Is this a true HIIT workout?

Mels707

Hi everyone

I've seen a couple posts here and there about how most people who think they are doing HIIT are really just doing intervals. I want to make sure I'm doing HIIT. Spent some time with google but got conflicting info.

Here is what I do:

(On treadmill)

3 min warm up walk
Then

30 sec @9.0 (very intense, don't want to do another second)
60 sec @2.5
Repeat 7-8x

Cool down a few minutes
Total time on treadmill is 16-18 minutes.

Thanks!

sheleen302

Looks like HIIT to me. Is the 9 the speed number or the incline number? I mess with the incline cause I don't like to run I do adjust speed up to a super fast walk 4 w/incline 11 or 12. Then down to 4 incline and reduce speed to recover a bit. I am not able to complete more than 16 -18 min-too wiped..

Mels707

It's speed. I set incline at 0

ChinUp4Life

That counts at high intensity.

You should know that intensity is more related to your own abilities than anything else.

Most hard exercise that lasts between 10-60 seconds at 90%+ effort probably counts as high intensity.

Keep it up.

PS I recommend turning the incline up to 10 degrees and running at 6 mph. Your calves, glutes, and hams will be burning and you'll tone while you burn fat. Good luck.

SocWkrBee

That sounds like HIIT. Have you tried this yet? I find it easier to do my HIIT workouts on an elliptical. It is easier to control the speed. On the treadmill you have to press buttons all of the time.

Jynus

9mph = a 25second 100m sprint time. Thats pretty slow, like really slow.. A stat I just found on untrained females should be in the 16-17 second mark for that distance. my hunch is you're cheating yourself slightly. When I trained I was constantly amazed at peoples ability to think they are going max out yet be nowhere close.

You have the right idea about what HIIT is, it's pushing maximal effort movements followed by rest. You're ratios look about correct.

If you want a tip to improve on what you're doing, find a track or a grass field and use that instead of tredmill. Or if thats not an option, use the tredmill with it turned off. Thats right, don't let the machine run. You run it. 30 seconds full on sprint like you are doing. It's a much more effective way of doing hiit imo.

jquijas

Not trying to be funny, but HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. So intervals if done right would still count as HIIT. The premise behind HIIT is to elevate your Heart Rate bring it down and shoot it right back up. Previous post was right as well it depends on your level as well your 9 might be someone elses 6 or vice versa.

SPBROOKS68

It's speed. I set incline at 0

You should up the incline too--- According to Chris Powell "walking w/o an incline = the treadmill is walking for you".

Mels707

The treadmills at my gym have a speed interval program so I only have to press one button. But thanks for the elliptical suggestion...I'm sure I'll want to change things up now and then.

oneIT

HIIT is giving it all you got for a set amount of time and then taking it slower for a period of time and repeating. Of course you always have a the warm up and cool down. It can be done on anything but I think running not on a treadmill gives you the max workout.

Yogi_Carl

wht's the difference between HIIT and Fartlek or are they just different names for the same approach?

SocWkrBee

The treadmills at my gym have a speed interval program so I only have to press one button. But thanks for the elliptical suggestion...I'm sure I'll want to change things up now and then.

Oh, fancy! My ten dollar gym lacks such equipment. That sounds nice. I would definitely do it on the treadmill if that was the case.

Mels707

Thanks for the suggestions. It's easier to run at the gym because they have babysitting. I'm definitely a slow runner...I do 4 miles in around 50 minutes. I am curious though...I'll try upping the interval speed and see what happens.

heybales

Hi everyone

I've seen a couple posts here and there about how most people who think they are doing HIIT are really just doing intervals. I want to make sure I'm doing HIIT. Spent some time with google but got conflicting info.

Here is what I do:

(On treadmill)

3 min warm up walk
Then

30 sec @9.0 (very intense, don't want to do another second)
60 sec @2.5
Repeat 7-8x

Cool down a few minutes
Total time on treadmill is 16-18 minutes.

Thanks!

Yep. All out effort for 15-45 sec, with recovery time about 3 times as long to let HR drop back down.
The longer the recovery, the higher you can go up. With 30/60 your high will start losing it. Might want to make it 90 sec, and whatever speed allows you to get back into Recovery HR zone fast for majority of that 90.
5 min warmup walk, 2 min jog at 4.5 or 5 to get into aerobic zone, then 8x intervals of 30/90, 10 min cooldown walk.
That's 25 min total.

Also, this is considered a lifting type workout, you'll need the same recovery the day after as lifting would need, or else your muscles aren't really getting the repair/rebuilding they need to improve.
So can do cardio using the same muscles but only in the Recovery HR zone (aka "fat-burning" zone, which is good for something). Need blood flow only, no extra stress.
Shouldn't be lifting the next day either.

This is great routine on upper body lifting day or end of lifting workout, then the next day total rest to recover.

You might check treadmills too if several models. Some do allow interval sessions where you set the speeds and incline, and a button press switches between them.
Even better are the ones you program the time into also.

Agree on incline, at least 1 to mimic outdoor flat.

Great weekly routine to keep things mixed up.

DavPul

Yes. This is exactly the type of thing HIIT is supposed is supposed to be.

whatever33

slow runner my azz... your doing 9mph.. Some guys i know can't get that high w/ ther hiit intervals.. Keep that up, your going to be in good shape very soon... GOOD JOB THEIR.. way to go..

mayday352001

in my opinion your interval set is backward, HIIT usually calls for 2:1 work to recovery. So I would flip it and go 60 sec hard, 30 sec recovery, or 40sec/20 sec if that seems too long. This may mean you need to go easier on the recovery portion.

For intensity, you really need to monitor heartrate. If your on a machine with a monitor, make your hitting at least 80% of max HR on the work sets.

karensoxfan

9mph = a 25second 100m sprint time. Thats pretty slow, like really slow.. A stat I just found on untrained females should be in the 16-17 second mark for that distance. my hunch is you're cheating yourself slightly.

Not to be rude, but are you insane??? 9 mph is damn fast, IMO. The fastest 1-minute interval I've been able to do is 8 mph, and my heart rate is 190+ by the end of it. 16 seconds for 100 meters is the equivalent of 14 mph. Do you really think most people can run that fast, even for short intervals?

Sarauk2sf

In theory yes, but the machines cannot speed up or slow down immediately so you are not getting the length of time at the faster speed. I would say it is more like interval training.

heybales

General interval training.
http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/IntervalTraining.html

Benefits of HIIT for fat loss.
http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/HIITvsET.html

Benefit of SIT for endurance.
http://www.exrx.net/ExInfo/HIIT.html

Jynus

Not trying to be funny, but HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. So intervals if done right would still count as HIIT. The premise behind HIIT is to elevate your Heart Rate bring it down and shoot it right back up. Previous post was right as well it depends on your level as well your 9 might be someone elses 6 or vice versa.

The premise behind hiit has nothing to do with heart rate.

It's about pushing the body with atp-cp/lactic acid based workouts, then active rest while glycogen rebuilds in the muscles. Same as a lifting type workout. So heartrate is not a measure of anything useful.

Mels707

In theory yes, but the machines cannot speed up or slow down immediately so you are not getting the length of time at the faster speed. I would say it is more like interval training.

I do try to account for this by adding 5 seconds to the interval segment, but yes it's not ideal

Mels707

Hi everyone

I've seen a couple posts here and there about how most people who think they are doing HIIT are really just doing intervals. I want to make sure I'm doing HIIT. Spent some time with google but got conflicting info.

Here is what I do:

(On treadmill)

3 min warm up walk
Then

30 sec @9.0 (very intense, don't want to do another second)
60 sec @2.5
Repeat 7-8x

Cool down a few minutes
Total time on treadmill is 16-18 minutes.

Thanks!

Yep. All out effort for 15-45 sec, with recovery time about 3 times as long to let HR drop back down.
The longer the recovery, the higher you can go up. With 30/60 your high will start losing it. Might want to make it 90 sec, and whatever speed allows you to get back into Recovery HR zone fast for majority of that 90.
5 min warmup walk, 2 min jog at 4.5 or 5 to get into aerobic zone, then 8x intervals of 30/90, 10 min cooldown walk.
That's 25 min total.

Also, this is considered a lifting type workout, you'll need the same recovery the day after as lifting would need, or else your muscles aren't really getting the repair/rebuilding they need to improve.
So can do cardio using the same muscles but only in the Recovery HR zone (aka "fat-burning" zone, which is good for something). Need blood flow only, no extra stress.
Shouldn't be lifting the next day either.

This is great routine on upper body lifting day or end of lifting workout, then the next day total rest to recover.

You might check treadmills too if several models. Some do allow interval sessions where you set the speeds and incline, and a button press switches between them.
Even better are the ones you program the time into also.

Agree on incline, at least 1 to mimic outdoor flat.

Great weekly routine to keep things mixed up.

I do HIIT 3x/weeK right after lifting.

Jynus

9mph = a 25second 100m sprint time. Thats pretty slow, like really slow.. A stat I just found on untrained females should be in the 16-17 second mark for that distance. my hunch is you're cheating yourself slightly.

Not to be rude, but are you insane??? 9 mph is damn fast, IMO. The fastest 1-minute interval I've been able to do is 8 mph, and my heart rate is 190+ by the end of it. 16 seconds for 100 meters is the equivalent of 14 mph. Do you really think most people can run that fast, even for short intervals?

Why do you care about heartrate when sprinting? the 2 are unrelated...

That said, no I'm not insane. Thats a very slow time, specially when you consider that the treadmill actually runs for the OP. and I was being generous with 17 seconds. Lets put it this way, for the average 12 year old girl at track meets, they are running in 15 seconds.

TexasTroy

9mph = a 25second 100m sprint time. Thats pretty slow, like really slow.. A stat I just found on untrained females should be in the 16-17 second mark for that distance. my hunch is you're cheating yourself slightly.

