have with my weekly schedule and routine is what to leave out for the 3 weeks or so when I would include HIIT. HIIT has a similar impact to the central nervous system as weight lifting. Lyle McDonald talks, in the series referenced above about training overload and the impact on leg training in particular. So, if HIIT is included, something else needs to be scaled back (if one has a full 3x per week program working legs 2x) to avoid overtraining symptoms and adrenal fatigue.

    jdlobb, I know I quoted you and my some of my response is to you but a lot is really just a sharing of info. As I understand your situation, you are fairly recent to calorie restriction and training? If so, HIIT would not even be appropriate for someone in your situation until you had built a base of both cardio and muscular fitness.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    J72FIT wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I would rather walk for 2 hours than HIIT for 30 minutes.

    IF, you could do HIIT for 30 minutes. Most can't, including me, and it's really recommended one doesn't. A typical program is 5 minute warm up, 5 intervals covering about 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down. If I did HIIT for 30 minutes, I'm sure I would be dead.
    I always get a laugh out of it when people say something like they jogged to the park, did their 30-minute HIIT workout, then jogged back home. If what you did was actually HIIT, you wouldn't have been jogging back home afterward. :D

    Shoot, 4 minutes of legit HIIT is enough to make your heart and lungs explode. 30 minutes of "HIIT" is a joke...

    So here is a question...wouldn't the High part of this training be defined by the individual ability of the person doing it and your version of High intensity might differ from other peoples?

    Similar to "lifting heavy"...my heavy might not be heavy to you or might be too heavy...

    According to this https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/high-intensity-interval-training.pdf HIIT can last from anywhere from 20-60 mins...

    It depends on the fitness level of the exerciser. The point of HIIT is to go to "your" max...
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    Unless you are a high level athlete, IMO you can not sustain HIIT for 20 - 60 minutes. Again, IMO...
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    There are HIIT workouts that last longer, but those have longer rest periods. Like 1 minute all out followed by 3 - 4 minutes easy pace for say 10 rounds...
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    J72FIT wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I would rather walk for 2 hours than HIIT for 30 minutes.

    IF, you could do HIIT for 30 minutes. Most can't, including me, and it's really recommended one doesn't. A typical program is 5 minute warm up, 5 intervals covering about 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down. If I did HIIT for 30 minutes, I'm sure I would be dead.
    I always get a laugh out of it when people say something like they jogged to the park, did their 30-minute HIIT workout, then jogged back home. If what you did was actually HIIT, you wouldn't have been jogging back home afterward. :D

    Shoot, 4 minutes of legit HIIT is enough to make your heart and lungs explode. 30 minutes of "HIIT" is a joke...

    So here is a question...wouldn't the High part of this training be defined by the individual ability of the person doing it and your version of High intensity might differ from other peoples?

    Similar to "lifting heavy"...my heavy might not be heavy to you or might be too heavy...

    According to this https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/high-intensity-interval-training.pdf HIIT can last from anywhere from 20-60 mins...
    Stef, I can't imagine why any length beyond 20 minutes would be referenced. I've done 20 minute recumbent bike sets. The inclined hill sprints I've done, I'm dying after 15 mintues. And I'm very fit.

    In everything I've read from people like McDonald and Shoenfeld, they reference 15 to 20 minute work sets with warm up before and after. I've never seen longer.
  • bweath2
    bweath2 Posts: 147 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    J72FIT wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I would rather walk for 2 hours than HIIT for 30 minutes.

    IF, you could do HIIT for 30 minutes. Most can't, including me, and it's really recommended one doesn't. A typical program is 5 minute warm up, 5 intervals covering about 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down. If I did HIIT for 30 minutes, I'm sure I would be dead.
    I always get a laugh out of it when people say something like they jogged to the park, did their 30-minute HIIT workout, then jogged back home. If what you did was actually HIIT, you wouldn't have been jogging back home afterward. :D

    Shoot, 4 minutes of legit HIIT is enough to make your heart and lungs explode. 30 minutes of "HIIT" is a joke...

