15 min HIIT workouts.
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aine1993mckay wrote: »I've only got into my fitness, I've lost 26lbs over the last 11 weeks through focusing on my diet first, I try and do the HIIT workouts everyday mixing kettle bells exercise in with that. 'Tone up' as in not too muscular just 'tight' if that's even a appropriate word !!
Just any suggestions? I don't really have that much spare time , but I do want to get fit and healthy.
That's a good rate of loss, well done.
I appreciate the challenge about time, and working long hours.
For me, what's helped has been giving myself some fitness objectives. Largely around long distance endurance running and cycling. That's taken time to develop the capacity for, and I'm not suggesting it's practical in your circumstances.
In many way's it's about identifying the time windows that you can train for, and in some ways 15 minutes really isn't going to give you much benefit, so the value of those sessions will diminish very quickly. If you can identify windows of 30-45 minutes you'll start to find the sweet spot where you can get a decent training effect, in a manageable way.
Again as an example, I got back to my hotel from work this evening about 45 minutes before the fitness centre closed. That was enough to fit in a mile of swimming.
You need to find a balance of resistance training and cardiovascular work, to balance your retention of lean mass, and improving your stamina. With that in mind, if you can find 30-45 minutes then you can alternate something like running with kettlebells or bodyweight resistance training and get some reasonable results fairly quickly.
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does it depend on the intensity?
Essentially, yes. The term has been hijacked in the fitness industry to sell circuit training in shiny new packaging.
True HIIT, work intervals around 98% of max heart rate, have significant benefits for maximal performance. It's the kind of thing that cyclists or runners will do about 3-6 weeks out from a focus event to maximise their performance, and it's a very transient benefit.
For me, a HIIT session would involve say a 15 minute warm up at a fairly relaxed pace, followed by say eight 20 second sprints with maybe 60 seconds of relaxed pace rest periods, followed by another 15 minute cool down. The amount of effort in the work intervals means the long warm up and cool down are essential to avoid injury.
Circuit training is certainly beneficial, although I'd question the value of only doing it for 15 minutes. I'd generally expect that range of exercises to be sustainable for about 45 minutes. That's the kind of thing that firms like BritMilFit and ParaFit do quite a lot of in local park and the like.
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I've done some Tabata style HIIT. I found that my ability to tolerate exercise increased a fair bit along with my general mobility, and I've also lost weight, but I've also added other exercises since the first week or two finished and I changed my diet drastically from the get-go. I also started from super-obese and just about no strength/mobility, so between all of these things, I'm not sure if I would be a good comparison. I know of others who do the HIIT-15 and it seems to have done quite well for them. None of them are "buff," per se, but they are strong, healthy people who can get through everything their day throws at them (all are at least somewhat active, not at-desk jobs for the majority of the time). Many of the people I work out with are warming up and walking before the workout, and there's always a cooldown/stretch at the end.
I think I'd recommend a variety of workouts to anyone looking to get healthy.1 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness 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.9 -
HIIT done properly is a great use of fifteen minutes and burns more calories for the same amount of time than steady state cardio - because you are doing steady state cardio the whole time, with higher intensity ADDED TO IT, so by definition it burns more.
The thing is, for it to be any use it has to actually be high intensity. Tabata, which is a extreme form of HIIT, should make you want to cry in only four minutes. Twenty seconds as hard as possible, ten seconds normal speed, repeat for four minutes, with two minutes of warm up and cool down. But it doesn't mean anything unless you are actually working to maximum capacity during the 20 seconds. Very few exercises qualify. There is a YouTube video of "tabata" twerking - it is not possible to get your heart rate into the right zone by twerking for twenty seconds, sorry. I used to do jumping abdominal twists as tabata, and then as I got more fit, this exercise was no longer intense enough to work as tabata for me. Something like stationary cycling is better (this is what was originally used in the development of tabata) because you can up the intensity as you become used to it.
The main problem with HIIT is that you will become more fit, and it's tempting to relax your efforts and continue to do the exercises at a speed which used to be much harder for you. You have to constantly push yourself to the max.2 -
Also, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If you have fifteen minutes, do fifteen minutes, and don't let others tell you it's not enough.3
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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!2 -
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?0 -
The best way to burn fat is with diet. For general strength and fitness on a time crunch, I'd do 15-20 minutes of something like this: https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/ 3 times a week to cover strength, and for cardiovascular Do something like this from Layne Norton a couple of times a week (in between your strength days): http://vitals.lifehacker.com/heres-the-most-effective-cardio-workout-you-can-do-in-1-16979170721
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rheddmobile 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.0 -
rheddmobile 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.0 -
rheddmobile wrote: »rheddmobile 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?0 -
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.
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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.0
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RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »aine1993mckay 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.
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RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness 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 point2 -
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).0 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness 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?2 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »RAD_Fitness 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 goals0 -
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.0
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