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Short, High Intensity Debunked

carolyn000000
carolyn000000 Posts: 179 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise

This guy goes so far as to ridicule those who do short, high intensity workouts vs long, slow in his opening paragraph. I think you need both types in an effective workout program to improve performance, especially if you are an athlete.

https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/new9e8/your-seven-minute-workout-sucks
«1

Replies

  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    edited July 2017
    sijomial wrote: »
    HIIT (just like every other training protocol) is for fitness/performance improvements not for some mythical fat burning regime.

    It should be considered in context of exercise/sporting goals, personal capabilities, restrictions (including time) and yes - even enjoyment.

    Personally I never do HIIT but do what other might consider brutal interval training over a much longer duration - because it matches my goals, sport and capabilities.

    If someone wants to burn a lot of calories (not my personal goal) then there's no substitute for long duration.

    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    As do I. And yet this is done by "trainers" hundreds of times a day.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    HIIT (just like every other training protocol) is for fitness/performance improvements not for some mythical fat burning regime.

    It should be considered in context of exercise/sporting goals, personal capabilities, restrictions (including time) and yes - even enjoyment.

    Personally I never do HIIT but do what other might consider brutal interval training over a much longer duration - because it matches my goals, sport and capabilities.

    If someone wants to burn a lot of calories (not my personal goal) then there's no substitute for long duration.

    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    As do I. And yet this is done by "trainers" hundreds of times a day.

    No it isn't. Most trainers don't seem to know what HIIT actually is, and even less have the equipment capable of performing it.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,462 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    So much this. I decided to do some Tabata IE1 on the elliptical just to see how bad it really was, and commented that it probably shouldn't have been done without talking to my doctor. I had been stress tested on a treadmill for heart conditions (maxed the treadmill!), had a fairly solid cardio base, was working out on a regular basis, and had plenty of HR, power, etc data. And I'm still sure my doctor would have been shaking his head asking why I did it. The HR lift alone is something to consider, and for those unfit the doctor would probably be more in question.


    That said, I do think that the trend of "my crazy short workout helps!" has gone a bit overboard. I would never do true HIIT for calorie burn vs lesser intensity stuff, but it can have it's place for some. I don't think I train to a level that the VO2max increases and such are much (if any) better than lesser intensity intervals. But more than anything I just like to mix it up some. Doing some HIIT here and there makes me appreciate the LISS days more, and I usually hate them otherwise. And I never felt like I might get thrown off a machine doing LISS either, so that's a plus.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    robertw486 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    So much this. I decided to do some Tabata IE1 on the elliptical just to see how bad it really was, and commented that it probably shouldn't have been done without talking to my doctor. I had been stress tested on a treadmill for heart conditions (maxed the treadmill!), had a fairly solid cardio base, was working out on a regular basis, and had plenty of HR, power, etc data. And I'm still sure my doctor would have been shaking his head asking why I did it. The HR lift alone is something to consider, and for those unfit the doctor would probably be more in question.


    That said, I do think that the trend of "my crazy short workout helps!" has gone a bit overboard. I would never do true HIIT for calorie burn vs lesser intensity stuff, but it can have it's place for some. I don't think I train to a level that the VO2max increases and such are much (if any) better than lesser intensity intervals. But more than anything I just like to mix it up some. Doing some HIIT here and there makes me appreciate the LISS days more, and I usually hate them otherwise. And I never felt like I might get thrown off a machine doing LISS either, so that's a plus.

    Curious as to what, "Maxed the treadmill!" means?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    robertw486 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    So much this. I decided to do some Tabata IE1 on the elliptical just to see how bad it really was, and commented that it probably shouldn't have been done without talking to my doctor. I had been stress tested on a treadmill for heart conditions (maxed the treadmill!), had a fairly solid cardio base, was working out on a regular basis, and had plenty of HR, power, etc data. And I'm still sure my doctor would have been shaking his head asking why I did it. The HR lift alone is something to consider, and for those unfit the doctor would probably be more in question.


    That said, I do think that the trend of "my crazy short workout helps!" has gone a bit overboard. I would never do true HIIT for calorie burn vs lesser intensity stuff, but it can have it's place for some. I don't think I train to a level that the VO2max increases and such are much (if any) better than lesser intensity intervals. But more than anything I just like to mix it up some. Doing some HIIT here and there makes me appreciate the LISS days more, and I usually hate them otherwise. And I never felt like I might get thrown off a machine doing LISS either, so that's a plus.

    Curious as to what, "Maxed the treadmill!" means?

    I'm guessing it means he has really long legs and is one of those outlier types.

  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,462 Member
    robertw486 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    So much this. I decided to do some Tabata IE1 on the elliptical just to see how bad it really was, and commented that it probably shouldn't have been done without talking to my doctor. I had been stress tested on a treadmill for heart conditions (maxed the treadmill!), had a fairly solid cardio base, was working out on a regular basis, and had plenty of HR, power, etc data. And I'm still sure my doctor would have been shaking his head asking why I did it. The HR lift alone is something to consider, and for those unfit the doctor would probably be more in question.


    That said, I do think that the trend of "my crazy short workout helps!" has gone a bit overboard. I would never do true HIIT for calorie burn vs lesser intensity stuff, but it can have it's place for some. I don't think I train to a level that the VO2max increases and such are much (if any) better than lesser intensity intervals. But more than anything I just like to mix it up some. Doing some HIIT here and there makes me appreciate the LISS days more, and I usually hate them otherwise. And I never felt like I might get thrown off a machine doing LISS either, so that's a plus.

    Curious as to what, "Maxed the treadmill!" means?



    robertw486 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    So much this. I decided to do some Tabata IE1 on the elliptical just to see how bad it really was, and commented that it probably shouldn't have been done without talking to my doctor. I had been stress tested on a treadmill for heart conditions (maxed the treadmill!), had a fairly solid cardio base, was working out on a regular basis, and had plenty of HR, power, etc data. And I'm still sure my doctor would have been shaking his head asking why I did it. The HR lift alone is something to consider, and for those unfit the doctor would probably be more in question.


    That said, I do think that the trend of "my crazy short workout helps!" has gone a bit overboard. I would never do true HIIT for calorie burn vs lesser intensity stuff, but it can have it's place for some. I don't think I train to a level that the VO2max increases and such are much (if any) better than lesser intensity intervals. But more than anything I just like to mix it up some. Doing some HIIT here and there makes me appreciate the LISS days more, and I usually hate them otherwise. And I never felt like I might get thrown off a machine doing LISS either, so that's a plus.

    Curious as to what, "Maxed the treadmill!" means?

    I'm guessing it means he has really long legs and is one of those outlier types.


    A few years back I had a scare and a suspected minor heart attack. It turned out to be isolated major acid reflux (boy did I feel stupid, but healthy at least) but when I was admitted it was under the assumption of a heart attack and the full ER treatment and panel of tests that followed.

    The treadmill I maxed out was not a high speed unit, but a very large machine designed only to allow very fast walking, with the only result that I know of being a mininum (125-130 BPM) heart rate to allow the various tests to be done. They didn't want anyone running due to all the various monitor wires hooked up all over me, as well as an IV.

    The reason it is well remembered by me was primarily the doctor. There were three nurses hooking me up to all the sensors and crap, and all were trying to be upbeat and positive, etc... trying to keep me in a comfort zone. The doctor came in and was the mood quickly changed, more the quiet and serious type of guy. So anyway, every 45 seconds to a minute, the treadmill would speed up, and the idea was that when I hit the intended heart rate zone the tests would take place. I was assured the entire process would likely only take 3 or 4 minutes.

    After about 5 minutes my heart rate was still below 100. I asked if the machine would go much faster and mentioned that from my home equipment and other workouts, that I thought it would take a lot more effort to get to the 125-130 range. Dr Serious assured me that my HR would be in range within a minute or two max.

    I think it was close to 5 minutes later that he instructed one of the nurses to hit me with the IV, which was for some type of artificial adrenaline to spike the HR up to the levels needed for the test. I have no idea how fast the machine went, but taking strides that long without breaking into a jog wasn't easy. No feat of speed, but the nurses seemed to get a kick out of the doctor ignoring my comments on my heart rate and what it would take to get it there.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    I've had one of those tests done, as well. They are primarily used for seniors with cardiac issues and that's why it doesn't go too fast. All they need is an oldster like me falling and breaking a hip, too! ;)
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    HIIT (just like every other training protocol) is for fitness/performance improvements not for some mythical fat burning regime.

