We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

HIIT and strength training

cnbbnc
cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I want to start incorporating some HIIT into my week (I lift 4 days a week) and am wondering how people generally do this. Are you doing it in the same workout? If so what does that look like? Or do you do it separately?

Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    i do HIIT training along with strength training. :)

    My recommendation is to do them separately. I find that first of all, you should't be doing HIIt before you perform heavy lifting. That's an excellent way to burn yourself out, increase your risk of injury, and have a completely s%Ht lifting day.

    You certainly could perform HIIT after your strength training workout, but again, why burn yourself out?

    In my experience I am able to really commit myself 100% to my workout when i focus on one main thing. For this reason, i perform a quick HIIT session (between 15-20 minutes MAX) on the mornings of my rest-days. So i lift 4 days a week, and the other 3 days i perform a short simple and sweet HIIT session in the morning.
  • KravCarol
    KravCarol Posts: 1 Member
    If you are close to an Orange Theory Fitness studio, you might try them. The first workout is free.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    i do HIIT training along with strength training. :)

    My recommendation is to do them separately. I find that first of all, you should't be doing HIIt before you perform heavy lifting. That's an excellent way to burn yourself out, increase your risk of injury, and have a completely s%Ht lifting day.

    You certainly could perform HIIT after your strength training workout, but again, why burn yourself out?

    In my experience I am able to really commit myself 100% to my workout when i focus on one main thing. For this reason, i perform a quick HIIT session (between 15-20 minutes MAX) on the mornings of my rest-days. So i lift 4 days a week, and the other 3 days i perform a short simple and sweet HIIT session in the morning.

    Makes sense. Thank you. :smile:

  • Working2BLean
    Working2BLean Posts: 386 Member
    If you do straight up HIIT, as in 100% of your max heart rate, usually people have a day to recover. Sometimes people interval train at 90% max heart rate and call it HIIT.

    A HIIT workout would be something like this

    Sprint all out max effort for 15 seconds. 1:45 jog and recover.

    Do 8 cycles of that

    Seems really easy since it is only 16 minutes, right? It is exhausting if you sprint 100% effort holding nothing back.

    I did HIIT in the winter when it was not practical to triathlon train outside. Lifted 2 days and HIIT two days. It worked well and I did not gain a pound over the winter of body fat and maybe added a pound or two of muscle. It isn't a bulking routine but built stamina and speed. Bike speed and 5K times all improved.

    Just my opinion, but HIIT is pretty demanding and I don't ever do it for more than two months. I'm in decent shape and can ride a 100 miles without being dead the next day. But I do think HIIT is a great tool for fitness but not a continuous type of thing to do for months and months

    Your mileage may vary

    Good luck with your fitness quest.
  • leighsnow
    leighsnow Posts: 34 Member
    I just started and a MFP friend turned me onto Fitness Blender which is full of free workout videos. I completed 2 HIT workouts this week and they kicked my *kitten* in such a good way. I had been doing Brazil Buttlift and Tracey Anderson Method but I feel this is really what I have needed to get results. It's a killer!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    leighsnow wrote: »
    I just started and a MFP friend turned me onto Fitness Blender which is full of free workout videos. I completed 2 HIT workouts this week and they kicked my *kitten* in such a good way. I had been doing Brazil Buttlift and Tracey Anderson Method but I feel this is really what I have needed to get results. It's a killer!

    yes, fitnessblender has some good intense (and short) workouts.

    i also want to recommend the bodyweight app "Freeletics". It's free and some of these HIIT workouts are KILLER.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I like to perform a short, intense "finisher" after my strength training sessions.(only 5-10 mins in length) It's usually not after every session, maybe 1-2 a week, depending on what I do on my other days and what my current training goals are.
  • grob49
    grob49 Posts: 125 Member
    I do mine on chest and shoulders Tue and Thur. I do 1 body part per day Mon thru Fri. My workouts run about 50 min. I do a 30 HIIT on a PRECORE 10i. I do the varied hill that has 2 min level 1 and 2 MB level 4 the last 30sec I go all out. I know this isn't your typical HIIT but I like it and it is easy to keep track of times. I also do one on Saturday and Sunday is my off day
  • genpopadopolous
    genpopadopolous Posts: 411 Member
    I'll 2nf FitnessBlender!

    I did a kickboxing/HIIT combo that kicked my *kitten* in 25 minutes today!
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
    Thanks for the input guys.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories