High Intensity Interval Training

JAMProphet

Planning to add 1-2 sessions of HIIT into my weekly exercise schedule. Currently I do 4 days of weight lifting (2 days power. 2 days hypertrophy) as well as having basketball twice a week (1 session for practice/social games and 1 competition game) and indoor soccer twice a week.

Can already see the benefits it will have not only for weight/fat loss (just finished a bulk and want to lose the fat gained in the process) but also conditioning for basketball and soccer

I'm with you man. I wish I had started HIIT earlier. This is the second soccer game I played without a sub, and I was totally winded in about 10 minutes!

JAMProphet

I have been trying to find info for HIT that can be done on a track- so far, unsuccessful. Any suggestions?

sprint a section (30-40 seconds)

jog a shorter section 20 seconds

repeat for as long as you can but no longer than 20 minutes (unless you are already studly)

Sounds legit. Anyone else?

stef_monster

I love running, but as my endurance has built I've been looking for ways to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. I found out about HIIT from a blog called Nerd Fitness. I decided to give it a try on my elliptical, since it's really too cold for me to run outside in the mornings and evenings when I'm home.

Oh. My. God.

After 30 minutes, I was pretty sure that the jig was up and I was going to die. My heart was about to leap out of my chest, my legs were jello and felt like they were on fire, and I could barely get a breath. I've been trying to do HIIT every day or every other day, and the few times I've ventured outside for an afternoon run I can really tell a difference in my cardiovascular endurance. I have asthma, you see, and I really feel it in the spring and fall when the allergens are thick and it's cold out. However, I powered right through about 45 minutes of running with no trouble at all.

I have a FitBit- which is like a super fancy pedometer. It clocks me at burning about 100-150 more calories per half hour doing HIIT than running, which, if you think like I do, is a beer or a nice bowl of ice cream at the end of the day. I tried doing intervals while running outside, but it was difficult for me to keep up with the time without stopping to look at a watch. On a machine, the time is displayed right there in front of you, making stops and starts much more precise. The elliptical I own is a terrifyingly flimsy little number that I got from Walmart two years ago. I assembled it myself, so when you get up to any sort of speed on it, things get scary. Despite this, I'm trying to work on increasing my 'high' speed. Currently my 'low' speed is about 60 rpm, and my 'high' speed is about 80 rpm, both done while on resistance level 4 out of 10. HIIT is showing me tangible results in my breathing and endurance after relatively little time spent on it, so it's a winner in my book.

monty619

its how you get shredded if you dont like to diet as hard.

JAMProphet

I love running, but as my endurance has built I've been looking for ways to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. I found out about HIIT from a blog called Nerd Fitness. I decided to give it a try on my elliptical, since it's really too cold for me to run outside in the mornings and evenings when I'm home.

Oh. My. God.

After 30 minutes, I was pretty sure that the jig was up and I was going to die. My heart was about to leap out of my chest, my legs were jello and felt like they were on fire, and I could barely get a breath. I've been trying to do HIIT every day or every other day, and the few times I've ventured outside for an afternoon run I can really tell a difference in my cardiovascular endurance. I have asthma, you see, and I really feel it in the spring and fall when the allergens are thick and it's cold out. However, I powered right through about 45 minutes of running with no trouble at all.

I have a FitBit- which is like a super fancy pedometer. It clocks me at burning about 100-150 more calories per half hour doing HIIT than running, which, if you think like I do, is a beer or a nice bowl of ice cream at the end of the day. I tried doing intervals while running outside, but it was difficult for me to keep up with the time without stopping to look at a watch. On a machine, the time is displayed right there in front of you, making stops and starts much more precise. The elliptical I own is a terrifyingly flimsy little number that I got from Walmart two years ago. I assembled it myself, so when you get up to any sort of speed on it, things get scary. Despite this, I'm trying to work on increasing my 'high' speed. Currently my 'low' speed is about 60 rpm, and my 'high' speed is about 80 rpm, both done while on resistance level 4 out of 10. HIIT is showing me tangible results in my breathing and endurance after relatively little time spent on it, so it's a winner in my book.

Wow! That's so impressive! I am totally going to check out nerd fitness!!!

FitandFab33

I have been trying to find info for HIT that can be done on a track- so far, unsuccessful. Any suggestions?

If you have an android or iphone, download IT trainer.. it just times the intervals for you. :-) I use it on the treadmill or for my (rare) outdoor runs.

JAMProphet

I have been trying to find info for HIT that can be done on a track- so far, unsuccessful. Any suggestions?

