HIIT/Interval Running

I did it this morning for the first time and thought I was going to die! I used the treadmill. I warmed up for 3 min then I increased the speed to 9 for 30 seconds then decreased it to around 3/4. I wear an HRM so once I was in the middle of my "zone". I went back up to speed of 9 for 30 seconds and kept doing that for 8 sets.

I burned 279 calories in 35 min. I did that on an empty stomach as well. I'm thinking of doing that 1-2x wk. I won't lie, I was ready to give up when I did my 4th round.

I agree we will burn more calories in the long run.

Can't wait to see what others say. Good luck!

1 minute all out sprint is a pretty long time I would cut that back Im a very good runner both distance and sprint and I wouldnt even sprint for a solid minute, try cutting that back to 30 seconds and walking for 45 to a minute I think youll perform better this way, because im assuming by the end of that routine your "sprint" is barely a sprint. at any rate your on the right track HIIT will provide more benefits than steady paced cardio however a good steady paced run is always good to throw in there every few days

I love HIIT, never done it out side before. I do all my endurance running outside though....... HIIT leaves my muscles burning as much as lifting heavy weights.

Did I do it right this morning? It was my first HITT experience lol

I do sprint intervals 1 or 2 times per week as part of my running training. 30 second sprints, 45 second walk. I will do this for 2 miles. You actually burn more calories doing this as you push your heart rate to max, rather than steady state running. On a 5 day running schedule I will do a tempo run, a long slow run, a day or 2 of intervals, a day of hills, etc. Keep up the great work!

When I do intervals on a treadmill, I warm up at a decent pace for three minutes then sprint for a minute followed by 2 minute recovery, I repeat this for 20 minutes total and am toast at the end. I have read elsewhere about doing shorter sprint intervals followed by shorter recovery periods which I think would work off a treadmill but would be hard to accomplish when you are constantly needing to bring the treadmill up to and down from a high speed (I sprint at between 9 and 10 and recover between 6 or 7). When running outside I usually just pick a landmark and sprint then recover (light post, car, stop sign) so that I am not constantly looking at my watch, less scientific but still works.

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I just started adding HIIT after weight training once or twice a week. Rather than run for time I used a HRM. I sprinted until I reached 90-95% max HR (you can pick your own range...your body will tell you when it's had enough), then walked until my HR dropped to 70% max HR. Repeat until desired training duration complete.

I imagine as my fitness improves I will automatically sprint longer and walk less with each interval.

I HATE cardio. Well, I used to. Then I started interval running! I do 6mph jogging and 4mph walking, at a 1:1 minute ratio, and can go for 5 miles no problem! It's been making serious dents in my weight, too!

I love HIIT, never done it out side before. I do all my endurance running outside though....... HIIT leaves my muscles burning as much as lifting heavy weights.

Did I do it right this morning? It was my first HITT experience lol

Love is a funny work, especially when associated with HIIT. I do HIIT once every couple of weeks on the concept rowing. It leaves me on the verge of vomming

you actually will burn more calories doing HIIT than your regular runs. Your body is working extra hard bringing your heart rate up and down, thats how you burn more calories. I do 2 mt runs/2 mt walks and in 30 mts i burn more calories than a 50 mt run. good luck!

No, this is incorrect.
Calories burned increases at very high intensity because of oxygen utilization and because the metabolic path being used is inefficient vs sub high intensity steady state. HR change does not, in of itself, increase metabolic energy consumption. It is a reflection of the oxygen need during exercise used by the Kreb's cycle, increase need of O2, increase burn and the need is reflected as the HR, because blood is the transport system for oxygen.

I really wish I understood what you said! Can you dumb it down a little?


& I LOVE HIIT & I LOVE reading these posts where everyone is all yeah my sprint is 9 MPH and my recovery is 6 MPH I cannot wait to get there! You guys and ladies are so motivating! I HIIT it every time I run I warm up for 5 min at 3.5-3.8 MPH and run (Yes really) at 4-4.5 MPH I even did 5 MPH for a min. once! I thought I was going to fly off the treadmill and end up an internet meme but thank god I did not! but anyway loves thanks for the motivation!

