HIIT: Am I Even Close?

southernyankee716

Is there a minimum time limit for an exercise to be considered HIIT? I ask because earlier I practiced intervals of sprinting for 30seconds followed by walking for 1minute. I only lasted 10 minutes because I was burnt out from my workout on the elliptical. Is a 30s:1m ratio still considered HIIT? I loved it and want to try HIIT, but I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Thanks guys!

meshashesha2012

yep. sounds like you're on the right road to me.

i love HIIT as well because it makes the time fly by, plus i've noticed all sorts of cardiovascular improvements without having to do tons of those long and boring sessions.

zafferFL

Is there a minimum time limit for an exercise to be considered HIIT? I ask because earlier I practiced intervals of sprinting for 30seconds followed by walking for 1minute. I only lasted 10 minutes because I was burnt out from my workout on the elliptical. Is a 30s:1m ratio still considered HIIT? I loved it and want to try HIIT, but I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Thanks guys!

High Intensity Interval Training.


You definitely have the last two. Is the sprinting HIGH intensity? Are you running outside or on the treadmill?

Are you gasping for air at the end of the sprint?

If not, I would suggest super hard sprints for maybe 10 seconds at a time,
30 second sprints at high intensity is getting into athlete status.

chu604

Is there a minimum time limit for an exercise to be considered HIIT? I ask because earlier I practiced intervals of sprinting for 30seconds followed by walking for 1minute. I only lasted 10 minutes because I was burnt out from my workout on the elliptical. Is a 30s:1m ratio still considered HIIT? I loved it and want to try HIIT, but I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Thanks guys!

Ya thats pretty much the just of it.
People do it differently depending on personal preference & level of fitness.
I myself like to do 1min on and 1min off (Walk 1 minute then Sprint 1 minute) Ill do that for 20 mins (10mins of each)
I do it this way because it takes the treadmill a few seconds to speed up and slow down.
Once the summer comes Ill be running outside and doing it differently (mixing it up)

Some people if they are just starting HIIT might do 4 minutes of walking and then 1 minute of fast paced/sprint/running

You got the right idea, like I said its all up to personal preference, level of fitness & what your goals are.



For More Information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

warmachinejt

i don't think so...i consider myself in great condition and yet i can only sprint for 30 secs on and about 2 and a half minutes off
I don't think it's physically possible to sprint with all your might on a treadmill like I do near my parking lots
i'd like t point out that i haven't been able to sprint much lately but i really like it and will be doing a lot this spring and summer

zafferFL

Is there a minimum time limit for an exercise to be considered HIIT? I ask because earlier I practiced intervals of sprinting for 30seconds followed by walking for 1minute. I only lasted 10 minutes because I was burnt out from my workout on the elliptical. Is a 30s:1m ratio still considered HIIT? I loved it and want to try HIIT, but I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Thanks guys!

Ya thats pretty much the just of it.
People do it differently depending on personal preference & level of fitness.
I myself like to do 1min on and 1min off (Walk 1 minute then Sprint 1 minute) Ill do that for 20 mins (10mins of each)
I do it this way because it takes the treadmill a few seconds to speed up and slow down.
Once the summer comes Ill be running outside and doing it differently (mixing it up)

Some people if they are just starting HIIT might do 4 minutes of walking and then 1 minute of fast paced/sprint/running

You got the right idea, like I said its all up to personal preference, level of fitness & what your goals are.



For More Information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

what speed are you sprinting at on the treadmill?

heathero76

I love HIIT and use it about 1x in my workout routine. So I usually do it for atleast a grand total of 30 mins. I start with shorter "sprints" mixed with weights & core exercises. I lengthen the "sprints" up to 2 mins towards the end....granted these are at a little slower pace, but still going hard. I am winded and gasping for air after my "sprints". But there's so much variety that can be incorporated into HIIT thats it can easily be done at home with minimal equiptment.

zafferFL

I love HIIT and use it about 1x in my workout routine. So I usually do it for atleast a grand total of 30 mins. I start with shorter "sprints" mixed with weights & core exercises. I lengthen the "sprints" up to 2 mins towards the end....granted these are at a little slower pace, but still going hard. I am winded and gasping for air after my "sprints". But there's so much variety that can be incorporated into HIIT thats it can easily be done at home with minimal equiptment.

I'm confused...why are you using weights and core exercises in this?

2 mins sprints? you are doing intervals, not HIIT.

southernyankee716

Is there a minimum time limit for an exercise to be considered HIIT? I ask because earlier I practiced intervals of sprinting for 30seconds followed by walking for 1minute. I only lasted 10 minutes because I was burnt out from my workout on the elliptical. Is a 30s:1m ratio still considered HIIT? I loved it and want to try HIIT, but I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Thanks guys!

