HIIT: your experience

halleymw
halleymw Posts: 246 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I started my journey to lose 72 pounds and have been doing the elliptical. I am now up to 50 minutes a day, doing about 65 to 70 percent HR zone. Lost the first 20 so far. My initial goal was to work up to 60 minutes, and do that until I had completed my weight loss, then adjust lower to a more reasonable routine to maintain fitness. I have been reading a lot about the various HIIT programs. There appears to be some good research about it, so I have been considering changing over to that once I get up to my 60 minutes a day. The problem is there seems to be so many different versions out there. There is the original Tabata, which is only 4 minutes so that doesn't seem to me to be adequate for weight loss. Then there are several others, ranging from 20 sec hi /60 sec low, to 30/30, to 60/120 etc, Generally about a 20 minute time frame seems poplular. It is difficult to decide which one I should try. I belong to a gym so I would go with either an elliptical or bike plan, I have had some problems with plantar fascitiis in the past so I am hesitant to try the treadmill for fear of a relapse.
In summary, for those that have done HIIT, what version did you do? What results did you get, and did you also try regular cardio to compare. Also, does anyone do a program such as MWF weights and HIIT, T TH Sat Regular cardio? Or is that overtraining?
Thanks
Mike

Replies

  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    For the elliptical, I like the sprint 8. 20 mins total including warmup and cool down. 2 min warmup then 30 sec all out sprint on highest setting. 90 sec normal pace then 30 sec all out. Do a total of 8 sprints and then 2 min cool down.

    HIIT is all I do for cardio. I've done a normal run maybe 6 times all year. Jumping rope is my primary but I mix it up for wear and tear reasons. It's working fantastically for me.
  • EAlexandraB
    EAlexandraB Posts: 98 Member
    I do HIIT exclusively for cardio. Right now, I've been doing my HIIT workouts on a spin bike due to an ankle injury that prevents me from running, but running intervals have also played a role in my routine.

    I have one "hard" interval workout and one "easy" interval workout (believe me, neither is truly easy - it's a relative term). The hard workout is a 1:1 ratio, with 20s intervals (20 seconds max effort, 20 seconds recovery) for 20 minutes. The "easy" workout is a 1:2 ratio - 20s max effort, 40s recovery x 20 mins.
  • tmcgourt
    tmcgourt Posts: 7
    I do HIIT on the treadmill. job at 6.0-6.5 mph for 2 minutes. then bump it up to 9.0 mph for 1 minute. I do this repeatedly as many times as I can (goal is 10) some days I only feel like 3, others are 7. Sometimes I push harder and do more than I expected. I do this a couple times a week, and I notice better endurance the more consistently I do it. (Also depends what time of the day i work out, I prefer mornings, just based on my energy). Best I've done is 10, and it took 30 minutes, ran 3.5 miles.

    then i move to weights, upper body, lower body, and core. I try to switch up the exercises, but i always include squats and lunges.

    HIIT is great. I can see and feel results. I feel faster, and I enjoy jogging at slower paces more cuz it feels easier.
  • JamesBurkes
    JamesBurkes Posts: 382 Member
    Just talking from personal experience HIIT is fantastic for rapid gains in fitness. Since doing HIIT 2-3 times a week, my cardiovascular fitness and leg strength has skyrocketed. And the improvements were quick - I could see differences in how easily I could get through certain workouts from week to week.

    In terms of fat loss, however, I feel it's overrated. In 6 months of weights twice a week and HIIT three times a week, my weight remained steady (I ate clean, but didn't count calories, however).

    I have now added LISS cardio to my program (I have the Summer off) and with no changes in diet the fat is melting off. (I walk around my local countryside at a brisk pace for 60-100 minutes, 4-5 times a week, on top of my usual program).

    I still do the HIIT workouts to maintain my cardio fitness, but when it comes to burning fat slow and steady works better for me. I repeat, I am only talking from personal experience.
  • shammxo
    shammxo Posts: 1,432 Member
    I adore HIIT. It's really the only kind of cardio I do anymore.

    I lift Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and do HIIT Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

    Usually I'll use the treadmill for it. I walk at 4.0 to 4.5 mph for 2 minutes and run at 9.5 for 30 secs then 10 mph for 30 secs (obviously totaling 1 minute). For about 30 minutes or so.

    Kicks my *kitten* and I looove it!
  • Meggles63
    Meggles63 Posts: 916 Member
    I've started doing sprint/walk intervals to help build up my endurance and speed. I warm up for 5 mins., then sprint for 1 min., walk for 2 mins. Repeat 5 times, and then cool down for 5 mins. Total time is 28 minutes, and I feel totally worked out!
  • KittieLea
    KittieLea Posts: 1,156 Member
    I did Jamie Eason's LiveFit program which calls for HIIT 4 days a week, combined with lifting 5 days a week in the last phase. I started out doing HIIT on the treadmill at speed 8 for 30 on and 30 off. I got horrible shin splints the first week so decided to do it on the elliptical. On the elliptical I usually did it for 20-30 minutes and would do 30 seconds at level 3, then 30 seconds at level 14. At level 14 you have to "sprint" as fast as you possibly can. That high resistance combined with high effort sprints really gets your heart rate up and will leave you sweating like a pig. Conclusion-I LOVED HIIT. I couldn't get enough. Even when I completed the program I continued to do HIIT 2-3 days a week and dropped weight like crazy.
    I'm now on round two of LiveFit again, and I get to start the HIIT phase in just one more week. I'm so excited!

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