Is HIIT a really good way to get fit? If so, what are the best resources?

Hi Eric! I teach a HiiT cardio/strength training class and I use an app called Interval Timer. You can create your sets any way you like! I do a 1 minute jogging warmup, then 12 thirty second blocks of moderate to heavy cardio drills (6 minutes). Then the bulk of the class is divided up by muscle groups: Legs, Upper body, abs, and 4 minutes of plyometrics. So for my leg block, we do a minute of lunges or squats, followed by 30 seconds of sprints. 5 leg drills, and 6 for upper body and abs. Every minute of strength training is followed by a 30 second cardio burst. I like it because it's accessible to folks just starting out training, but if you want to ramp up the intensity you definitely can. You could start with that and eventually increase the strength and cardio intervals to increase muscle and endurance. I hope that answers your question a little?

Yes you could definitely do them at the park or gym! (I'm jealous you live some place you'd want to be outside in January! lol) I like Natalie Jill Fit, but really I just do pretty standard things for the strength training. Weighted squats and lunges for lower body, bicep curls, tricep dips, pushups, overhead presses, etc. for upper. For the abs I like pilates, so lots of planks, v-ups, leg extensions. There's a website... I'll try to find it and share it here, that has 43 different plank variations!! (I LOVE PLANKS!!) you could just do a different plank for every ab section. There are tons of great ideas on youtube also but I can't think of a specific trainer other than Natalie Jill.

https://greatist.com/move/plank-variations-for-core-strength. I was wrong, it’s 47 plank variations!! 🥰🥰🥰

If you are doing HIIT correctly to get the benefits of the method you really should only be doing a max of three sessions a week. Some of what is being described in this thread isn't HIIT, it's circuit training. They are very different things.

HIIT done correctly simply concentrates cardio into a smaller amount of time and can help improve cardio output for explosive movements.

eric2light wrote: »

Assume I want to do bike races and some running races. How much should I be using HIIT in my workouts?

What should I be reading? Watching, etc. To get into this?

The specifics of your desired improvements will probably dictate what would work best for you. Endurance running and biking is quite a bit different than short intense stuff, and would require different training.


As for HIIT, highly controversial in the forums usually. I tried some time back to see what forum members think, and it quickly went many directions with opinions. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10650144/hiit-defined-what-is-or-isnt-hiit/p1


But some types have shown proven benefits in a brief period of time. Since you mention bike races, doing some Tabata IE1 on a bike trainer might be something to try. I've done it on my elliptical, and it's fairly intense. But overall unless you're crunched for time it's not something I could see myself wanting to do for months on end. Even doing a week per the protocol was kinda boring really.

This article https://acefitness.org/education-and-resources/professional/certified/research-special-issue-2017/6300/ace-sponsored-research-hiit-vs-steady-state-training goes into some comparisons of the pros and cons of some of the higher intensity type workout protocols. But though the Tabata shows some strong numbers, also note the general lack of enjoyment factor.




But having a strong cardio base is a starting point for the things you mentioned. And thought it seems counterproductive, sometimes speed is gained by more of the lower intensity and longer training sessions, combined with appropriate speed work.

eric2light wrote: »

Assume I want to do bike races and some running races.

There's nothing wrong with HIIT, but given your goals, what you should probably be doing is following structured training plans. Only doing HIIT isn't going to allow best allow you to reach your goals (which I think are pretty achievable depending on your current fitness and potential health issues). With regards to cycling, you also need to get outside because indoor training isn't going to do anything for your bike handling (save for perhaps if you're riding on rollers, which I'm assuming you're not doing) nor your ability to ride in a group. Depending on where you live, that's something you could should be looking at doing now. The suggestion of looking for a group to train with was a good one as well.

In terms of indoor training for cycling, I would suggest looking at TrainerRoad, Zwift, and the plans that you can buy from TrainingPeaks.

If your goal is athletic performance (running, biking, or both, as you say) then a training plan is your best bet. There are various free plans available, and others above have suggested specific sources. I'd add that you might want to look into duathlon training plans, since that's a bike/run event. There are differing duathlon competitive distances, so I'm betting you can find plans that stress speed more, or endurance more, if it matters to you. The plans will tell you what workouts to do, including how and when to incorporate high intensity work, and how much.

If your goal is general fitness, then it may be useful to think about what capabilities you'd like to develop (as others have mentioned): Speed, endurance, or others. You can then ask specific questions about that, or consult a trainer to develop a plan specific to your goals.

An extra few words about HIIT terminology: Initially, it was used to describe a specific type of cardiovascular training, generally workouts that were of overall very short duration, with intervals of extremely intense effort (maximum effort, typically), and relatively short rest (easy effort) intervals between them. The classic Tabata interval was a warm-up, 4 minute workout (yes, really), eight repetitions of 20 seconds ultra high effort (against tested benchmarks for each athlete, so no slacking) and 10 seconds recovery, then some cool-down. Modalities were commonly biking or running. (Sounds easy? Try it, pacing the active portion at max effort. It's not.)

There was sound research showing cardiovascular benefits (but not mostly in a "everyday exercise" context), and there's value for athletic performance in roles like sharpening VO2 max in the few weeks before a key competition, though it's not a daily thing even then. Having done a bit of this type in that kind of context, it's an interesting combination of really miserable/painful, and oddly exhilarating. Doing it daily would be dumb, frankly: Very fatiguing, not that effective at developing various important capabilities (like endurance), potentially more injury-prone.

Since then, the term "HIIT" has been broadened to include other exercise modalities that are done in interval format, usually longer sessions (half hour plus), often weight/calisthenics circuit training or "functional fitness" (like battle ropes, tire flips and that sort of thing). There's nothing wrong with those modalities, for those whose goals and fitness level they suit. To extend for a half hour plus, the intense intervals are necessarily less than the originally-tested physiological threshold effort (which is distinct from feeling like one is "going as hard as possible"), or the easy-effort intervals longer.

The thing is that some advocates claimed - sometimes without really adequate research foundation - that those revised versions had all the same benefits as the originally-researched cardio HIIT. Consequently, HIIT has become very trendy as a term, and used for all sorts of things, with all sorts of claims. That doesn't make the touted exercise bad, but it's a reason for skepticism about the claims.

If you want a HIIT sales job, extending all the way to "everyone ought to do it every day for maximum cardiovascular performance, monster calorie burn, better brain function, improved longevity, and more!", you can find those claim. And maybe it'll be a good exercise program. And it will sound really cool, frankly, which is kind of nice in its own way.

But, if your goal is either athletic performance or general fitness, there are more effective ways to accomplish those goals than "do HIIT" (or any unitary "do X", really, unless X is "a good training plan").

The most effective way is to use a structured training plan, from a tested, knowledgeable, reliable source, that supports your goals, and to be consistent about it. It's less exciting, but more effective.

Best wishes!

aokoye wrote: »

eric2light wrote: »

Assume I want to do bike races and some running races.

There's nothing wrong with HIIT, but given your goals, what you should probably be doing is following structured training plans. Only doing HIIT isn't going to allow best allow you to reach your goals (which I think are pretty achievable depending on your current fitness and potential health issues). With regards to cycling, you also need to get outside because indoor training isn't going to do anything for your bike handling (save for perhaps if you're riding on rollers, which I'm assuming you're not doing) nor your ability to ride in a group. Depending on where you live, that's something you could should be looking at doing now. The suggestion of looking for a group to train with was a good one as well.

In terms of indoor training for cycling, I would suggest looking at TrainerRoad, Zwift, and the plans that you can buy from TrainingPeaks.

Great minds...