I do intervals on the treadmill using an app, walking at 3.5 for one min, 15 sec and running at 7 for one min. I do a 5 minute warmup and shoot for 3 miles which for me ends up being about 16 intervals. Eventually I want to increase my running speed but I've really only been running regularly since Aug (did c25k) so it will take a while. Good luck.

I do interval training outside. I will walk, jog, then sprint between telephone poles for roughly 3 miles. Its awesome

FWIW, I would limit the amount of actual sprinting and stick to your 60 sec intervals. It won't give you the same effects as the all-out sprinting, but it will improve your conditioning, improve your running performance, and ultimately allow you to burn more calories. You may not get quite the same afterburn as sprinting, but you will get a decent amount and you will burn a lot more calories during the workout. Going at 85%-90% for 45-90 sec intervals with a shorter recovery time can be a tough workout with a lot of benefits.

you actually will burn more calories doing HIIT than your regular runs. Your body is working extra hard bringing your heart rate up and down, thats how you burn more calories. I do 2 mt runs/2 mt walks and in 30 mts i burn more calories than a 50 mt run. good luck!

No, this is incorrect.
Calories burned increases at very high intensity because of oxygen utilization and because the metabolic path being used is inefficient vs sub high intensity steady state. HR change does not, in of itself, increase metabolic energy consumption. It is a reflection of the oxygen need during exercise used by the Kreb's cycle, increase need of O2, increase burn and the need is reflected as the HR, because blood is the transport system for oxygen.

I really wish I understood what you said! Can you dumb it down a little?


& I LOVE HIIT & I LOVE reading these posts where everyone is all yeah my sprint is 9 MPH and my recovery is 6 MPH I cannot wait to get there! You guys and ladies are so motivating! I HIIT it every time I run I warm up for 5 min at 3.5-3.8 MPH and run (Yes really) at 4-4.5 MPH I even did 5 MPH for a min. once! I thought I was going to fly off the treadmill and end up an internet meme but thank god I did not! but anyway loves thanks for the motivation!

Sorry. I'll give it a shot - I was waiting for a flight and in a rush. I'll answer the biology question because of my educational deformation (biomedical engineer / cell adhesion scientist) but I truly believe that it has little to do with exercise modes - do what works best in your head: HIIT and SS exercise both have benefits.

The increase in heart rate nor the change in heart rate does not burn more calories. It's the fact that we burn more calories that increases the heart rate.
Steady state exercise: As you burn calories in steady state exercise you need oxygen mostly to convert that energy in the most efficiency way. More energy used = more oxygen needed to release energy = higher HR to get the blood flowing to deliver the needed oxygen.

HIIT: you max out the system described above and use more a metabolic path that is not dependent on oxygen (and that is inefficient) called Anaerobic Glycolysis. The use of this energy system burns calories beyond the oxygen and linear HR estimation. HRM take this into account and give you the higher burn at those intensities. However during HIIT you are also building lactate, using up a little protein and your body uses energy to clean things up. Hence HIIT also has an "afterburner" factor. But doing real high intensity effort is limited, if you can do it for more than 2 min, it is not HI. Basing the intensity by HR is not ideal, use perceived effort. 30 sec high effort interval is more than enough.

So it's not the change in HR that burns calories. It is the intensity of effort. Repeat bouts of HI effort dry out the cheap energy sources (called ATP-AT/CP) and make your body concentrate more on providing energy with a different system. In reality all 3/4 systems are always in use, it just depends on which one dominates. Using the less efficient ones also requires "clean up" and "replenishing" these are pluses in terms of energy use.

Having said that - HIIT is really excellent because a) it build endurance b) it requires present moment awareness and concentration on the moment makes it more enjoyable.

My suggestion is NOT to focus on the biology but do something that is enjoyable and that you do 2-4 times a week. Anyone telling you that one mode or other is just better without taking into consideration objectives, consistency, physical condition, availability, etc. is not giving good advice. Keep it simple - do what you like, do it, do it again.