HIIT and Cycling

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Hello
I am on MFP and Fitness for a while.
My question is about gym exercise using HIIT.
Practically I am doing cycling using Stationary bike. My exercise is 1 hour. Now I decided to do the same but using HIIT.
Google suggested to use app called Jonson & Jonson 7 minute workout as one of the best.
I installed it on my iPhone but get confused how to use it for cycling.
Could some who has experience with HIIT & Cycling and maybe this app help me understand how to set it up?
Maybe you could suggest another app that will work for HIIT & Cyclingin gym.
Thanks in advance
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Replies

  • Lift_Run_Eat
    Lift_Run_Eat Posts: 986 Member
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    I do not know about the app, but you can do HIIT on the bike. I prefer on a spin bike over an upright bike, but that would work too. I am not too sure if you are using a recumbent bike.
    Here are things I do:

    Warm up a few minutes on lowest gear. Then, every minute add a gear (resistance up 1), then when I reach my max gear I can cycle at, I pyramid down decreasing 1 each minute. Cool down a few minutes.

    Warmup. Go hard..all in 30 seconds.. rest/slow cycling for 30 seconds. I do this for 10+intervals, then cool down.

    Warm up. Set to a medium gear, Cycle at 50% my exertion for a minute, rest 30 seconds, then repeat with 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, then down 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% 50% then cool down.

    You can play around with it. Find something you like. The idea is to get your heart rate up and drop back down in intervals.

    Easiest thing to do is download an interval timer. Set the # of intervals. Set your "GO" time and your rest time. Hit start and go.


  • Suusik
    Suusik Posts: 35 Member
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    I do not know about the app, but you can do HIIT on the bike. I prefer on a spin bike over an upright bike, but that would work too. I am not too sure if you are using a recumbent bike.
    Here are things I do:

    Warm up a few minutes on lowest gear. Then, every minute add a gear (resistance up 1), then when I reach my max gear I can cycle at, I pyramid down decreasing 1 each minute. Cool down a few minutes.

    Warmup. Go hard..all in 30 seconds.. rest/slow cycling for 30 seconds. I do this for 10+intervals, then cool down.

    Warm up. Set to a medium gear, Cycle at 50% my exertion for a minute, rest 30 seconds, then repeat with 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, then down 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% 50% then cool down.

    You can play around with it. Find something you like. The idea is to get your heart rate up and drop back down in intervals.

    Easiest thing to do is download an interval timer. Set the # of intervals. Set your "GO" time and your rest time. Hit start and go.


    Well. Appreciate your input.
    I started to read some articles related to H.I.I.T. and have some confusion about calculating max heart rate I should keep and range of heart beat during it and etc
    Anyway I installed app called “Intervals “ which works with Apple Watch and I love it.
    Does anyone have any experience with it?
    Thanks
  • Suusik
    Suusik Posts: 35 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    You can't do real HIIT for an hour, the intensity (maximal effort in shorts bursts) is far too high for that. 20 mins would be absolutely exhausting if done at the correct level.
    FYI - the ramp up and down suggested by Lift_Run_Eat may be good training but it's not HIIT.

    Perhaps if you started off with stating your goals you might get some good suggestions?

    A stationary bike is a good choice though for high intensity intervals, whether HIIT or not.
    Personally I do much longer duration intervals as that suits my personal training goals but mostly I use a power meter rather than an app. Sometimes I follow a program from the Wattbike app but that's particular to my brand of bike,

    TrainingPeaks and TrainerRoad are two apps cyclists use.
    Appreciate your valuable input.
    I have changed my schedule and now I am doing Cycling for 30 minutes, Walking for 15 or 30 minutes. I do 1 minute intervals and 2 minutes rest I.e. ratio is 1:2. I am 64 years old healthy man and I set range between 80-120 heart beat per minute. I hardly will be able to make it by Walking but should be OK with Cycling.
    Does it look reasonable for you?
    I also installed app “Intervals “ which works with Apps Watch and controls heart beats. I love it.
    Do you have experience with it?
    Thanks
  • tcaley4
    tcaley4 Posts: 416 Member
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    I’m 61, and 120 beats a minute would in my opinion not put me into an HIIT state. I would have to go more into the 150-160 range. The highest rate I have record in 5 years of riding is 165. So you can see that I am talking about close to maximum effort for the duration of your high intensity efforts.
  • Suusik
    Suusik Posts: 35 Member
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    Thanks a lot.
    Appreciate your input.
  • Suusik
    Suusik Posts: 35 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Suusik wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    You can't do real HIIT for an hour, the intensity (maximal effort in shorts bursts) is far too high for that. 20 mins would be absolutely exhausting if done at the correct level.
    FYI - the ramp up and down suggested by Lift_Run_Eat may be good training but it's not HIIT.