Not to be rude, but are you insane??? 9 mph is damn fast, IMO. The fastest 1-minute interval I've been able to do is 8 mph, and my heart rate is 190+ by the end of it. 16 seconds for 100 meters is the equivalent of 14 mph. Do you really think most people can run that fast, even for short intervals?

Why do you care about heartrate when sprinting? the 2 are unrelated...

That said, no I'm not insane. Thats a very slow time, specially when you consider that the treadmill actually runs for the OP. and I was being generous with 17 seconds. Lets put it this way, for the average 12 year old girl at track meets, they are running in 15 seconds.

^^lol............not really sure where you are getting your info but read it again.......Secondly, I doubt that the original poster is trying to become a track athlete.

Jynus

9mph = a 25second 100m sprint time. Thats pretty slow, like really slow.. A stat I just found on untrained females should be in the 16-17 second mark for that distance. my hunch is you're cheating yourself slightly.

Not to be rude, but are you insane??? 9 mph is damn fast, IMO. The fastest 1-minute interval I've been able to do is 8 mph, and my heart rate is 190+ by the end of it. 16 seconds for 100 meters is the equivalent of 14 mph. Do you really think most people can run that fast, even for short intervals?

Why do you care about heartrate when sprinting? the 2 are unrelated...

That said, no I'm not insane. Thats a very slow time, specially when you consider that the treadmill actually runs for the OP. and I was being generous with 17 seconds. Lets put it this way, for the average 12 year old girl at track meets, they are running in 15 seconds.

^^lol............not really sure where you are getting your info but read it again.......Secondly, I doubt that the original poster is trying to become a track athlete.

No, she's only trying to sprint max out.. Nothing like sprinting at track meets at all...

heybales

No, she's only trying to sprint max out.. Nothing like sprinting at track meets at all...

Additionally, as mentioned, trying to do that after doing lifting, which I'm guessing includes some lower body, so max could be very different than rested max.

So not talking about fully resting sprinting either like at a track meet. 9mph could indeed feel very heavy if you could barely walk over to the treadmill anyway.

myofibril

If your gym has a cycle ergometer (stationary bicycle) then do your HIIT on that. It isn't a coincidence that the original Tabata study used them.

You could try 30:30 if you are a beginner or preferably 8 - 10 intervals of 60:60 (60 secs sprinting with 60 seconds active recovery) sandwiched between a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cooldown.

Don't get too hung up about the intensity in the sprints: just go as fast as you can.

If you want greater accuracy you can base it on a % of maximum heart rate ( 220 minus your age) as this has a correlation with V02 max. The sprints will be at around 90 - 95% of your maximum, the recovery about 50%. You can use the heart rate sensors on the bike to do this.

Good luck.

Jynus

No, she's only trying to sprint max out.. Nothing like sprinting at track meets at all...

Additionally, as mentioned, trying to do that after doing lifting, which I'm guessing includes some lower body, so max could be very different than rested max.

So not talking about fully resting sprinting either like at a track meet. 9mph could indeed feel very heavy if you could barely walk over to the treadmill anyway.

hmm, I didn't know this was post workout, so valid point. Regardless tho I feel my first point still stands. A LOT of people shortchange themselves because they just truly don't know what they are fully capable of doing. On this specific example too. I used to use the rowing machine for doing hiit with clients, specially because it has a wattage gauge to display intensity. What amazed me was that most people would claim they were going full out at a wattage that was less than half of my casual warmup. And about 8x less than my max. I don't for a second think I was that far ahead of them. One in particular was like this where I saw her outside of gym. on the baseball field, wow, look at her go. totally different person. This is why I adjusted my hiit for clients to use the treadmill with it turned off. The rule was you had to be running, and getting to that point with resistance actually ment they were going full out and not just the half assed full out I normally got.

People have this hangup on what 'intense' means it seems. I really don't know how else to put it. I'm really just trying to point this out. I don't think people here understand just how slow 25 second 100m really is. Even for untrained.

bluechip777

in my opinion your interval set is backward, HIIT usually calls for 2:1 work to recovery. So I would flip it and go 60 sec hard, 30 sec recovery, or 40sec/20 sec if that seems too long. This may mean you need to go easier on the recovery portion.

For intensity, you really need to monitor heartrate. If your on a machine with a monitor, make your hitting at least 80% of max HR on the work sets.

Exactly!! Then, you can eventually progress to 3:1

Jynus

in my opinion your interval set is backward, HIIT usually calls for 2:1 work to recovery. So I would flip it and go 60 sec hard, 30 sec recovery, or 40sec/20 sec if that seems too long. This may mean you need to go easier on the recovery portion.

For intensity, you really need to monitor heartrate. If your on a machine with a monitor, make your hitting at least 80% of max HR on the work sets.

Exactly!! Then, you can eventually progress to 3:1

this isn't hiit then, it's simply hit/cardio. anaerobic recovery pathways are a lot longer than 20-30 seconds. There is no way someone will be able to recover properly in that timeframe unless they are going far below their performance threshold..