    So here is a question...wouldn't the High part of this training be defined by the individual ability of the person doing it and your version of High intensity might differ from other peoples?

    Similar to "lifting heavy"...my heavy might not be heavy to you or might be too heavy...

    According to this https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/high-intensity-interval-training.pdf HIIT can last from anywhere from 20-60 mins...

    Intensity will of course be different per an individual's fitness level. But the premise remains, it should be intense FOR YOU. Athlete or beginner, you should be spent within 15 minutes.

    I used to run stairs for about 30 min. on my lunch at work. I would consider this HIIT. 100% effort took 45sec. to get to the top and a 90 sec walk down. By the end of the 30 min. My 45 sec. Interval was nowhere near the top and I was practically crawling but I was still pushing 100% and breathing way harder than when I started. I felt like the mom going up the stairs in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    bweath2 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    J72FIT wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I would rather walk for 2 hours than HIIT for 30 minutes.

    IF, you could do HIIT for 30 minutes. Most can't, including me, and it's really recommended one doesn't. A typical program is 5 minute warm up, 5 intervals covering about 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down. If I did HIIT for 30 minutes, I'm sure I would be dead.
    I always get a laugh out of it when people say something like they jogged to the park, did their 30-minute HIIT workout, then jogged back home. If what you did was actually HIIT, you wouldn't have been jogging back home afterward. :D

    Shoot, 4 minutes of legit HIIT is enough to make your heart and lungs explode. 30 minutes of "HIIT" is a joke...

    So here is a question...wouldn't the High part of this training be defined by the individual ability of the person doing it and your version of High intensity might differ from other peoples?

    Similar to "lifting heavy"...my heavy might not be heavy to you or might be too heavy...

    According to this https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/high-intensity-interval-training.pdf HIIT can last from anywhere from 20-60 mins...

    Intensity will of course be different per an individual's fitness level. But the premise remains, it should be intense FOR YOU. Athlete or beginner, you should be spent within 15 minutes.

    I used to run stairs for about 30 min. on my lunch at work. I would consider this HIIT. 100% effort took 45sec. to get to the top and a 90 sec walk down. By the end of the 30 min. My 45 sec. Interval was nowhere near the top and I was practically crawling but I was still pushing 100% and breathing way harder than when I started. I felt like the mom going up the stairs in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

    Agreed. Longer rest periods will make for a longer HIIT workout...
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    edited September 2017
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    J72FIT wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    J72FIT wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I would rather walk for 2 hours than HIIT for 30 minutes.

    IF, you could do HIIT for 30 minutes. Most can't, including me, and it's really recommended one doesn't. A typical program is 5 minute warm up, 5 intervals covering about 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down. If I did HIIT for 30 minutes, I'm sure I would be dead.
    I always get a laugh out of it when people say something like they jogged to the park, did their 30-minute HIIT workout, then jogged back home. If what you did was actually HIIT, you wouldn't have been jogging back home afterward. :D

    Shoot, 4 minutes of legit HIIT is enough to make your heart and lungs explode. 30 minutes of "HIIT" is a joke...

    So here is a question...wouldn't the High part of this training be defined by the individual ability of the person doing it and your version of High intensity might differ from other peoples?

    Similar to "lifting heavy"...my heavy might not be heavy to you or might be too heavy...

    According to this https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/high-intensity-interval-training.pdf HIIT can last from anywhere from 20-60 mins...

    Intensity will of course be different per an individual's fitness level. But the premise remains, it should be intense FOR YOU. Athlete or beginner, you should be spent within 15 minutes.

    I used to run stairs for about 30 min. on my lunch at work. I would consider this HIIT. 100% effort took 45sec. to get to the top and a 90 sec walk down. By the end of the 30 min. My 45 sec. Interval was nowhere near the top and I was practically crawling but I was still pushing 100% and breathing way harder than when I started. I felt like the mom going up the stairs in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

    Agreed. Longer rest periods will make for a longer HIIT workout...

