HIIT And My Thoughts

While I'm not a fan of cardio in general, Im definitely not a fan of steady pace cardio.  HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) however I can deal with since it's generally doable in a 30minute timetable.  For those not familiar with HIIT heres some background info.

HIIT is a specialized form of interval training that involves short intervals of maximum intensity exercise separated by longer intervals of low to moderate intensity exercise. Because it involves briefly pushing yourself beyond the upper end of your aerobic exercise zone, it offers you several advantages that traditional steady-state exercise (where you keep your heart rate within your aerobic zone) can’t provide:

• HIIT trains and conditions both your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. You train your anaerobic system with brief, all-out efforts, like when you have to push to make it up a hill, sprint the last few hundred yards of a distance race, or run and hide from your spouse after saying the wrong thing.
• HIIT increases the amount of calories you burn during your exercise session and afterward because it increases the length of time it takes your body to recover from each exercise session.
• HIIT causes metabolic adaptations that enable you to use more fat as fuel under a variety of conditions. This will improve your endurance as well as your fat-burning potential.
• HIIT appears to limit muscle loss that can occur with weight loss, in comparison to traditional steady-state cardio exercise of longer duration.
• To get the benefits HIIT, you need to push yourself past the upper end of your aerobic zone and allow your body to replenish your anaerobic energy system during the recovery intervals.

The key element of HIIT that makes it different from other forms of interval training is that the high intensity intervals involve maximum effort, not simply a higher heart rate. There are many different approaches to HIIT, each involving different numbers of high and low intensity intervals, different levels of intensity during the low intensity intervals, different lengths of time for each interval, and different numbers of training sessions per week. If you want to use HIIT to improve performance for a particular sport or activity, you’ll need to tailor your training program to the specific needs and demands of your activity.

General HIIT Guidelines

• HIIT is designed for people whose primary concerns are boosting overall cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and fat loss, without losing the muscle mass they already have.
• Before starting any HIIT program, you should be able to exercise for at least 20-30 minutes at 70-85% of your estimated maximum heart rate, without exhausting yourself or having problems.
• Because HIIT is physically demanding, it’s important to gradually build up your training program so that you don’t overdo it.
• Always warm up and cool down for at least five minutes before and after each HIIT session.
• Work as hard as you can during the high intensity intervals, until you feel the burning sensation in your muscles indicating that you have entered your anaerobic zone.
• Full recovery takes about four minutes for everyone, but you can shorten the recovery intervals if your high intensity intervals are also shorter and don’t completely exhaust your anaerobic energy system.
• If you experience any chest pain or breathing difficulties during your HIIT workout, cool down immediately. (Don't just stop or else blood can pool in your extremities and lightheadedness or faintness can occur.)
• If your heart rate does not drop back down to about 70% of your max during recovery intervals, you may need to shorten your work intervals and/or lengthen your recovery intervals.
• HIIT is not for beginner exercisers or people with cardiovascular problems or risk factors. If you have cardiovascular problems or risk factors should NOT attempt HIIT unless your doctor has specifically cleared you for this kind of exercise.

You might not fall into every category of the guidelines as these are what my trainer laid out for me.  Main thing is to just listen to YOUR body.

My HIIT workout on a treadmill usually goes like this.

5 minute warmup, Sprint 1 minute at 8.5-9mph, 2 minute brisk walk at 3.8 repeat 30 minutes then 5 minute cool down.  

My HIIT Speed Rope workout looks a little like this...

5 minute warmup on treadmill, 50 Double Unders (rope travels around/under feet twice before you land, usually requires jumping a lot higher than normal jump roping), rest 2 minutes, 50 double unders, rest 2 minutes, repeat for 30 minutes, 5 minute treadmill cool down.

Theres more than just these two workouts when it comes to HIIT, experiment and aim to get better.