Is This HIIT?

iAMsmiling
iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
edited January 3 in Fitness and Exercise
My current, just started, HIIT routine is:

On an elliptical /stridder machine

4 minutes warm up.
75 seconds all out
45 seconds cool down

10 sets


Is that HIIT? If not, what sort of changes to I need to make?

Replies

  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    bump
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    Yes. HIIT is any kind of intervals, usually 30-45 seconds max and 1-2 minutes rest.

    For instance I do a 20-minute treadmill routine:

    2 min fast walking
    1 min run
    30 sec sprint
    1.5 min fast walking (cooldown)
    Repeat.

    When 20 minutes is up I can't do another minute.
  • gregpack
    gregpack Posts: 426 Member
    Go to youtube and search peak 8 or sprint 8. The guy claims research says maximal benefit is reached at 30 seconds max effort. he recommends eight sets of 30 seconds max effort followed by 90 seconds slow speed recovery. If you do it right you'll be totally wiped by the last set.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Yes. Yes it is.
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    It depends on your intensity..if you mean all out , and it is TRULY "all out" than yes...see the attached link.. Well written and informative.
    http://www.brinkzone.com/training-programs/hiit-training-are-you-really-doing-it/
  • danielg810
    danielg810 Posts: 76 Member
    definitely. I've read if your at 80-100% of your vo2 max which is your heart rate- @21 yrs old 136 is the avg 80% vo2 max, for 40 yr olds its around 160 i believe. This is the heart rate you need to promote a significant metabolism boost! I check mine wiht the machine at the gym, google your age gr oups vo2 max and find out if your doing it yourself, minute by minute at the gym. Its motivating! good luck :D
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    Today's HIIT workout as seen by my HRM and Digifit App.

    I wonder if I'm giving myself enough recovery time between max output? Thinking of shortening/intensifying max and making recoveries longer.

    hiit.png
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
    Yes. HIIT is any kind of intervals, usually 30-45 seconds max and 1-2 minutes rest.
    Not quite. HIIT = high intensity interval training.
    There are other types of intervals as well. HIIT is characterized by near-max effort.
    I would wager that many of not most people who think they are doing HIIT are really just doing "interval training" -- which is perfectly fine for most purposes in any case!

    OP, based on your graph there, I'd say that this are high intensity intervals, but I agree that you could shorten your hard intervals and/or lengthen the rest intervals, and push harder on the hard ones, if you want to. The graph has VO2max labeled as "max effort" but that's not true for very short intervals. The Tabata protocol had people going at 170% VO2max for instance (but for only 20 seconds). After you hit your VO2max you can still continue to push harder; your body just can't do a faster job of getting O2 to your muscles (so you will go deep into O2 debt, it will feel awful, and you won't be able to do it for long).

    It's really up to you though - what are your goals? All the types of interval intensities have their benefits, you just have to pick the training to match your goal.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Agreed with Ixap. 75 secs is a bear of a time to go "all out". Olympic caliber athletes don't sprint that long. Let's bring that down to 30 secs, leave rest time the same, and adjust from there if needed
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    Thanks for the input guys.
    I can push harder. I'm not experiencing the exhaustion others describe with HIIT...tough yes, but not that tough.
    So, harder, shorter, highs...about the same rest.

    I'll give that a try.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Keep in mind that the appeal of HIIT is not that it kills you while you are doing it. It's that it keeps burning calories long after you've stopped. It's a huge drain on the recovery system as well. You don't want to get into the habit if pushing yourself during the actual session till you "feel it" because by then you've probably gone too far. Similar to eating till you feel full. By that time you probably should have stopped eating 500 cals prior.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    Keep in mind that the appeal of HIIT is not that it kills you while you are doing it. It's that it keeps burning calories long after you've stopped. It's a huge drain on the recovery system as well. You don't want to get into the habit if pushing yourself during the actual session till you "feel it" because by then you've probably gone too far. Similar to eating till you feel full. By that time you probably should have stopped eating 500 cals prior.

    Thanks,
    I'll keep my efforts moderate at first and build up.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    Modified for a shorter high and longer rest. Going to go a little further in that direction to see if I can get my heart rate during the resting period to go down a bit more.

    hiit2.png
  • gregpack
    gregpack Posts: 426 Member
    That heart rate profile looks similar to my rate when I do it. You are peaking but quickly recovering. I'm about to turn 47, I usually peak in the low 170s also. If you feel good doing it, why not continue the same protocol?


    BTW, What app is that?
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    That heart rate profile looks similar to my rate when I do it. You are peaking but quickly recovering. I'm about to turn 47, I usually peak in the low 170s also. If you feel good doing it, why not continue the same protocol?


    BTW, What app is that?

    I guess I'm trying to be sure I'm doing HIIT and not just interval training. Not sure exactly where you cross that line, but I think the intensity isn't as high as people describe HIIT being...so I want to push it a bit more.

    The app is called "digifit." Pretty nice. digifit.com
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    Ok, no doubt about it now.

    Increased the difficulty on the machine. Cut the time to 35 seconds on, 90 seconds off.
    Kicked it hard this morning.

    From how I felt after 8 sets, I'm pretty sure I'm there now. Wow.

    hiitx.PNG
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
    I guess I'm trying to be sure I'm doing HIIT and not just interval training. Not sure exactly where you cross that line, but I think the intensity isn't as high as people describe HIIT being...so I want to push it a bit more.
    The problem is that the line is subjective. At minimum I'd think there's a consensus that you would need to be in the anaerobic zone or higher to call it HIIT, but different protocols have specific requirements even beyond that (such as 170% vo2max for Tabata HIIT). If you read the scientific literature it's incredible how much variation there is among protocols, so one has to be really careful in interpreting results.
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
    bump
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    I guess I'm trying to be sure I'm doing HIIT and not just interval training. Not sure exactly where you cross that line, but I think the intensity isn't as high as people describe HIIT being...so I want to push it a bit more.
    The problem is that the line is subjective. At minimum I'd think there's a consensus that you would need to be in the anaerobic zone or higher to call it HIIT, but different protocols have specific requirements even beyond that (such as 170% vo2max for Tabata HIIT). If you read the scientific literature it's incredible how much variation there is among protocols, so one has to be really careful in interpreting results.



    I think I'd croak somewhere before 170%.
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