If you have an android or iphone, download IT trainer.. it just times the intervals for you. :-) I use it on the treadmill or for my (rare) outdoor runs.

I looked for it and couldnt find it!

maria_elaina

I do HIIT on the treadmill....warm up, 20 secs as fast as I can managed, 10 secs standing on the sides, 20 secs fast as I can. It gets my heart rate up to my max. I generally do about 10-15mins before cooling down.

JAMProphet

I do HIIT on the treadmill....warm up, 20 secs as fast as I can managed, 10 secs standing on the sides, 20 secs fast as I can. It gets my heart rate up to my max. I generally do about 10-15mins before cooling down.

Woah! Intense! I think I could try this

JAMProphet

Y'all are the best! Thanks for the advice. HIIT has been kicking my @$$, and I have lost 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks.

"Plateau? Oh, you mean that MOUNTAIN I JUST ANNIHILATED AND LEFT IN A PILE OF RUBBLE?"

Thanks again, MFPeeps!

YoungDoc2B

I do HIIT on the treadmill also for about 15-20mins after strength training. I normally run @ 9.5mph at an incline of 5 for a minute, then bump the incline down to 3 and walk @ 4.0 for a minute (sometimes 1.5mins,depending on how I feel). Rinse and repeat

happycauseIride

Bumping to read later when I have more time.

bcattoes

I love HIIT workouts. I don't do them every day, but it's great for burning calories and increasing stamina. When the weather is nice I like to do running intervals, either sprint/jog or go to the track and jog around the track/run the bleachers. I also have Turbo Fire DVDs that have some HIIT workouts. And sometimes I'll just do it with calisthenics and/or jump rope.

NCchar130

BUMP

mmapags

I do HIIT in the form of Sprint 8 intervals--warmup, 8 x (10-15 seconds all-out sprint, 90 seconds recovery), cooldown--once a week. I haven't seen great improvement from it, but I think the principle is sound.

10-15 seconds all out followed by 90 seconds rest is not really HIIT.

Well, Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A., ACSM-CPT, FACHE, the guy who wrote the book, thinks it is. I'm not an expert like you, though, so I can't say if he's right or not.

Phil Campbell's program, Elite 8, or Peak 8 as Mercola calls it, is 3 minute warm up then 8 intervals all out for 30 seconds and rest for 90 seconds. There are no intervals as short as 10 or 15 seconds.

skullik

Bump!

iluvprettyshoes

It's great for conditioning but be careful when you're going hard not to injure yourself! You have to be more aware of your footing & balance. I've injured myself a couple of times.

maryd523

Nick mentioned earlier about not agreeing with the fasting aspect of the article that started this post. Anybody have any experience/feedback on the fasting part?

I usually lift on an empty stomach, but mostly because I had a few bad experiences of almost throwing up if I ate pre-workout.

Any thoughts?

I just believe that you need some sort of fuel for your workouts, not saying over eat but something certainly helps. Its my belief that if you starve yourself(fast) when you do finally eat, your body clings to whatever it can. And that to me is not a good plan.

That's all it is...your belief. The evidence is piling up against you. And what makes more sense from an evolutionary perspective..animals have to exert energy to GET the food to eat...they are exercising on an empty stomach. (And...yes, we are animals.)

bluechip777

Hiit conditions like a Mo --- have fun!!

mmapags

Nick mentioned earlier about not agreeing with the fasting aspect of the article that started this post. Anybody have any experience/feedback on the fasting part?

I usually lift on an empty stomach, but mostly because I had a few bad experiences of almost throwing up if I ate pre-workout.

Any thoughts?

I just believe that you need some sort of fuel for your workouts, not saying over eat but something certainly helps. Its my belief that if you starve yourself(fast) when you do finally eat, your body clings to whatever it can. And that to me is not a good plan.

That's all it is...your belief. The evidence is piling up against you. And what makes more sense from an evolutionary perspective..animals have to exert energy to GET the food to eat...they are exercising on an empty stomach. (And...yes, we are animals.)

If you are suggesting fasted training is beneficial, please cite the evidence you are basing your rationale upon. According to an article based upon research, Lyle McDonald concludes that fed training is slightly more beneficial and muscle sparing than fasted training. Martin Berkaham addresses this by ingesting BCAAs during training when training in a fasted state. What data in the was of studies do you have that shows fasted training and being superior?

monty619

HIIT is what gets u shredded... and that goes for any anaerobic activity including weight lifting.

MissAnjy

I do HIIT training in Turbofire and love it. It's definitely VERY challenging & you're about dead after 15-20 minutes.

towens00

Bump