HIIT with elliptical

mmapags

I do HIIT on my elliptical as well. I have a bad knee so it is less painful to do on the elliptical than a treadmill. My workout on it is as follows..

25 minutes

5 minutes I warm up at a 7 for the entire 5 minutes..

2 minutes I get up to 65 or higher RPMs going front ways

30 seconds lower around 40 - 45 RPMs

2 minutes I increase my RPMs back to 65 or higher going backwards.

I just repeat that process for the entire 20 minutes remaining after the 5 minute warm up.. Sometimes afterwards if im still feeling ok I will just cool down for 15 - 20 minutes on a low intensity..

I am still kinda new to the HIIT on elliptical so if I am going to low please suggest what RPMs I should be doing..


On a side note what do you enter when doing HIIT for your excersise. I have still been entering elliptical trainer and how many minutes I have done however I know im burning much more doing HIIT on the elliptical then low intensity

This is a good interval workout, which will get you results, but I doubt you are getting into a heart rate zone for this to be considered HIIT.

RPM on the machine will be different for everyone.

The key is to push yourself as hard as you can, if you can maintain the pace for 2 full minutes then it's probably not close to your max. You also look like you are at a ratio of 4:1, that's a bit high as well, you should be around 1:1 or 2:1 for intense/rest.
Backwards and forwards make no difference, you are concerned with heart rate here, nothing else.

You can use a HRM monitor and calculate your , or listen to your body. I always remember my martial arts trainer saying that once you are at 80% of your max, you have another 80% to go.

I'm very dubious of the elliptical as a tool for HIIT at all. To get to the speed and/or resistance you need to increase your heart rate enough you will probably be very unstable.

More useful is a spinning bike, sprinting outside (not on a treadmill) or swimming.

I agree with most of this. If you can sustain the interval for much more than 30 seconds it is probably not high enough intensity. I am going anerobic at about 15 seconds and then powering through for the last 15 seconds for get my HR up in the 165 range (I am about to turn 61). My routine is the Peak 8. 3 minute warm up, 30 seconds max, 90 seconds recovery 8x. I use the elliptical sometimes and it is a little tricky on the stability thing. Sometimes I have to hold on to the little handles in the middle and use resistance to get HR up and not just rpm. I also use the TM, recumbent bike and and sprint outside depending on weather. The general recomendation for this type of routine in 2x per week max due to the stress and recovery. Some, like Mark Sisson say once every 7 to 10 days.

lin7604

so how can you figure out how many calories you are burning? i do have a hrm but if i'm going up and down like that i can't constantly be touching the button on my hrm to get a reading...

zafferFL

so how can you figure out how many calories you are burning? i do have a hrm but if i'm going up and down like that i can't constantly be touching the button on my hrm to get a reading...

You throw away that HRM and get one with a strap

But, regardless of that, calories during HIIT are somewhat irrelevant. The exercise time is short and as you said, the heart is going from steady to high beats in short periods of time, I doubt that even the best HRM will be able to calculate calories burned accurately.

The theory of HIIT is that your post exercise time is where your body will burn calories trying to recover.

mmapags

so how can you figure out how many calories you are burning? i do have a hrm but if i'm going up and down like that i can't constantly be touching the button on my hrm to get a reading...

You throw away that HRM and get one with a strap

But, regardless of that, calories during HIIT are somewhat irrelevant. The exercise time is short and as you said, the heart is going from steady to high beats in short periods of time, I doubt that even the best HRM will be able to calculate calories burned accurately.

The theory of HIIT is that your post exercise time is where your body will burn calories trying to recover.

Totally agree with this. You get increased EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Energy Consumption). This in and of itself is not the only reason to do HIIT. If fat burning only is your goal, steady state cardio comes out better but as part of an overall training regimen, HIIT increaases your overall fitness and endurance for other types of activity or training. There are some excellent articles on HIIT here.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/methods-of-endurance-training-part-5-interval-training-part-1.html

Leamac83

Ok, im confused? I thought HIT...High Intensity Training, was something different.