Ya thats pretty much the just of it.
People do it differently depending on personal preference & level of fitness.
I myself like to do 1min on and 1min off (Walk 1 minute then Sprint 1 minute) Ill do that for 20 mins (10mins of each)
I do it this way because it takes the treadmill a few seconds to speed up and slow down.
Once the summer comes Ill be running outside and doing it differently (mixing it up)

Some people if they are just starting HIIT might do 4 minutes of walking and then 1 minute of fast paced/sprint/running

You got the right idea, like I said its all up to personal preference, level of fitness & what your goals are.



For More Information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

what speed are you sprinting at on the treadmill?

.
My "sprints" were at 7.2. I started at 6.8 and felt I could push harder. I followed that with a speed of 3.5. I'm 235lbs and have only been working out for 2 months...

zafferFL

Is there a minimum time limit for an exercise to be considered HIIT? I ask because earlier I practiced intervals of sprinting for 30seconds followed by walking for 1minute. I only lasted 10 minutes because I was burnt out from my workout on the elliptical. Is a 30s:1m ratio still considered HIIT? I loved it and want to try HIIT, but I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Thanks guys!

Ya thats pretty much the just of it.
People do it differently depending on personal preference & level of fitness.
I myself like to do 1min on and 1min off (Walk 1 minute then Sprint 1 minute) Ill do that for 20 mins (10mins of each)
I do it this way because it takes the treadmill a few seconds to speed up and slow down.
Once the summer comes Ill be running outside and doing it differently (mixing it up)

Some people if they are just starting HIIT might do 4 minutes of walking and then 1 minute of fast paced/sprint/running

You got the right idea, like I said its all up to personal preference, level of fitness & what your goals are.



For More Information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

what speed are you sprinting at on the treadmill?

.
My "sprints" were at 7.2. I started at 6.8 and felt I could push harder. I followed that with a speed of 3.5. I'm 235lbs and have only been working out for 2 months...

Good job! I would still suggest doing this outside and not on the treadmill. As you lose weight, you will be sprinting faster and faster, and you definitely don't want the limitation of the instability of the treadmill.

One of the biggest things is that you should be PUSHING to the very end of your interval...the treadmill kinda needs you to slow down at the end... so you're either going to pace yourself down or you are going to push too hard and risk tripping up, falling etc...

not a pretty sight when the treadmill keeps going and you don't.

southernyankee716

Why thank ya :happy: I grew up in Dallas so exercising outside would have never been an issue in the past. However, I recently moved to Buffalo and haven't quite adjusted to the cold and snow. It's supposed to be in the 50's this week so I'm hoping to get out and try this outdoors.

During my workout, I couldn't get the image of myself flying off the treadmill out of my head. Definitely not a pretty sight!

meshashesha2012

Is there a minimum time limit for an exercise to be considered HIIT? I ask because earlier I practiced intervals of sprinting for 30seconds followed by walking for 1minute. I only lasted 10 minutes because I was burnt out from my workout on the elliptical. Is a 30s:1m ratio still considered HIIT? I loved it and want to try HIIT, but I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Thanks guys!

Ya thats pretty much the just of it.
People do it differently depending on personal preference & level of fitness.
I myself like to do 1min on and 1min off (Walk 1 minute then Sprint 1 minute) Ill do that for 20 mins (10mins of each)
I do it this way because it takes the treadmill a few seconds to speed up and slow down.
Once the summer comes Ill be running outside and doing it differently (mixing it up)

Some people if they are just starting HIIT might do 4 minutes of walking and then 1 minute of fast paced/sprint/running

You got the right idea, like I said its all up to personal preference, level of fitness & what your goals are.



For More Information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training

what speed are you sprinting at on the treadmill?

.
My "sprints" were at 7.2. I started at 6.8 and felt I could push harder. I followed that with a speed of 3.5. I'm 235lbs and have only been working out for 2 months...

Good job! I would still suggest doing this outside and not on the treadmill. As you lose weight, you will be sprinting faster and faster, and you definitely don't want the limitation of the instability of the treadmill.

One of the biggest things is that you should be PUSHING to the very end of your interval...the treadmill kinda needs you to slow down at the end... so you're either going to pace yourself down or you are going to push too hard and risk tripping up, falling etc...

not a pretty sight when the treadmill keeps going and you don't.

i think you're right. i can go up a bit more on my sprints on the treadmill but it's starting to feel weird. plus by the last intervals it's kind of difficult for me to be coordinated enough to simultaneously stop running and hop my feet to the side of the treadmill. my gym has an indoor track so next time i do HIIT i'll take it to the track

tgh1914

No, there should be a max time for it to be considered HIIT. You should run (or whatever) at basically as high an intensity as you can, which will be mean you're ready to give out after 10-30 seconds. Then a short rest, then do it again. You should probably only be able to do that 4 - 8 times before you're totally gassed. And yeah, it'll only take like 6-10 mins total. At a local track I sprint the straights & walk the curves. That's a pretty good method.

