HIIT with elliptical

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

Melissaol

I want to try this. Love the elliptical. So 2 minutes of 2-4 resistance
then 30 sec at 8. Repeat for 20u minutes.
Is this right.

boggsmeister

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 am not an expert, but I have done some reading. In the Tabata study, participants who did aerobics burned twice as many calories during their exercise time, but the ones who did HIIT burned 9 times as much fat. Look it up, talk to a trainer also. One of the other things I keep on reading is that not everyone is ready for HIIT when they first start exercising. I talked to my trainer at the Y about it and he said there were lots of ways to start working intervals in, and that it would be best for me to start slow and work my way up. I have no idea what your conditioning is, and I wouldn't dream of telling you how to start. I would stress that maybe you should talk to someone who is actually a trainer to see what is right for you and how you want to work up to that 20 minute interval training everyone is talking about.

BTW, I have 100 pounds to lose, and my trainer told me aerobics were essential, and HIIT was good too. So there is that.

mmapags

I want to try this. Love the elliptical. So 2 minutes of 2-4 resistance
then 30 sec at 8. Repeat for 20u minutes.
Is this right.

3 minute warm up
30 seconds all out
90 seconds rest at low rate.
repeat 8X

That is the Peak 8. You can also get more info by doing a search on it. Hope that helps!

pamelapeldo

bump...great info! Thanks!

zafferFL

I want to try this. Love the elliptical. So 2 minutes of 2-4 resistance
then 30 sec at 8. Repeat for 20u minutes.
Is this right.

3 minute warm up
30 seconds all out
90 seconds rest at low rate.
repeat 8X

That is the Peak 8. You can also get more info by doing a search on it. Hope that helps!

too much rest

mmapags

I want to try this. Love the elliptical. So 2 minutes of 2-4 resistance
then 30 sec at 8. Repeat for 20u minutes.
Is this right.

3 minute warm up
30 seconds all out
90 seconds rest at low rate.
repeat 8X

That is the Peak 8. You can also get more info by doing a search on it. Hope that helps!

too much rest

The shortest 90 seconds in history!!

MMarvelous

I do it on the Arc trainer. I do a 5 min warm up, then for the next 5 mins I do 45 secs at max then 75 sec rest and repeat. Then I 5 mins of stead high pace. Afterwards I return to HIIT for 7 mins but I increase to 60 secs for max and rest. Next 5 mins are stead pace and then a cool down.

pauljsolie

Won't quote all the great info already posted. HIIT is AWESOME and your metabolic rate stays elevated for up to 48 hours after you're done, from what I've heard. Great thread!!

pauljsolie

3 minute warm up
30 seconds all out
90 seconds rest at low rate.
repeat 8X

That is the Peak 8. You can also get more info by doing a search on it. Hope that helps!

too much rest
[/quote]

SERIOUSLY???? Crap, that is the exact routine I've been doing. Should I just reverse the two?

simples88

If anyone is interested in a interval training program for the elliptical trainer I've just printed this one to take with me to the gym...

http://exercise.about.com/library/blellipticalinterval.htm

zafferFL

3 minute warm up
30 seconds all out
90 seconds rest at low rate.
repeat 8X

That is the Peak 8. You can also get more info by doing a search on it. Hope that helps!

too much rest

SERIOUSLY???? Crap, that is the exact routine I've been doing. Should I just reverse the two?
[/quote]

Kinda serious No, that is ok, if the 30 seconds is very hard then 90 seconds rest is doable..as long as you aren't fully recovered...

aim for lower and lower rest...once you get to 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off you'll be feeling the burn

cookie60five

I watched a programme that was recently on the BBC in the UK, where they did HIT for 3 x 20 second bursts at maximum intensity, so a total of a 1 minute workout with recovery time between each 20 burst, 3 times per week, so basically 3 minutes per week, it was really interesting and also had a segment about NEAT non exercise activity training where you move every hour. I've copied the link to the BBC website which gives information about the programme. The doctor that took part was very sceptical about it working but he intends continuing with it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17177251

pauljsolie

too much rest

SERIOUSLY???? Crap, that is the exact routine I've been doing. Should I just reverse the two?

Kinda serious No, that is ok, if the 30 seconds is very hard then 90 seconds rest is doable..as long as you aren't fully recovered...

aim for lower and lower rest...once you get to 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off you'll be feeling the burn

Ok, thanks. I know in the Insanity workouts, it is like 3 minutes intense then 30 seconds rest. I guess I should have known to do that on the elliptical too.

wickedcricket

yes I do intervals on the elliptical. I do the Walk off weight 20 min program (so far, it's new). It's only been 2 weeks so no noticible results yet except that I CAN DO IT. I don't dread it so much - kind of like it, actually.
I AM stronger and my undies are baggy enough that I need new so something's working

brittigno

Yes, I have. The great part of HIIT training is you can do it on virtually any cardio machine.

I warmed up for 2 minutes
I picked a midhigh resistance - S0, a 7 out of 10.
I pushed at a slow to moderate pace for 30 seconds
I pushed as hard as I could for 1 minute.

Keep switching back and forth until you hit 25 minutes.

You should be drenched when your done. Your hard push segment should be very difficult. This workout is all about PUSHING yourself.

HIIT training is AMAZING.

Thanks for posting. I'll have to try this.

shanshyne18

what is HIIT with elliptical?

Abells

I want to try this. Love the elliptical. So 2 minutes of 2-4 resistance
then 30 sec at 8. Repeat for 20u minutes.
Is this right.

3 minute warm up
30 seconds all out
90 seconds rest at low rate.
repeat 8X

That is the Peak 8. You can also get more info by doing a search on it. Hope that helps!

too much rest

Much Agreed with all your statements. You cannot really do HIIT on a treadmill or elliptical correctly. The best HIIT workouts are usually with 45 seconds on 15 sec rest or 30 seconds on 10 sec rest. Use weights in it as well. Everyone seems to be describing straight interval training rather than HIIT. There are known as Tabata Method.

I have a few workouts in my exercise diary that I do that are HIIT workouts. It is open to anyone so please view under group training and if you want to lift some weights check out the Crossfit exercises.

mmapags

3 minute warm up
30 seconds all out
90 seconds rest at low rate.
repeat 8X

That is the Peak 8. You can also get more info by doing a search on it. Hope that helps!

too much rest

SERIOUSLY???? Crap, that is the exact routine I've been doing. Should I just reverse the two?

Kinda serious No, that is ok, if the 30 seconds is very hard then 90 seconds rest is doable..as long as you aren't fully recovered...

aim for lower and lower rest...once you get to 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off you'll be feeling the burn
[/quote]

This is true. After my first interval, I recover fairly quickly, by the 5th, I am at 100% of max heart rate during, and never drop more than 10 points for the rest of the way out. The key is going all out. Or you can go 85% to 90% and shorten the rest. There are more than one way to skin the cat. I've never done a max heart rate teat but using the quick and dirty calculation of 220 minus your age, I'm 60. So max is 160. I'm pushing mid to high 160s during ans right after as my body tries to play catch up, drop down to about 155, 154 during rest. I go totally anaerobic at between 15 and 20 seconds. So zafferFL is right about how hard you go and not getting fully recovered. Maybe someday, I'll be able to work it down and be as cool as him but right now it ain't happening! Those 30 seconds feel like forever and the 90 seconds go by in a flash!

MinnieInMaine

I didn't read through all the responses so apologies if something similar has been suggested but I do HIIT on the elliptical by squatting down a bit (hold on to lower bars if available) and going as fast as I can for 30-60 seconds. Then go back to normal pace for 90 seconds, reverse direction, continue at normal speed for 30 seconds, then squat and go fast backwards for 30-60 seconds. I did this for 12 minutes the other day and the sweat was pouring off me. Settings depend on the type of machine you have but I usually set both resistance and incline at 10.

AudgePaudge

Thanks for posting! I'm definitely gonna try some of these ideas!