    It should be considered in context of exercise/sporting goals, personal capabilities, restrictions (including time) and yes - even enjoyment.

    Personally I never do HIIT but do what other might consider brutal interval training over a much longer duration - because it matches my goals, sport and capabilities.

    If someone wants to burn a lot of calories (not my personal goal) then there's no substitute for long duration.

    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    As do I. And yet this is done by "trainers" hundreds of times a day.

    No it isn't. Most trainers don't seem to know what HIIT actually is, and even less have the equipment capable of performing it.

    You mean like the ground? Sprints for HIIT
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,108 Member
    This guy goes so far as to ridicule those who do short, high intensity workouts vs long, slow in his opening paragraph. I think you need both types in an effective workout program to improve performance, especially if you are an athlete.

    https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/new9e8/your-seven-minute-workout-sucks
    If we're talking about "fat burning" then just doing cardio isn't the answer either. While it may help with a calorie deficit, it's how much one consumes that predicates a calorie deficit more. I see it all the time in the gym. Members working out an hour or more and complaining of no fat loss or weight loss.
    And burning "stored" fat doesn't even really happen at all during exercise. Stored fat usage happens at rest.
    The misconceptions from the fitness world have so many confused on how physiology actually works because they are always trying to SELL an idea or product.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    I can squat about 1.5 times my body weight, but a 75-lb prowler for 40 yards every minute had be close to losing my lunch in less than ten minutes.

    HIIT is good for efficiency in burning calories; it's not the be-all-to-end-all for everyone's fitness goals, and tuning HIIT and conditioning workouts to a specific person is an art form.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    I've never bought into HIIT personally because like @GottaBurnEmAll I have a lot of time and 0 desire to be miserable for 20 minutes at a time. I walk everywhere I go and raise neat quite gloriously by getting on average 15K steps a day. I lose on 1800 easily simply because i walk and text and listen to music <3
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    edited July 2017
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    This guy goes so far as to ridicule those who do short, high intensity workouts vs long, slow in his opening paragraph. I think you need both types in an effective workout program to improve performance, especially if you are an athlete.

    https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/new9e8/your-seven-minute-workout-sucks
    If we're talking about "fat burning" then just doing cardio isn't the answer either. While it may help with a calorie deficit, it's how much one consumes that predicates a calorie deficit more. I see it all the time in the gym. Members working out an hour or more and complaining of no fat loss or weight loss.
    And burning "stored" fat doesn't even really happen at all during exercise. Stored fat usage happens at rest.
    The misconceptions from the fitness world have so many confused on how physiology actually works because they are always trying to SELL an idea or product.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Stored fat is always being used up when you are catabolic unless your body is in the first 15-45 seconds of activity or at a near maximal heart rate.

    Generally the lower your heart rate the more fat burning taking place. Not sure how you can say that not much fat burning is taking place during exercise. I can go on an hour run, at 220 pounds and burn 1200-1500 calories depending on intensity and burn about half those calories from fat based on my heart rate and my Metabolic assessment.

    Literally you're just spreading false information

    The bolded above in Ninerbuff's post seems to apply to your statements. As does your own final line.
  • Stockholm_Andy
    Stockholm_Andy Posts: 803 Member
    I just got back from my morning run. In 1:02:36 I expended 1,169 Kcals according to Strava and my HRM.

    That is a reasonably useful thing to know, for me, as I play with my personal energy balance.

    Knowing exactly where my body got those calories from is not at all useful in my opinion as there is absolutely nothing I can do to change it.

    Whether my body is burning glycogen, body fat or last nights beer is not something I can influence. I'm not sure why people get so hung up and it?


  • Stockholm_Andy
    Stockholm_Andy Posts: 803 Member
    I really hate the fact that I can't go back and edit the really annoying spelling error :D
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Because there's some misguided notion that using body fat as a fuel source means better body fat losses weight/composition wise. Which is nonsense.