I personally don't think true HIIT can be done on a treadmill, unless you're the dangerous type. It's just too hard to get a real sprint speed on a machine, then slow it down immediately & speed it up immediately.

froeschli

i was thinking of starting some intervals on a soccer field nearby - run one length, walk back, run it again... not sure if i even can run the entire length of it... but i am trying it either tomorrow, or tuesday - depending on how my c25k run goes...

froeschli

Why thank ya :happy: I grew up in Dallas so exercising outside would have never been an issue in the past. However, I recently moved to Buffalo and haven't quite adjusted to the cold and snow. It's supposed to be in the 50's this week so I'm hoping to get out and try this outdoors.

During my workout, I couldn't get the image of myself flying off the treadmill out of my head. Definitely not a pretty sight!

i'm near toronto, and i started running the first day it was above 0C (32F) it's gone up and down since, but when it was 'way up at 12C (50F or something) i felt it was way too hot to be out running but then, i had the same gear on as the day before when it was freezing... silly me really, should have realized when i was comfortably warm leaving the house...

ninerbuff

Is there a minimum time limit for an exercise to be considered HIIT? I ask because earlier I practiced intervals of sprinting for 30seconds followed by walking for 1minute. I only lasted 10 minutes because I was burnt out from my workout on the elliptical. Is a 30s:1m ratio still considered HIIT? I loved it and want to try HIIT, but I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Thanks guys!

If you gassed out at 10 minutes, then you're doing it right. When people say they can do it for 30 minutes or more, then that is not HIIT.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ladylu11

An example of HIIT is to do the following:

2-3 Minutes of medium pace running
1-2 minutes of high pace running (push yourself here)
2-3 minutes of fast walking
1 minute of sprinting
2-3 minutes of medium pace running
2-3 minutes of high pace running
2-3 minutes of walking
You can continue with this for as long as you like and alternate between segments.

http://burnmybellyfat.com/cardio-workouts-for-abs.html

zafferFL

An example of HIIT is to do the following:

2-3 Minutes of medium pace running
1-2 minutes of high pace running (push yourself here)
2-3 minutes of fast walking
1 minute of sprinting
2-3 minutes of medium pace running
2-3 minutes of high pace running
2-3 minutes of walking
You can continue with this for as long as you like and alternate between segments.

http://burnmybellyfat.com/cardio-workouts-for-abs.html

Looks like a Sunday stroll compared to a real HIIT session

zafferFL

i was thinking of starting some intervals on a soccer field nearby - run one length, walk back, run it again... not sure if i even can run the entire length of it... but i am trying it either tomorrow, or tuesday - depending on how my c25k run goes...

Running around the field is great, jog the lengths, sprint the widths

dpwellman

For me, I don't know if HIIT is supposed to be something new or just a new label for things we've been doing for decades.

Anyway. . .

I am not an expert. No way no how.

Me? I find a hill with at least 3% average grade or so at least 400 meters (just found a new one yesterday! woot!). Run up at near 90% maximal effort (this is where HRM helps), jog down. I repeat until I think I could do ONE more if I absolutely HAD to. When I've worked my way up to six reps I'm either have to 1) push harder or 2) find a longer and/or steeper hill

Back to the original question: intervals can be time based or distance based. I prefer distance* based because I'm usually training for a specific distance. But if you've got a schedule to keep, time based is definitely the way to go.

I tend to do mine distance based except when I'm doing 10-10s (10-10 is a middle ground between intervals and tempo runs. Run one mile easy, and then sets of 10 minutes at 10K pace with interval of 4 minute jog inbetween and then one more mile easy at the end.

*distance also because there's an adage that calories burned works out roughly the same over a given distance whether you walk, run, jog, skip to cover the distance. Calories burned afterwards, though, is a different story.

ninerbuff

An example of HIIT is to do the following:

2-3 Minutes of medium pace running
1-2 minutes of high pace running (push yourself here)
2-3 minutes of fast walking
1 minute of sprinting
2-3 minutes of medium pace running
2-3 minutes of high pace running
2-3 minutes of walking
You can continue with this for as long as you like and alternate between segments.

http://burnmybellyfat.com/cardio-workouts-for-abs.html

I wouldn't tout this as HIIT training, but interval training. There isn't high intensity in walking.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

Just a quick recap of HIIT. The intervals should be 100% max effort for about 30 seconds max and usually don't go beyond 30 minutes. Anything longer would mean that you're not doing 100%.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition