Is anybody doing hiit training and seeing results

azzeazsaleh5429
azzeazsaleh5429 Posts: 77 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I tried some 20 minutes of hiit elliptical and felt like i cheated my workout. Just wondering if anybody has some good results. My timing was 30s intesity 90s rest

Replies

  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    I have started doing what's named a Sprint 8 workout that has the same work and rest duration as what you said. I sprint for 30 seconds and walk recover for 90 seconds for 8 rounds. I've done this workout before in the past except my sprints were hill sprints. It's all about the maximum intensity of the work part - the 30 seconds in your case.

    I don't know quite what you mean when you say you felt like you cheated your workout. My experience doing a workout like this is I'm glad when finished. The trick is the work part has got to be all you have to offer so the activity must be the correct one to allow you the opportunity. Might be the elliptical but maybe it's something else. For me, the hill sprints were very tough. I only did this workout once a week because it was all I could handle. I'd do it on Saturday and remember having that dreaded mindset on Fridays.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    If you feel like you're cheating, go harder on the intervals. Rest also doesn't mean complete rest, it should be just easy enough to let you recover for the next interval. I've had great results both with fitness and weight loss using stationary bike intervals as my primary form of exercise.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Result: recover more quickly from strenuous effort, able to bridge gaps and then stay with the pack.

    But it burns way fewer calories than a normal ride, and takes longer to recover from.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    If you feel like you "cheated" rather than feel like you could barely drag yourself to the locker room you weren't doing the high intensity intervals hard enough - you should be starting to fade badly in the intense intervals after as little as 15sec.

    Define results and how you intend measuring those results?
    Are you sure this is an appropriate exercise choice for you?

    No I don't do HIIT, I do long duration intervals for about an hour with varied interval patterns and intensities to suit my fitness goals.
  • azzeazsaleh5429
    azzeazsaleh5429 Posts: 77 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    Exactly what kind of results are you looking for? HIIT is designed to improve Vo2 max for sport in which that is useful. Is that what you are looking to do?

    Im used to long aerobic activities 30min - 60 min at a time. The hiit was only 23 minutes but i dont feel worked like i do aerobic(mostly running) activity. It is said that it will produce same results.

    I did max out my 30 secs to a point i couldnt catch my breath for the whole 90 secs rest
  • MikeNASMGFI
    MikeNASMGFI Posts: 21 Member
    I teach HIIT too by it takes on many forms. Whole idea is to keep the heart rate up and the rest periods give you just enough time to catch your breath and go again. I like to personally go 45 sec on/15 off when I go this style but it just depends on you and what your body can handle. HIIT also doesn’t mean you need only cardio to get that heart rate up, a combination of strength and cardio is how I set up my classes. Below is an example.

    v9nxiwpzsewq.jpeg
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    azzeazsaleh5429 wrote: »
    I tried some 20 minutes of hiit elliptical and felt like i cheated my workout. Just wondering if anybody has some good results. My timing was 30s intesity 90s rest

    Interval training is one thing I do as part of my exercise regime. I credit it with improving my VO2Max. I’m sure it helps a little with my calorie deficit and therefore weight loss, but the workouts are short and I only do 1-2 a week. It’s movement, not magic. But intense cardio has other health benefits beyond weight loss.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    azzeazsaleh5429 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    Exactly what kind of results are you looking for? HIIT is designed to improve Vo2 max for sport in which that is useful. Is that what you are looking to do?

    Im used to long aerobic activities 30min - 60 min at a time. The hiit was only 23 minutes but i dont feel worked like i do aerobic(mostly running) activity. It is said that it will produce same results.

    I did max out my 30 secs to a point i couldnt catch my breath for the whole 90 secs rest

    By same results do you mean calorie burn? Improved cardio fitness? Calories are about the same for a 20 minute HIIT session and 45 minute LISS session if done right. Meaning you did the HIIT at an intensity that had you exhausted at the end. HIIT would sprints for 30 seconds and 1.5 minute recovery as an example. LISS would be jogging or fast walking. And then there is the impact to CNS from HIIT that limits it to 2 or 3 sessions per week. The only advantage is time efficiency.

    So, again, the question is work for what? HIIT is a specific protocol to improve V02 max. It's not a particularly effective weight loss strategy. Calorie control is key for that. LISS burns the same calories with less CNS fatigue and can be done every done. So, what are you trying to accomplish?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    azzeazsaleh5429 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    Exactly what kind of results are you looking for? HIIT is designed to improve Vo2 max for sport in which that is useful. Is that what you are looking to do?

    Im used to long aerobic activities 30min - 60 min at a time. The hiit was only 23 minutes but i dont feel worked like i do aerobic(mostly running) activity. It is said that it will produce same results.

    I did max out my 30 secs to a point i couldnt catch my breath for the whole 90 secs rest

    "but i dont feel worked like i do aerobic (mostly running) activity" - that's because you didn't, you worked differently.

    "It is said that it will produce same results."     How can it? Like all different modalities of exercise they produce different results. What HIIT can offer (to some people, mostly with middling fitness levels) is fairly spectacular changes in a short period of time. But that tapers off rapidly. If you were selling HIIT you would focus on the amazing results not very well trained people might get in 6 weeks and gloss over the disappointing results beyond that and the huge downsides of being really unpleasant, a low calorie burn and so fatiguing it impacts the rest of your fitness activities.

    There's a huge middle ground of some steady state (of different intensities), some intervals, some HIIT in appropriate quantities and for different training goals. All those elements have pros and cons - there's no free lunch.
    Lyle McDonald has a whole series of articles looking at steady state and interval training, well worth reading.
  • li2mcclure
    li2mcclure Posts: 1 Member
    edited January 2019
    If you are not working with a trainer and are lacking direction on your own, check out the sweatflix app. They have hiit workouts from beginner to advanced and from 15 min to over an hour long. They also have a Nutrition section with recipes. It is a great place to start.
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    Question to OP - are you “failing” during the work period of your HIIT cardiovascular-wise or muscles used? I think this provides an important clue?

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