15 min HIIT workouts.

2»

Replies

  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    HIIT isn't a high calorie burner - the rest/recovery periods bring the average right down.
    Steady state as fast as you can go for the whole duration would be a far higher total burn.
    But that's a pretty sad exercise goal and not one of the stated goals of the OP.

    15 minutes of anything is better than nothing but it's not long enough duration to achieve the results you are looking for OP.

    My suggestion:
    Jump on an indoor rower, row flat out for 10 minutes, 5 minutes of core work and press ups would give you a quick full body workout but don't expect miracles!

    Why would the recovery periods bring the average down when the recovery periods are exactly the same as normal steady state cardio?

    Steady state doesn't mean low intensity - it means steady effort. That can be low, medium or high.

    Think of a cycling time trial or a middle distance running race - you don't see people sprinting and cruising do you?
    The winner is the person who puts down the most power and that's as fast as you can go for the entire duration with a balls out sprint right at the end.

    It's not possible to sustain maximum effort for ten minutes. That's the whole point of HIIT. And yes, distance coaches do train people by having them go faster than their current cruising speed for short intervals.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited August 2017
    sijomial wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    HIIT isn't a high calorie burner - the rest/recovery periods bring the average right down.
    Steady state as fast as you can go for the whole duration would be a far higher total burn.
    But that's a pretty sad exercise goal and not one of the stated goals of the OP.

    15 minutes of anything is better than nothing but it's not long enough duration to achieve the results you are looking for OP.

    My suggestion:
    Jump on an indoor rower, row flat out for 10 minutes, 5 minutes of core work and press ups would give you a quick full body workout but don't expect miracles!

    Why would the recovery periods bring the average down when the recovery periods are exactly the same as normal steady state cardio?

    Steady state doesn't mean low intensity - it means steady effort. That can be low, medium or high.

    Think of a cycling time trial or a middle distance running race - you don't see people sprinting and cruising do you?
    The winner is the person who puts down the most power and that's as fast as you can go for the entire duration with a balls out sprint right at the end.

    It's not possible to sustain maximum effort for ten minutes. That's the whole point of HIIT. And yes, distance coaches do train people by having them go faster than their current cruising speed for short intervals.

    You are misunderstanding what I wrote.
    You have a maximal speed/effort for 15 secs, 3 mins, 20 mins, 60 mins etc etc.

    Fast as you can go for the particular duration available, that is the highest possible calorie burn. Not intervals.

    Don't confuse training to force an adaptation with racing, no-one races in an interval style do they?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Example of a steady state workout I did this evening that isn't low intensity (LISS), medium intensity if you like.
    HR is drifting slowly upwards due to overheating primarily.

    i3p2tidiwjdx.png
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    Find more time, plenty of body weight exercises and videos you can follow along to on YouTube etc.... to get results you need a program that will work you for 2-5 hours/ week.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    Just to tone up, I'm a nurse and work long hours to the gym isn't ideal for me.

    So the issue you've got here is that tone up doesn't really mean much.

    If you're wanting to lose weight then a 15 minute session can have an effect, but I wouldn't spend that time doing HIIT. If you're wanting to improve your muscle definition then that'll take time and a range of different activities, but essentially some form of resistance training is part of it. That needn't involve going into the gym, bodyweight activities are perfectly reasonable and easy to facilitate.

    Essentially there is some evidence that HIIT can make marginal improvements to fat loss, but the proportions are negligible and they've been vastly overplayed by the marketing machine that is the fitness industry. As discipline the advantages aren't that great.

    Not to mention the fact that, if you want ANY of the benefits promised in a 15 min HIIT workout, you need to pretty much waste yourself. Not the kind of thing someone who has just worked a long shift is going to look forward to. People see "15 min" and think oh that sounds easy.

    Then what would you recommend to someone who has 15 minutes to workout? I am not saying a 15 min of interval training is ideal, but what would be better to do in 15 mintues?

    That's not what I was talking about. These workouts are presented in the popular press and by many "fitness experts" as being an easy equivalent of a regular workout.
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    k3ls4ur wrote: »
    Following this thread... if HIIT workouts aren't worth it, but I don't have a local gym and I'm short on time, what kind of workout would be ideal to burn fat and gain a little muscle? Mostly just to tone my body...

    If you're really crunched on time and you can only really work out for a couple minutes at a time, HIIT or any type of interval training is going to be the best bang for your buck.

    Oh really?

    Yes, what would be your recommendation?

    Why would you suggest that it's best bang for your buck?

    Because with interval training you get more work done in a shorter amount of time.

    Care to amplify that?

    I'd generally disagree, but I'd rather understand the basis for your assertion.

    Shorter rest periods and longer work periods.

    ETA:

    3 rounds:
    Squat jumps
    Pushups
    Sit-ups
    Lunges
    Burpees

    50 seconds on, 10 seconds between exercises- 1 min between rounds.

    LOL. That's not HIIT.

    But it is a great representation of the trendy garbage the misinformed fitness industry is passing off as HIIT.

    Do you ever even read the conversation that leads to posts? Haha we were talking about interval training at that point
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I do interval training as part of my general routine, I'll sometimes refer to it as HIIT/Tabata because it's just the vernacular used at the moment. It's bodyweight intervals, anything from 20-50 seconds, the rest period 10-20 seconds are as active as I can make them but usually just jogging/boxer shuffle. Although I can't now do the full body weight that I used to, damn hip. I do it largely for cardio endurance (I can go and whack out a 5k run even though I rarely run, not big distance but enough if I feel like it) and heart/lung health.

    To "tone up" I lift. Moderate weight, moderate rep, supersets. But really the best thing I do to look good naked (eventually) is lose enough fat to reveal the muscle underneath. If I'm not happy with what's there I'll recomp. Bulking and cutting is another option (but not one I'm interested in doing).

    In 15 minutes though and for what the OP is looking for, I'd get some body weight done. Though really ideally you want more than 15 minutes to achieve anything worthwhile. And no, the calorie burn isn't especially great, no better than LISS in the same amount of time really. I get about 190 calories for 30 minutes (tested because I eat all of those and lose or maintain as I should).
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    k3ls4ur wrote: »
    Following this thread... if HIIT workouts aren't worth it, but I don't have a local gym and I'm short on time, what kind of workout would be ideal to burn fat and gain a little muscle? Mostly just to tone my body...

    If you're really crunched on time and you can only really work out for a couple minutes at a time, HIIT or any type of interval training is going to be the best bang for your buck.

    Oh really?

    Yes, what would be your recommendation?

    Why would you suggest that it's best bang for your buck?

    Because with interval training you get more work done in a shorter amount of time.

    Care to amplify that?

    I'd generally disagree, but I'd rather understand the basis for your assertion.

    Shorter rest periods and longer work periods.

    ETA:

    3 rounds:
    Squat jumps
    Pushups
    Sit-ups
    Lunges
    Burpees

    50 seconds on, 10 seconds between exercises- 1 min between rounds.

    Semantics, mis-naming and poster's history aside...can anyone really argue that given only 15 minutes and no other options, that this is a very legitimate workout for someone with no real goals and just wants to get some exercise in?
  • Rammer123
    Rammer123 Posts: 679 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    k3ls4ur wrote: »
    Following this thread... if HIIT workouts aren't worth it, but I don't have a local gym and I'm short on time, what kind of workout would be ideal to burn fat and gain a little muscle? Mostly just to tone my body...

    If you're really crunched on time and you can only really work out for a couple minutes at a time, HIIT or any type of interval training is going to be the best bang for your buck.

    Oh really?

    Yes, what would be your recommendation?

    Why would you suggest that it's best bang for your buck?

    Because with interval training you get more work done in a shorter amount of time.

    Care to amplify that?

    I'd generally disagree, but I'd rather understand the basis for your assertion.

    Shorter rest periods and longer work periods.

    ETA:

    3 rounds:
    Squat jumps
    Pushups
    Sit-ups
    Lunges
    Burpees

    50 seconds on, 10 seconds between exercises- 1 min between rounds.

    Semantics, mis-naming and poster's history aside...can anyone really argue that given only 15 minutes and no other options, that this is a very legitimate workout for someone with no real goals and just wants to get some exercise in?

    Posters history aside? I'm not sure what kind of point your trying to make but the whole point of this conversation is to help OP..... she has goals
  • HIIT is great for burning fat and improving cardiovascular health, so if you're just looking to cut fat so you look firmer, than that might work, however, you'll need to be eating enough (especially protein) so your body doesn't burn muscle instead of fat. However, if you're looking to build a bit of muscle, you'll need to do some kind of strength training, but you don't need to go a gym and do that. Since I have no idea what you would enjoy, google things you can do to build muscle at home and do it bit by bit throughout your day. I used to think that you had to do your workouts all at once, but I realise you can break them up and that's fine. So if you got 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, do some strength training - it'll all add up.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    k3ls4ur wrote: »
    Following this thread... if HIIT workouts aren't worth it, but I don't have a local gym and I'm short on time, what kind of workout would be ideal to burn fat and gain a little muscle? Mostly just to tone my body...

    If you're really crunched on time and you can only really work out for a couple minutes at a time, HIIT or any type of interval training is going to be the best bang for your buck.

    Oh really?

    Yes, what would be your recommendation?

    Why would you suggest that it's best bang for your buck?

    Because with interval training you get more work done in a shorter amount of time.

    Care to amplify that?

    I'd generally disagree, but I'd rather understand the basis for your assertion.

    Shorter rest periods and longer work periods.

    ETA:

    3 rounds:
    Squat jumps
    Pushups
    Sit-ups
    Lunges
    Burpees

    50 seconds on, 10 seconds between exercises- 1 min between rounds.

    Semantics, mis-naming and poster's history aside...can anyone really argue that given only 15 minutes and no other options, that this is a very legitimate workout for someone with no real goals and just wants to get some exercise in?

    Posters history aside? I'm not sure what kind of point your trying to make but the whole point of this conversation is to help OP..... she has goals

    His points are rather obvious and we'll taken on all counts including helping the OP. If the shoe fits......
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    HIIT is great for burning fat and improving cardiovascular health, so if you're just looking to cut fat so you look firmer, than that might work, however, you'll need to be eating enough (especially protein) so your body doesn't burn muscle instead of fat. However, if you're looking to build a bit of muscle, you'll need to do some kind of strength training, but you don't need to go a gym and do that. Since I have no idea what you would enjoy, google things you can do to build muscle at home and do it bit by bit throughout your day. I used to think that you had to do your workouts all at once, but I realise you can break them up and that's fine. So if you got 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, do some strength training - it'll all add up.

    You don't burn body fat exercising, you need a calorie deficit for that.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    HIIT is great for burning fat and improving cardiovascular health, so if you're just looking to cut fat so you look firmer, than that might work, however, you'll need to be eating enough (especially protein) so your body doesn't burn muscle instead of fat. However, if you're looking to build a bit of muscle, you'll need to do some kind of strength training, but you don't need to go a gym and do that. Since I have no idea what you would enjoy, google things you can do to build muscle at home and do it bit by bit throughout your day. I used to think that you had to do your workouts all at once, but I realise you can break them up and that's fine. So if you got 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, do some strength training - it'll all add up.

    You don't burn body fat exercising, you need a calorie deficit for that.

    Exercise is part of the "o" in CICO. Your total energy expenditure, including exercise, is one half of what determines whether or not you are in a calorie deficit.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    edited August 2017
    HIIT is great for burning fat and improving cardiovascular health, so if you're just looking to cut fat so you look firmer, than that might work, however, you'll need to be eating enough (especially protein) so your body doesn't burn muscle instead of fat. However, if you're looking to build a bit of muscle, you'll need to do some kind of strength training, but you don't need to go a gym and do that. Since I have no idea what you would enjoy, google things you can do to build muscle at home and do it bit by bit throughout your day. I used to think that you had to do your workouts all at once, but I realise you can break them up and that's fine. So if you got 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, do some strength training - it'll all add up.

    You don't burn body fat exercising, you need a calorie deficit for that.

    Exercise is part of the "o" in CICO. Your total energy expenditure, including exercise, is one half of what determines whether or not you are in a calorie deficit.

