My HIIT revelation!!!

c7eat2live
c7eat2live Posts: 308 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
So lately, for the past few weeks I guess, I have been in a treadmill funk. I just couldn't face another boring 5k/+ run a second longer. I have a 5k race this month and a 10k next month, so now is no time to lose focus! Luckily it is also getting warmer outside, which is a plus and really motivates me to get on the trails, but sometimes the gym is just more convenient!
BUT. last night I decided to get back to basics and try an interval session with the tm. As an avid lover of C25k, I already know the benefits of doing intervals to break up running monotony, but I didn't really want to work long intervals like those in weeks 5-9 so I decided to finally try HIIT.
oh wow. It was awesome! I did a 5 min warm up walk on an incline of 2 and about 3.5 mph. I used either 3 or 3.5 as my base the entire time. I moved the incline from 1.5 to 4, and I did fast intervals of 6-8.5 mph (you need to run at least 50% faster than your base). I started out with 1:1 intervals, with an occasional 1:2, but never more than 1 min walking.
Pros: the time FLEW by. Not once did I check my watch begging the minutes to speed up. I stayed focused, and my heart rate went from about 155-180 (my max HR is 189, as dictated by my HRM) and my calorie burn was fabulous. Often more than 10 calories/min which is my usual goal.
So yeah, if you have not tried HIIT yet, DO IT! It just may be the push you need, and its a great addition to any cardio plan.

Replies

  • ChefJenn
    ChefJenn Posts: 350 Member
    i youtubed a bunch of HIIT workouts then created my own I do for 15 mins and it get my HR UP and I am sweating like crazy by the time I am done.
    and I see more inches lost by doing that than walking or anything else
  • andreamichelle82
    andreamichelle82 Posts: 324 Member
    Dumb question... what is HIIT?
  • DianaM1020
    DianaM1020 Posts: 98 Member
    High Intensity Interval Training
  • Warmbloodwear
    Warmbloodwear Posts: 387 Member
    I did that today on the stationary bike and broke the strap on my HRM.. I was so pissed!!! It went all wacky after that and I had to finish early but the burn was amazing. Their is a interval training program on the bike at the gym.
    I love it!
  • DianaM1020
    DianaM1020 Posts: 98 Member
    That sounds like a great work out. How long does your entire training last? 30 minutes?

    I did made up intervals last night on the treadmill in 30 mins and burned 250 cals.
  • c7eat2live
    c7eat2live Posts: 308 Member
    ^yep :) its a way to do cardio where you do bursts of intense exercise (think so difficult you cannot even talk...) by using either speed, incline or both, separated by rest/recovery times. It shocks your body out of the regular pace of continuous cardio and supposedly burns much more fat because muscle fibers are utilized differently. You can do it running on the road, with the treadmill, stairmaster, elliptical or bike, google and you can find some great articles :)
  • c7eat2live
    c7eat2live Posts: 308 Member
    Diana, I did 30 mins of intervals, 5 mins of warm up and 2 mins of cool down. then jumped on the starmaster for about 5 mins... I burned 469 calories in 42 mins!
  • cindaboo1
    cindaboo1 Posts: 150 Member
    Dumb question... what is HIIT?

    High Intensity Interval Training =)
  • DianaM1020
    DianaM1020 Posts: 98 Member
    Woah nice burn! Do you think this is too intense of a work out if I am just trying to maintain my weight? Maybe if i just do this once a week
  • cindaboo1
    cindaboo1 Posts: 150 Member
    Dumb question... what is HIIT?

    High-intensity interval training (HIIT) or sprint interval training is an exercise strategy that is intended to improve performance with short training sessions. HIIT is a form of cardiovascular exercise which is beneficial to burning fat in a short and intense workout. Usual HIIT sessions may vary from 9–20 minutes. The original protocol set a 2:1 ratio for work to recovery periods. For example, a runner would alternate 15–20 seconds of hard sprinting with 10 seconds of jogging or walking.
  • c7eat2live
    c7eat2live Posts: 308 Member
    I think even if you are trying to maintain, HIIT is better for muscle building and training the body to use oxygen more effectively. Maybe just up your calories on days when you HIIT, especially using protein and complex carbs...
  • c7eat2live
    c7eat2live Posts: 308 Member
    ^^ yeah and I have seen a variety of suggestions on proper intervals...which is why I tried to add double running intervals a couple times...1:1 feels pretty good though, the walking time feels short but not quite too short, and the running feels long but not too long if that makes sense :)
This discussion has been closed.

Categories