    To a point.
    bweath2, good for you being able to do that. For many of us, our will to do another would give out before that.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    mmapags wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    J72FIT wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I would rather walk for 2 hours than HIIT for 30 minutes.

    IF, you could do HIIT for 30 minutes. Most can't, including me, and it's really recommended one doesn't. A typical program is 5 minute warm up, 5 intervals covering about 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down. If I did HIIT for 30 minutes, I'm sure I would be dead.
    I always get a laugh out of it when people say something like they jogged to the park, did their 30-minute HIIT workout, then jogged back home. If what you did was actually HIIT, you wouldn't have been jogging back home afterward. :D

    Shoot, 4 minutes of legit HIIT is enough to make your heart and lungs explode. 30 minutes of "HIIT" is a joke...

    So here is a question...wouldn't the High part of this training be defined by the individual ability of the person doing it and your version of High intensity might differ from other peoples?

    Similar to "lifting heavy"...my heavy might not be heavy to you or might be too heavy...

    According to this https://www.acsm.org/docs/brochures/high-intensity-interval-training.pdf HIIT can last from anywhere from 20-60 mins...
    Stef, I can't imagine why any length beyond 20 minutes would be referenced. I've done 20 minute recumbent bike sets. The inclined hill sprints I've done, I'm dying after 15 mintues. And I'm very fit.

    In everything I've read from people like McDonald and Shoenfeld, they reference 15 to 20 minute work sets with warm up before and after. I've never seen longer.

    I was surprised myself as any HIIT I've done (and yes it really was HIIT) was 15mins...

    but it does make sense once you read about the longer rest periods.

    I remember my first HIIT...when it was done I laid on the floor and almost cried I was so spent.

    hate them btw...very rarely do them.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    My understanding is that as you get fitter, the rest periods should get shorter. Unless though you are training a specific protocol. Wingate sprints come to mind...
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
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    Whenever I've done 20 minute HIIT sessions, the last 5-8 minutes are just me struggling to stay upright while floundering around with essentially nothing left to give. Afterward, I barely have the energy to drive home.
  • bweath2
    bweath2 Posts: 147 Member
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    mmapags wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    Cardio is a waste of time (unless you actually enjoy it).

    Or enjoy the stronger heart and more plentiful food.

    I'll stick with my strong heart and plentiful food from weightlifting and HIIT. More bang for the buck.

    Not in my experience. Can't sustain HIIT long enough to burn any meaningful amount of calories, and whatever I burn I eat back twofold or more because it increases my hunger substantially. Now don't get me wrong, no one has to do cardio (or weight lifting, or HIIT for that matter), but you can't call any form of exercise a waste of time because there are clear benefits to being active, health and otherwise.

    Yes, sitting on your *kitten* is a much greater waste of time.
    Since I don't like exercising in general, I'm going to spend the least amount of time possible to get the greatest benefit which means high intensity. I just want to get it over with so I can get back to thing I enjoy.

    And that's totally alright! It's just, this sounds more like preference than opinion.

    Nah, I still am not a fan of cardio(but it's better than nothing). I believe there are much greater benefits from high intensity exercise.
    How do you know you don't burn as much calories doing HIIT? I believe that much shorter, high intensity exercise may not burn as much at the time, but the residual calorie burn from greater muscle stimulation lasts much longer resulting in more CO.

    EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consunption) for HIIT is 14%, for Low Impact Steady State it's 7%. That's the % of residual burn of calories burned during. FWIW. HIIT can't be done for very long so the overall burn is not that big. If you could do 30 minutes of HIIT, your Butner with EPOCH would be about the same as 60 minutes of LISS but who can do 30 minutes of HIIT??

    This would depend on the intensity of the HIIT. And as @GottaBurnEmAll stated not all "HIIT" is equal. To me, HIIT means the intervals are 100% all out.