    This.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    robertw486 wrote: »
    robertw486 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    So much this. I decided to do some Tabata IE1 on the elliptical just to see how bad it really was, and commented that it probably shouldn't have been done without talking to my doctor. I had been stress tested on a treadmill for heart conditions (maxed the treadmill!), had a fairly solid cardio base, was working out on a regular basis, and had plenty of HR, power, etc data. And I'm still sure my doctor would have been shaking his head asking why I did it. The HR lift alone is something to consider, and for those unfit the doctor would probably be more in question.


    That said, I do think that the trend of "my crazy short workout helps!" has gone a bit overboard. I would never do true HIIT for calorie burn vs lesser intensity stuff, but it can have it's place for some. I don't think I train to a level that the VO2max increases and such are much (if any) better than lesser intensity intervals. But more than anything I just like to mix it up some. Doing some HIIT here and there makes me appreciate the LISS days more, and I usually hate them otherwise. And I never felt like I might get thrown off a machine doing LISS either, so that's a plus.

    Curious as to what, "Maxed the treadmill!" means?



    robertw486 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    PS
    IMHO the idea of someone badly overweight, unfit and not conditioned to exercise being advised to do (real) HIIT I find appalling.

    So much this. I decided to do some Tabata IE1 on the elliptical just to see how bad it really was, and commented that it probably shouldn't have been done without talking to my doctor. I had been stress tested on a treadmill for heart conditions (maxed the treadmill!), had a fairly solid cardio base, was working out on a regular basis, and had plenty of HR, power, etc data. And I'm still sure my doctor would have been shaking his head asking why I did it. The HR lift alone is something to consider, and for those unfit the doctor would probably be more in question.


    That said, I do think that the trend of "my crazy short workout helps!" has gone a bit overboard. I would never do true HIIT for calorie burn vs lesser intensity stuff, but it can have it's place for some. I don't think I train to a level that the VO2max increases and such are much (if any) better than lesser intensity intervals. But more than anything I just like to mix it up some. Doing some HIIT here and there makes me appreciate the LISS days more, and I usually hate them otherwise. And I never felt like I might get thrown off a machine doing LISS either, so that's a plus.

    Curious as to what, "Maxed the treadmill!" means?

    I'm guessing it means he has really long legs and is one of those outlier types.


    A few years back I had a scare and a suspected minor heart attack. It turned out to be isolated major acid reflux (boy did I feel stupid, but healthy at least) but when I was admitted it was under the assumption of a heart attack and the full ER treatment and panel of tests that followed.

    The treadmill I maxed out was not a high speed unit, but a very large machine designed only to allow very fast walking, with the only result that I know of being a mininum (125-130 BPM) heart rate to allow the various tests to be done. They didn't want anyone running due to all the various monitor wires hooked up all over me, as well as an IV.

    The reason it is well remembered by me was primarily the doctor. There were three nurses hooking me up to all the sensors and crap, and all were trying to be upbeat and positive, etc... trying to keep me in a comfort zone. The doctor came in and was the mood quickly changed, more the quiet and serious type of guy. So anyway, every 45 seconds to a minute, the treadmill would speed up, and the idea was that when I hit the intended heart rate zone the tests would take place. I was assured the entire process would likely only take 3 or 4 minutes.

    After about 5 minutes my heart rate was still below 100. I asked if the machine would go much faster and mentioned that from my home equipment and other workouts, that I thought it would take a lot more effort to get to the 125-130 range. Dr Serious assured me that my HR would be in range within a minute or two max.

    I think it was close to 5 minutes later that he instructed one of the nurses to hit me with the IV, which was for some type of artificial adrenaline to spike the HR up to the levels needed for the test. I have no idea how fast the machine went, but taking strides that long without breaking into a jog wasn't easy. No feat of speed, but the nurses seemed to get a kick out of the doctor ignoring my comments on my heart rate and what it would take to get it there.

    Unfortunately, most medical offices have replaced exercise physiologists with techs or nurses. The result is that, including the doctor, there is usually not anyone who knows how to properly conduct a graded exercise test. In your case they used an inappropriate protocol (sounds like an original Balke protocol), and very likely had you hold on to the handrails.

    If done properly, 90+% of the population should max out within 9-10 minutes. I have seen tests where a reasonably fit person went 20+ minutes on a Bruce protocol, which is impossible for anyone but an elite endurance athlete. They were holding on so hard, they couldn't get a readable ECG because of the muscle tension in the arms and chest.
This discussion has been closed.