What everyone is describing to here is like Interval training to me. Ive just watched a programe (The Truth about excercise, on BBC in UK) about HIT, and it was bascially going with working out for 3 minutes per day, yes thats corrent THREE minutes. You do 3 seperate intervals of extreme blasts on the bike or treadmill, cycling/running so fast that you are literally about to take off....is this not HIT? The results on this guy that done the study was amazing. He bascially managed to drastically change the way his body used and moved fat, combating things like insulin resistance. A documentary worth watching!

mmapags

It's HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training. Sounds like what you watched showed an abbreviated version. It does help with the benefits you mentioned. Don't really see how that would happen with that short a duration and that high a frequency but who knows....?

celticmuse

I have been doing a HHIT program combined with strength training exercises for about 14 mos. and have lost 33 lbs. I have an app for my phone called "interval timer" and set it to do 2 sets of 18.5 min/each, with a low interval time of 40 sec. The app allows you to play music, so I run it through my stereo. A bell rings on the timer when it is time to switch. I do it like this:

30 sec. of a strength training exercise (I have 12 different ones - everything from kettlebells, to russian twists, stability balls, planks.

60 sec on the elliptical.

On to the next strength exercise.

I set the timer for 40 sec. so I have 10 sec of rest, which allows me to get from the elliptical to the mat.

I burn between 350-400 cal. in 50 minutes.

The great part is that the time flies, because you are constantly moving. The other advantage is that if you find a new exercise you like, or you just get bored, it is very easy to change. I have photos of each strength training exercise on a sheet next to me, so I can see what is next. And the other advantage is that you don't need alot of equipment. I have a kettlebell, a stability ball, a medicine ball and a resistance bands. Other than the elliptical, I don't think I spend more than $125.

I never get bored and I can change the music or the exercise whenever I feel the need. Best exercise routine I have ever found.

mmapags

That sounds very cool! What is the name of that app? Like you, I mix strength and also I mix in some steady state cardio both low intensity (below 75% VO2 max) and moderate intensity (above 75% VO2 max). So a week may look like, HIIT, ss low intensity, strength, rest, ss moderate intensity, strength, ss low intensity. Or some variation of the above. May do 2 HIIT, may do 2 strength, may do 2 ss moderate, all depends on how I'm feeling.

Congrats on the fantastic loss! I'm guessing you are in awesome shape now! I also love your user name! I am an acoustic guitarist that plays Celtic Music as part of my repetoire'!

lin7604

so how can you figure out how many calories you are burning? i do have a hrm but if i'm going up and down like that i can't constantly be touching the button on my hrm to get a reading...

You throw away that HRM and get one with a strap

But, regardless of that, calories during HIIT are somewhat irrelevant. The exercise time is short and as you said, the heart is going from steady to high beats in short periods of time, I doubt that even the best HRM will be able to calculate calories burned accurately.

The theory of HIIT is that your post exercise time is where your body will burn calories trying to recover.

Totally agree with this. You get increased EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Energy Consumption). This in and of itself is not the only reason to do HIIT. If fat burning only is your goal, steady state cardio comes out better but as part of an overall training regimen, HIIT increaases your overall fitness and endurance for other types of activity or training. There are some excellent articles on HIIT here.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/methods-of-endurance-training-part-5-interval-training-part-1.html

ok so i want to focus of burning fat, so steady state is the way i should go then? once i get that fat off me then i can do hiit?

mmapags

so how can you figure out how many calories you are burning? i do have a hrm but if i'm going up and down like that i can't constantly be touching the button on my hrm to get a reading...

You throw away that HRM and get one with a strap

But, regardless of that, calories during HIIT are somewhat irrelevant. The exercise time is short and as you said, the heart is going from steady to high beats in short periods of time, I doubt that even the best HRM will be able to calculate calories burned accurately.

The theory of HIIT is that your post exercise time is where your body will burn calories trying to recover.

Totally agree with this. You get increased EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Energy Consumption). This in and of itself is not the only reason to do HIIT. If fat burning only is your goal, steady state cardio comes out better but as part of an overall training regimen, HIIT increaases your overall fitness and endurance for other types of activity or training. There are some excellent articles on HIIT here.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/methods-of-endurance-training-part-5-interval-training-part-1.html

ok so i want to focus of burning fat, so steady state is the way i should go then? once i get that fat off me then i can do hiit?

I think they all work best together. That's why I do the program that I describe above. All steady state is good for fat burning but it's hard not to lose some lean muscle mass if that's all you do and that is counter productive. What if I told you that you would lose less pounds but be leaner, healthier and more atheletic. Would that appeal to you? One of things I love about the Body recomposition site is that is his approach.

So, in a nutshell, you do HIIT to increase your overall aerobic capacity and fitness without losing lean muscle mass so that you can, do steady state cardio more efficiently and burn more calories and then build lean muscle with strength training so you don't lose lean muscle mass and that muscle mass also burns fat more efficiently. What's happening on the scale is only one peice of the puzzle. If you get leaner and more fit and like how you look, who cares if the scale says you weigh 10 lbs more than you thought you would? What if you drop inches from you waist?

My ticker says down 11 pounds but that's just since I started here. I am down 17 overall but more importantly my body fat went from around 33 to around 22. That's about 18 lbs of fat!! My waist is down 3 inches and still dropping but my weight has gone down very slowly over the last 60 days. The best desciption I heard of the difference between just cardio and a more integrated program like I'm describing is in Mark Sisson's book The Primal Blueprint. He says basically look at a sprinter and look at a marathon runner. Which body would you rather have?

zafferFL

I have been doing a HHIT program combined with strength training exercises for about 14 mos. and have lost 33 lbs. I have an app for my phone called "interval timer" and set it to do 2 sets of 18.5 min/each, with a low interval time of 40 sec. The app allows you to play music, so I run it through my stereo. A bell rings on the timer when it is time to switch. I do it like this:

30 sec. of a strength training exercise (I have 12 different ones - everything from kettlebells, to russian twists, stability balls, planks.

60 sec on the elliptical.

On to the next strength exercise.

I set the timer for 40 sec. so I have 10 sec of rest, which allows me to get from the elliptical to the mat.

I burn between 350-400 cal. in 50 minutes.

The great part is that the time flies, because you are constantly moving. The other advantage is that if you find a new exercise you like, or you just get bored, it is very easy to change. I have photos of each strength training exercise on a sheet next to me, so I can see what is next. And the other advantage is that you don't need alot of equipment. I have a kettlebell, a stability ball, a medicine ball and a resistance bands. Other than the elliptical, I don't think I spend more than $125.

I never get bored and I can change the music or the exercise whenever I feel the need. Best exercise routine I have ever found.

Not HIIT, but sounds like a very good workout anyway. Keep it up!

zafferFL

Ok, im confused? I thought HIT...High Intensity Training, was something different.

What everyone is describing to here is like Interval training to me. Ive just watched a programe (The Truth about excercise, on BBC in UK) about HIT, and it was bascially going with working out for 3 minutes per day, yes thats corrent THREE minutes. You do 3 seperate intervals of extreme blasts on the bike or treadmill, cycling/running so fast that you are literally about to take off....is this not HIT? The results on this guy that done the study was amazing. He bascially managed to drastically change the way his body used and moved fat, combating things like insulin resistance. A documentary worth watching!

3 minutes is perfect for HIIT (excluding warm up and cool down). My current schedule is 3 min warmup (practically no intensity), then 3-4 minutes of intervals. 30 seconds high, 30 seconds rest (not even low intensity). The 30 seconds of intensity is a medium to high level on a spinning bike where I am sprinting at my highest possible speed (the bike wobbles and sometimes my shoes come unclipped).

3 mins cool down (pedaling slowly at a very slow resistance)

Total calories during that period, about 150, but that's not what I'm worried about. I do it for endurance, and my soccer/basketball games have improved greatly as they are all about sprint/stop/sprint. Recovery times have greatly reduced.

celticmuse

That sounds very cool! What is the name of that app? Like you, I mix strength and also I mix in some steady state cardio both low intensity (below 75% VO2 max) and moderate intensity (above 75% VO2 max). So a week may look like, HIIT, ss low intensity, strength, rest, ss moderate intensity, strength, ss low intensity. Or some variation of the above. May do 2 HIIT, may do 2 strength, may do 2 ss moderate, all depends on how I'm feeling.

Congrats on the fantastic loss! I'm guessing you are in awesome shape now! I also love your user name! I am an acoustic guitarist that plays Celtic Music as part of my repetoire'!

The app is called "Interval Timer". There is a free version with ads in the Apple App Store. I just bought the Interval Timer Pro for .99. Haven't tried it yet.

In terms of my progress, I am still 2.5 lbs from my UGW of 138. Those last couple of pounds just keep hanging on.

I have Irish ancestry, and adore all things Celtic, especially music. I have been fortunate to visit Ireland twice in the past 5 years chasing my Irish roots. My daughter also went to college in Scotland, so I also went there 3 times.

Good luck with your workout!

lin7604

so how can you figure out how many calories you are burning? i do have a hrm but if i'm going up and down like that i can't constantly be touching the button on my hrm to get a reading...

You throw away that HRM and get one with a strap

But, regardless of that, calories during HIIT are somewhat irrelevant. The exercise time is short and as you said, the heart is going from steady to high beats in short periods of time, I doubt that even the best HRM will be able to calculate calories burned accurately.

The theory of HIIT is that your post exercise time is where your body will burn calories trying to recover.

Totally agree with this. You get increased EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Energy Consumption). This in and of itself is not the only reason to do HIIT. If fat burning only is your goal, steady state cardio comes out better but as part of an overall training regimen, HIIT increaases your overall fitness and endurance for other types of activity or training. There are some excellent articles on HIIT here.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/methods-of-endurance-training-part-5-interval-training-part-1.html

ok so i want to focus of burning fat, so steady state is the way i should go then? once i get that fat off me then i can do hiit?

I think they all work best together. That's why I do the program that I describe above. All steady state is good for fat burning but it's hard not to lose some lean muscle mass if that's all you do and that is counter productive. What if I told you that you would lose less pounds but be leaner, healthier and more atheletic. Would that appeal to you? One of things I love about the Body recomposition site is that is his approach.

So, in a nutshell, you do HIIT to increase your overall aerobic capacity and fitness without losing lean muscle mass so that you can, do steady state cardio more efficiently and burn more calories and then build lean muscle with strength training so you don't lose lean muscle mass and that muscle mass also burns fat more efficiently. What's happening on the scale is only one peice of the puzzle. If you get leaner and more fit and like how you look, who cares if the scale says you weigh 10 lbs more than you thought you would? What if you drop inches from you waist?

My ticker says down 11 pounds but that's just since I started here. I am down 17 overall but more importantly my body fat went from around 33 to around 22. That's about 18 lbs of fat!! My waist is down 3 inches and still dropping but my weight has gone down very slowly over the last 60 days. The best desciption I heard of the difference between just cardio and a more integrated program like I'm describing is in Mark Sisson's book The Primal Blueprint. He says basically look at a sprinter and look at a marathon runner. Which body would you rather have?

sounds like you have it all figured out for you! excellent! I have been loosing the same 2 lbs for 2.5 months now. I would rather see inches off then lbs but i am not getting either.... I have 7 more lbs to hit my goal and at least 1-2 inches off my waist, hips and belly. ( off each)

mmapags

Ah, that explains a lot! You are within 10 of your goal and your body is close to homeostasis!

One thing that may help is carb cycling to get those last few off. You take one day a week and you eat low fat and jack the carbs uo to around 250 to 300 grams. Then back to normal the next day. I gotta warn you though, for a day or 2 when you do this your muscles will fill with water and glycogen and the scale will actually go up!! About 5 lbs! Don't panic, it almost all water weight and will normalize in a day or 2. This can possibly help on those stubborn last few pounds.

I don't know that you'll get one to 2 inches off from those last 8 pounds though. Maybe one maybe less. You are already pretty lean I'm guessing and that is what is working to make it hard to get thos last few!!

lin7604

thank you., it has been a struggle right from day 1 for me, my 1st goal was 120 ( 1'm 5.2 ft) but i have done nothing but struggle the last 2.5 month i have decided if i can get to 125, i'll be happy and stick with that! I can't even get under 132 at all, almost 3 months of the same 2 lbs, up and down. one day 132, then the next 134 and so on. I have been so frustrated that i have wanted to just give up and accept that i am ment to be this size, even though i know my body should be a bit less yet. i don't know how other girls at the same height and a med build can easily reach 120 or less....it's just not fair! lol

mmapags

I hear ya! It can be frustrating! I'm sending you a freind request. If you'd like, I'll take a look at your diary and see if there is anything there that might help. Totally up to you. No pressure!

celticmuse

thank you., it has been a struggle right from day 1 for me, my 1st goal was 120 ( 1'm 5.2 ft) but i have done nothing but struggle the last 2.5 month i have decided if i can get to 125, i'll be happy and stick with that! I can't even get under 132 at all, almost 3 months of the same 2 lbs, up and down. one day 132, then the next 134 and so on. I have been so frustrated that i have wanted to just give up and accept that i am ment to be this size, even though i know my body should be a bit less yet. i don't know how other girls at the same height and a med build can easily reach 120 or less....it's just not fair! lol

I am in the same boat - I am 5'6" and can't seem to get under 140. Very frustrating! My goal is 138. I just sent you a friend request.

celticmuse

I hear ya! It can be frustrating! I'm sending you a freind request. If you'd like, I'll take a look at your diary and see if there is anything there that might help. Totally up to you. No pressure!

Me too, please....:))

Melissaol

Ok. So is this the same tabata workouts.

20sec of butt kicks
10secin rest
20sec of lunges
10secs of rest
20secmy jumping jacks
Repeat x2

But this is on the elliptical