    That is the HIIT I'm talking about and in exercise physiology circle based on studies, that is the commonly accepted number. This was discussed in detail on the Lyle McDonald article sjomial linked to. It is also the number Dr. Brad Shoenfeld uses. It pretty objective and not really the subject of much speculation as to variance.

    Less that 100% all out would not technically be HIIT but would be considered interval training. The EPOC would fall somewhere between LISS and HIIT depending on intensity. All HIIT is not equal because the Marketing woo machines call everything HIIT today. Things like 1 hours HIIT classes. If you can do it for 1 hour, it ain't HIIT!!

    PS: The link sjomial gave is the 2nd in a series of in depth article about the subject and references a lot of the current research. If that is the link you are kind of dismissive of in one of your posts above, I suggest you didn't read it thoroughly. There are links to both the initial article in the series and the following ones at the bottom of the one posted.

    I did read it, but I'll look at the references too. My main leaning to HIIT over cardio is that it is closer to weightlifting in it's muscle building potential... if I am not mistaken. However, I pretty much just lift and try to stay away from all that gross running stuff...
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    bweath2 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    bweath2 wrote: »
    Cardio is a waste of time (unless you actually enjoy it).

    Or enjoy the stronger heart and more plentiful food.

    I'll stick with my strong heart and plentiful food from weightlifting and HIIT. More bang for the buck.

    Not in my experience. Can't sustain HIIT long enough to burn any meaningful amount of calories, and whatever I burn I eat back twofold or more because it increases my hunger substantially. Now don't get me wrong, no one has to do cardio (or weight lifting, or HIIT for that matter), but you can't call any form of exercise a waste of time because there are clear benefits to being active, health and otherwise.

    Yes, sitting on your *kitten* is a much greater waste of time.
    Since I don't like exercising in general, I'm going to spend the least amount of time possible to get the greatest benefit which means high intensity. I just want to get it over with so I can get back to thing I enjoy.

    And that's totally alright! It's just, this sounds more like preference than opinion.

    Nah, I still am not a fan of cardio(but it's better than nothing). I believe there are much greater benefits from high intensity exercise.
    How do you know you don't burn as much calories doing HIIT? I believe that much shorter, high intensity exercise may not burn as much at the time, but the residual calorie burn from greater muscle stimulation lasts much longer resulting in more CO.

    EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consunption) for HIIT is 14%, for Low Impact Steady State it's 7%. That's the % of residual burn of calories burned during. FWIW. HIIT can't be done for very long so the overall burn is not that big. If you could do 30 minutes of HIIT, your Butner with EPOCH would be about the same as 60 minutes of LISS but who can do 30 minutes of HIIT??

    This would depend on the intensity of the HIIT. And as @GottaBurnEmAll stated not all "HIIT" is equal. To me, HIIT means the intervals are 100% all out.

    That is the HIIT I'm talking about and in exercise physiology circle based on studies, that is the commonly accepted number. This was discussed in detail on the Lyle McDonald article sjomial linked to. It is also the number Dr. Brad Shoenfeld uses. It pretty objective and not really the subject of much speculation as to variance.

    Less that 100% all out would not technically be HIIT but would be considered interval training. The EPOC would fall somewhere between LISS and HIIT depending on intensity. All HIIT is not equal because the Marketing woo machines call everything HIIT today. Things like 1 hours HIIT classes. If you can do it for 1 hour, it ain't HIIT!!

    PS: The link sjomial gave is the 2nd in a series of in depth article about the subject and references a lot of the current research. If that is the link you are kind of dismissive of in one of your posts above, I suggest you didn't read it thoroughly. There are links to both the initial article in the series and the following ones at the bottom of the one posted.

    I did read it, but I'll look at the references too. My main leaning to HIIT over cardio is that it is closer to weightlifting in it's muscle building potential... if I am not mistaken. However, I pretty much just lift and try to stay away from all that gross running stuff...

    HIIT is always cardio. Cardio is not always HIIT...
This discussion has been closed.