    Yes, it increases calories out but it is not in and of itself "fat burning". If you're not in a deficit (and exercise certainly isn't 50% of my deficit) then you're not losing body fat.

    ETA: There are plenty of people who do no exercise on this site and elsewhere who lose weight without exercise. I don't think it's ideal but it still happens.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    k3ls4ur wrote: »
    Following this thread... if HIIT workouts aren't worth it, but I don't have a local gym and I'm short on time, what kind of workout would be ideal to burn fat and gain a little muscle? Mostly just to tone my body...

    If you're really crunched on time and you can only really work out for a couple minutes at a time, HIIT or any type of interval training is going to be the best bang for your buck.

    Oh really?

    Yes, what would be your recommendation?

    Why would you suggest that it's best bang for your buck?

    Because with interval training you get more work done in a shorter amount of time.

    Care to amplify that?

    I'd generally disagree, but I'd rather understand the basis for your assertion.

    Shorter rest periods and longer work periods.

    ETA:

    3 rounds:
    Squat jumps
    Pushups
    Sit-ups
    Lunges
    Burpees

    50 seconds on, 10 seconds between exercises- 1 min between rounds.

    Semantics, mis-naming and poster's history aside...can anyone really argue that given only 15 minutes and no other options, that this is a very legitimate workout for someone with no real goals and just wants to get some exercise in?


    Yes, but I would say that given the parameters you describe, it is a waste of time to include sit-ups. Pull-ups would be a better substitute.
  • You don't burn body fat exercising, you need a calorie deficit for that.

    A fair added point. Yes, if you're consuming too many calories it won't help you burn fat but if you're watching your calorie intake and doing hiit, then it's a easy way to burn more fat. She can absolutely burn fat just watching her calories but she specifically asked about hiit for fitness, so I addressed that.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    edited August 2017
    You don't burn body fat exercising, you need a calorie deficit for that.

    A fair added point. Yes, if you're consuming too many calories it won't help you burn fat but if you're watching your calorie intake and doing hiit, then it's a easy way to burn more fat. She can absolutely burn fat just watching her calories but she specifically asked about hiit for fitness, so I addressed that.

    Exercise does not help you burn more body fat. It can increase/help your calorie deficit but physiologically it is not increasing body fat loss.

    Strength training (which is not HIIT) and adequate protein can preserve muscle leading to a larger proportion of losses coming from body fat. Mostly the fat you burn while exercising is dietary fat, which is replaced when you eat more fat.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    rybo wrote: »
    k3ls4ur wrote: »
    Following this thread... if HIIT workouts aren't worth it, but I don't have a local gym and I'm short on time, what kind of workout would be ideal to burn fat and gain a little muscle? Mostly just to tone my body...

    If you're really crunched on time and you can only really work out for a couple minutes at a time, HIIT or any type of interval training is going to be the best bang for your buck.

    Oh really?

    Yes, what would be your recommendation?

    Why would you suggest that it's best bang for your buck?

    Because with interval training you get more work done in a shorter amount of time.

    Care to amplify that?

    I'd generally disagree, but I'd rather understand the basis for your assertion.

    Shorter rest periods and longer work periods.

    ETA:

    3 rounds:
    Squat jumps
    Pushups
    Sit-ups
    Lunges
    Burpees

    50 seconds on, 10 seconds between exercises- 1 min between rounds.

    Semantics, mis-naming and poster's history aside...can anyone really argue that given only 15 minutes and no other options, that this is a very legitimate workout for someone with no real goals and just wants to get some exercise in?


    Yes, but I would say that given the parameters you describe, it is a waste of time to include sit-ups. Pull-ups would be a better substitute.

    Given the parameters,

    I'd dump the pushups and squat jumps(due to overlap with the other callisthenic exercises already included, I'd likely replace the situps with floor to floors(like a situp but with arms straight overhead and feet spread a bit more) and do 4 rounds. Pullups may be a better substitute, but 50 seconds of pullups is probably 0 for the person asking the question. Could always replace the 1 min rest with flexed or straight arm hangs.
  • 76Crane76
    76Crane76 Posts: 133 Member
    I'm a CNA so I know what you mean. Long hours on your feet. I like the HIIT workouts because I'm generally exhausted after work.