    Perhaps if you started off with stating your goals you might get some good suggestions?

    A stationary bike is a good choice though for high intensity intervals, whether HIIT or not.
    Personally I do much longer duration intervals as that suits my personal training goals but mostly I use a power meter rather than an app. Sometimes I follow a program from the Wattbike app but that's particular to my brand of bike,

    TrainingPeaks and TrainerRoad are two apps cyclists use.
    Appreciate your valuable input.
    I have changed my schedule and now I am doing Cycling for 30 minutes, Walking for 15 or 30 minutes. I do 1 minute intervals and 2 minutes rest I.e. ratio is 1:2. I am 64 years old healthy man and I set range between 80-120 heart beat per minute. I hardly will be able to make it by Walking but should be OK with Cycling.
    Does it look reasonable for you?
    I also installed app “Intervals “ which works with Apps Watch and controls heart beats. I love it.
    Do you have experience with it?
    Thanks

    When you are doing true HIIT you can't use heartrate to set the high intensity as there's too long a lag between the intensity increase and the rise in HR. True HIIT is maximal effort not to a set HR number.
    You can review it after the event if you like or sometimes what I do is to recover to a certain HR to prepare me for the next intense interval.
    Example below shows blue trace as power (that's the real intensity) and the red trace is HR which is my delayed response to demand:
    98aib0or6zia.png


    You don't calculate max HR if you actually want to know it - you test it. Would question why you actually want to know it though as it's of limited use to most people. If you approach your actual max you have to slow down so knowing a number doesn't add a lot of benefit for most people unless they are doing specific HR zone training.

    Any interval work is fine if you get benefit from it and it progresses you towards your fitness goals, you can also say the same about steady state of course. Neither is superior to the other - they are just different.
    It's a bit of a modern fad to call all interval training HIIT when it's actually a tool that's only suitable for a few and is hateful to do and very demanding both during the exercise and to recover from.

    Haven't used your app, I set my own intervals according to my training plan at the time.
    My last set of "intervals" was cycling up and down a 500' hill six times. Far more enjoyable. :smiley:

    There's no need to overthink things, if you feel the exercise is beneficial and you enjoy it then carry on.

    Well... only now I started to believe you 😎
    Initially I was skeptical.
    I am using AW for tracking my pulse.
    As I said before I set it in range 80-120 and could reach 120-130 for a first few days but now I hardly could make 100 Walking and 110 Cycling. “Intervals” app and AW track it constantly.
    I do max as I could and I am completely sweaty but heart rate does not go up anymore.
    I highly doubt that for a few days my heart adjusted to HIIT. Rather I think that AW is not an accurate tool for HIIT because of sweating and etc.
    My goal is quite simple: I want to loose more weight and reduce fat %
    Currently I have BMI around 25 but fat% around 19.
    After a week of HIIT I didn’t see either weigh or fat changed. Likely need to wait more.
    Hence I suggest I will do my HIIT as I started but stop putting attention to heart rate.
    Would you agree with my way of thinking?
    Thanks again for your previous comments. I found it very convincing
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,178 Member
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    tcaley4 wrote: »
    I’m 61, and 120 beats a minute would in my opinion not put me into an HIIT state. I would have to go more into the 150-160 range. The highest rate I have record in 5 years of riding is 165. So you can see that I am talking about close to maximum effort for the duration of your high intensity efforts.

    I agree.

    @Suusik ... I would definitely not say that a max of 120 bpm is HIIT.

    If you're 64, using the (rather flawed) 220-age to calculate max HR, you're should be about 156 ... at a very rough estimate.

    According to this site which I just grabbed: https://www.precor.com/en-au/resources/how-customize-your-hiit-workout

    "A HIIT workout alternates between short work intervals (70 to 90 percent max heart rate) and rest periods (60 to 65 percent max heart rate)."

    If that's true, then you should be aiming for 110 - 140 during your work intervals.


    However, your max HR could be higher than 156 ... we wouldn't know until you get out there and run sprints or cycle up steep hills as fast as you can. Or go to a gym that tests these things.

    Personally, I'm 52 and according to that 220-age thing, I should max out at 168, but I can easily hit 180 on a climb, and I know that's not my max.


    I also agree with sijomial ... "A week is absolutely nothing in exercise terms, weight loss or body composition changes."

    If you are working with a 500 calorie deficit, over a week, you might lose 1 lb ... maybe. Depending on whether or not your retaining water for one reason or another.

    You've got to stick to whatever your plan is for a good month ... then if it isn't working, make some changes.

  • Suusik
    Suusik Posts: 35 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Excuse bullet points as it's past my bed time! :smiley:

    You realise that the way this site is designed is that exercise does not boost weight loss?
    (Eating back exercise calories.)

    Loosing fat comes from a sustained calorie deficit, not from choice of exercise.

    A week is absolutely nothing in exercise terms, weight loss or body composition changes. If you are using scales with a BF% function beware they can be terribly inaccurate and misleading.

    HIIT is a very poor choice for high calorie burns, duration is too short, recovery compromises both your next exercise session and also for some people reduces their general activity as they are wiped out by the intensity.
    If you really want to use exercise to create a deficit (please think seriously about that as it's a very short term view...) then moderate intensity, long duration cardio of a type you enjoy is far superior for high calorie burns.

    Yes I think you should forget HR as it seems to be limiting you rather than helping you. Your very low exercise HR would indicate it's either not picking up your pulse properly or you aren't pushing very hard. Check it manually perhaps?

    If you do HIIT do it because either you are very short of time, you are using it sparingly for the specific fitness benefits of very high intensity work but also accept the negative consequences of that choice.

    Each of you statement makes sense to me but I would like to see the situation from slightly different prospective.
    I am in this journey for a couple years and lost more than 100 pounds and my BMI is 25. My point is that I consider myself more or less fit.
    My point is that it’s became a little bit boring to sustain my routine and I was looking for some changes.
    Normally I do weights lifting and stationary biking a few days a week.
    Since I started HIIT despite I don’t get recommended heart rate every time I am so sweaty and tired that I could almost feel that I lost a few extra calories (kidding)
    I do use scales for BF% and I know that it’s very inaccurate but I look only for trend and absolute numbers.
    Also I noticed that I lost a few pounds with HIIT.
    After all ... doing intervals intensive exercise (even it’s not real HIIT) should benefit anyway.
    This is my way of looking at it.
    Anyway I like your way of thinking and analysis as well.
    Appreciate it.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    Suusik wrote: »
    I do not know about the app, but you can do HIIT on the bike. I prefer on a spin bike over an upright bike, but that would work too. I am not too sure if you are using a recumbent bike.
    Here are things I do:

    Warm up a few minutes on lowest gear. Then, every minute add a gear (resistance up 1), then when I reach my max gear I can cycle at, I pyramid down decreasing 1 each minute. Cool down a few minutes.

    Warmup. Go hard..all in 30 seconds.. rest/slow cycling for 30 seconds. I do this for 10+intervals, then cool down.

    Warm up. Set to a medium gear, Cycle at 50% my exertion for a minute, rest 30 seconds, then repeat with 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, then down 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% 50% then cool down.

    You can play around with it. Find something you like. The idea is to get your heart rate up and drop back down in intervals.

    Easiest thing to do is download an interval timer. Set the # of intervals. Set your "GO" time and your rest time. Hit start and go.


    Well. Appreciate your input.
    I started to read some articles related to H.I.I.T. and have some confusion about calculating max heart rate I should keep and range of heart beat during it and etc
    Anyway I installed app called “Intervals “ which works with Apple Watch and I love it.
    Does anyone have any experience with it?
    Thanks

    Heart rate is too slow to use as a target for HIIT. Your heart rate is like an average of the intensity over the last 45 seconds or so. You're doing 30 second intervals. It's just not useful. Do the bikes your gym provides have power meters?
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,390 Member
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    Suusik wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Excuse bullet points as it's past my bed time! :smiley:

    You realise that the way this site is designed is that exercise does not boost weight loss?
    (Eating back exercise calories.)

    Loosing fat comes from a sustained calorie deficit, not from choice of exercise.

    A week is absolutely nothing in exercise terms, weight loss or body composition changes. If you are using scales with a BF% function beware they can be terribly inaccurate and misleading.

    HIIT is a very poor choice for high calorie burns, duration is too short, recovery compromises both your next exercise session and also for some people reduces their general activity as they are wiped out by the intensity.
    If you really want to use exercise to create a deficit (please think seriously about that as it's a very short term view...) then moderate intensity, long duration cardio of a type you enjoy is far superior for high calorie burns.

    Yes I think you should forget HR as it seems to be limiting you rather than helping you. Your very low exercise HR would indicate it's either not picking up your pulse properly or you aren't pushing very hard. Check it manually perhaps?

    If you do HIIT do it because either you are very short of time, you are using it sparingly for the specific fitness benefits of very high intensity work but also accept the negative consequences of that choice.

    Each of you statement makes sense to me but I would like to see the situation from slightly different prospective.
    I am in this journey for a couple years and lost more than 100 pounds and my BMI is 25. My point is that I consider myself more or less fit.
    My point is that it’s became a little bit boring to sustain my routine and I was looking for some changes.
    Normally I do weights lifting and stationary biking a few days a week.
    Since I started HIIT despite I don’t get recommended heart rate every time I am so sweaty and tired that I could almost feel that I lost a few extra calories (kidding)
    I do use scales for BF% and I know that it’s very inaccurate but I look only for trend and absolute numbers.
    Also I noticed that I lost a few pounds with HIIT.
    After all ... doing intervals intensive exercise (even it’s not real HIIT) should benefit anyway.
    This is my way of looking at it.
    Anyway I like your way of thinking and analysis as well.
    Appreciate it.

    Being that you are already somewhat fit, you still might want to consider the power measures as your best indicator of changes, vs using HR and/or sweat factor. Even if the bike doesn't measure true power, you might be able to use cadence or speed vs resistance or similar measures that the bike does have.

    I do some intervals of various types here and there, from longer intervals and rest sessions to the true Tabata IE1 protocol which is fairly insane, and enjoy just mixing it up. Overall I'd have to somewhat agree with this article in the sense that at some point exercising at very high intensities just sucks the fun out of it. Sometimes. Other times I actually really enjoy the extra effort involved. But overall the article shows that major gains can be had from several different types of higher intensity stuff, intervals or not.

    If I'm trying to drop weight I almost always couple the HIIT type stuff with some steady state, as the calorie burn overall with HIIT isn't great. But in your case having lost quite a bit of weight already (fantastic work BTW) you obviously already have the calorie vs activity balance worked out.
  • Suusik
    Suusik Posts: 35 Member
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    Folks,
    I appreciate your input.
    I continue to do HIIT when I'm walking and on stationary bike.
    As you you suggested I stopped put much attention to heart rate because in my 64 years I can't achieve 156 bpm. I do my best i.e. almost max as I could, I'm exhausted, sweat and etc but hear rate does not rise higher than 120-130 per minute. Please take a look at my last session on stationary bike where I did 30 min HIIT but still can't get to 'recommended' number.
    I think that I'll stop put any attention on it.
    What do you think about this graph (screenshot) I took in a gym?
    Thanks1srks7y3b8p0.jpg
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,178 Member
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    Suusik wrote: »
    Folks,
    I appreciate your input.
    I continue to do HIIT when I'm walking and on stationary bike.
    As you you suggested I stopped put much attention to heart rate because in my 64 years I can't achieve 156 bpm. I do my best i.e. almost max as I could, I'm exhausted, sweat and etc but hear rate does not rise higher than 120-130 per minute. Please take a look at my last session on stationary bike where I did 30 min HIIT but still can't get to 'recommended' number.
    I think that I'll stop put any attention on it.
    What do you think about this graph (screenshot) I took in a gym?
    Thanks1srks7y3b8p0.jpg

    Are you on beta blockers?
    When was the last time you saw your Dr?
    Go see your Dr and get approval for strenuous exercise ... or confirmation that strenuous exercise is not for you.

    Also, "walking" and "HIIT" just don't go together.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,178 Member
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    I agree!

    I am not a particularly strong cyclist, but when I'm on Zwift and a sprint comes up, there are occasional moments when I can hit 300 watts. If I were considering doing anything like HIIT, I'd want to aim to hit 300 watts every so often throughout my workout. I know others who can hit much higher watts and they would want to aim higher than I do at this point.

    My "casual, hop on the bike and do non-strenuous spin because I've got 30 minutes and don't really have the energy to do more" watts usually average about 85-90.

    So yeah, I would nudge the resistance up a bit. Try 2 next time, then 3 ...
  • Suusik
    Suusik Posts: 35 Member
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    Folks,
    Appreciate your thoughts!
    You didn’t get my point 😅
    Whatever you say sounds reasonable to me and I also like metrics and etc in many cases doing analysis BUT:
    I am MD myself and regarding my health I have not trivial but kind of “unusual” approach.
    I don’t take any medication and obviously not beta blockers 😎
    Wherever it’s possible I try to follow KISS concept.
    The point I am trying to make is that I am trying mostly listen to my body. I mean that if I feel good, no need any medication, good BMI and happy.... why should I start counting? Maybe sounds silly but it’s my vision.
    Anyway regarding my HIIT. Maybe it’s not classical HIIT but since I am doing almost max of my efforts and feel better after that and etc... why not continue it?
    Likely it sounds a little bit childish but it works for me and I do value and respect other opinions as well.
    Thanks again
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,178 Member
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    Suusik wrote: »
    Folks,
    Appreciate your thoughts!
    You didn’t get my point 😅
    Whatever you say sounds reasonable to me and I also like metrics and etc in many cases doing analysis BUT:
    I am MD myself and regarding my health I have not trivial but kind of “unusual” approach.
    I don’t take any medication and obviously not beta blockers 😎
    Wherever it’s possible I try to follow KISS concept.
    The point I am trying to make is that I am trying mostly listen to my body. I mean that if I feel good, no need any medication, good BMI and happy.... why should I start counting? Maybe sounds silly but it’s my vision.
    Anyway regarding my HIIT. Maybe it’s not classical HIIT but since I am doing almost max of my efforts and feel better after that and etc... why not continue it?
    Likely it sounds a little bit childish but it works for me and I do value and respect other opinions as well.
    Thanks again

    That's fine ... but perhaps call it "interval training" rather than "high intensity interval training". :)

    Still, if you wanted to put in more effort at some point, you could increase the resistance of your exercise bike.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Suusik wrote: »
    Folks,
    Appreciate your thoughts!
    You didn’t get my point 😅
    Whatever you say sounds reasonable to me and I also like metrics and etc in many cases doing analysis BUT:
    I am MD myself and regarding my health I have not trivial but kind of “unusual” approach.
    I don’t take any medication and obviously not beta blockers 😎
    Wherever it’s possible I try to follow KISS concept.
    The point I am trying to make is that I am trying mostly listen to my body. I mean that if I feel good, no need any medication, good BMI and happy.... why should I start counting? Maybe sounds silly but it’s my vision.
    Anyway regarding my HIIT. Maybe it’s not classical HIIT but since I am doing almost max of my efforts and feel better after that and etc... why not continue it?
    Likely it sounds a little bit childish but it works for me and I do value and respect other opinions as well.
    Thanks again

    Not sure you are getting the point the people in this thread are making either TBH.
    What you are doing is extraordinarily low intensity exercise.

    The only points of overlap between what you are doing and HIIT is that it's cardio and there is an element of interval training. But those intervals are between minimal effort and a tiny effort. That doesn't make it bad exercise of course but it does mean what you expect to get out of it (HR elevation and fitness benefits) are a million miles away from high intensity exercise.

    The KISS principal is fine but the "simple" in KISS would be to describe your exercise as a gentle indoor cycle.