Help, I don't think I'm doing my HIIT right?
As in, my heart is not about to come up through my mouth, I don't feel wasted, and I definitely am no where close to wanting to barf at the end of it. I have read that HIIT should produce some DRAMATIC tired-ness like this, and its been a long time since I've really pushed myself to that level in that short of a time.
I've never been much of a sprinter; I used to run, but when we did 100m sprints at the end of practice, I was always the last one by a lot. It never really got much better.
I usually do treadmill HIIT or elliptical HIIT, although I've also done outside running HIIT.
A treadmill HIIT would be like this:
Stay at incline 2
warmup 5 min @ 5,
sprint 1 minute @ 7.3
Jog 2 minutes @ 5.5
(Repeat spring and jog for 15 minutes total, sometimes increasing sprint speed on segments up to 7.7 or so)
Cooldown 3 min jog @ 5
2 min walk @ 3.8
total: 25-26 min
And an elliptical HIIT would be like this:
6 min warmup @ level 7 (about 60rpm)
sprint 20 sec @ level 8, at least 90 rpm, rest 10 secs(about 50rpm)
sprint 20 sec @ level 9, at least 90rpm, rest 10 secs(about 50rpm)
sprint 20 sec @ level 10, at least 90 rpm, rest 10 secs(about 50rpm) x 2
Cooldown 5 min @ level 7(about 60rpm)
total: 15 min
note: Here I'm trying to mimic the Tabata protocol idea of 20 sec sprint/10 sec off, but obviously I'm failing miserably or I'd be dead after each one.
So, I really like using the treadmill and elliptical for HIIT, because there is an easily accessible timer I can look at. However, how can I improve/change my workouts? Are there other types of HIIT that I can look into?
note 2: Aside from HIIT, I also do SS cardio(running/swimming, about 1 hr), intervals in the pool, weight circuits, normal weight lifting, yoga, cardio classes. So any redundancy with that or lack thereof that someone could point out would be great!
I don't have too much of a critique because I am certainly not an expert on this, but I noticed your elliptical one is only 15 mins total including warm up and cool down. I typically do 15-20 mins of HIIT NOT including warm up and cool down. That could be part of your issue. According to what you wrote your're only doing 3 sets sprints, which isn't very much.
Also I think a 1:3 ratio is what is normally used. So if you are doing 20 second sprints you would have a 60 second rest. Trust me, if you increase your HIIT sessions to 15-20 mins you will need this extra time of rest.
Tabata seems to be more useful in resistance training (where you would do, say, squats for 20 secs on-10 secs rest times 8, because you're supposed to count your reps each time and challenge yourself to beat that number each time.)
I find intervals effective when there's a gradual increase, followed by a few fast sprints. For example, I'll jog at 4.5 mph for 2 mins, then bump it up to 5.5 for 1 mins, then back to 4.5 for 2 mins, then up to 6.0 for 1 min... etc. until I'm at the 8.0 interval, then I jog at 5.5 for 5 mins... then do 30 sec sprint-30 sec rest for 5 mins.
Try this HIIT sequence from my personal trainer. I haven't done this one in particular but it looks like it would do the job!:
40 sec sprint 40 sec rest 5 times
50 sec sprint 30 sec rest 4 times
60 sec sprint 20 sec rest 3 times
120 sec sprint 10 sec rest 2 times
160 sec sprint 5 sec rest 1 time
(23 mins total)
Re: trikki
I've tried now twice to hit the ABSOLUTE DEATH MAX of 4 minutes of torture that Tabata is talking about, but apparently I can't do it. Still, that is why my elliptical one is 15 minutes long. Also, I have 8 sprint intervals @ 20 seconds each, albeit short, because there are 2 intervals(30 secs total) per minute (60secs).
1:3 feels like its almost too much rest for me-which is why I'm at 1:2 on the treadmill, which has me doing 15 minutes of HIIT.
However, I want to mostly improve my elliptical routine, because treadmill is still more stress on the joints, and elliptical is more pain free.
Re: cello'
I will have to try that routine from your PT!
I have done increasing/decreasing intervals, its the concept of doing "pyramids", right? (Or at least that's what we called them in my high school track team). We'd do like 4-8-11-15-8-4 pushups, or maybe having a running workout with 400m-800m-1200m-1600m-800m-400m-200m. Adjust speed and intensity as needed with length.
Guess its quite an effective thing then!
There are two mistakes that people usually make when it comes to HIIT.
1) Mistaking regular interval training for HIIT. I notice that some people seem to think that HIIT involves gradually increasing the speed of the intervals over time. This is regular interval training, but not HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training is pushing yourself to the max everytime you do a sprint.
2) Making the sprint intervals TOO long. Some people try to do sprint intervals for 40-60 seconds. Hell even 30 seconds is too long. You actually want to have it be 15-20 seconds. When you go over 20 seconds, you begin to lose intensity, even though it feels like you are still going 100%.
A beginner HIIT workout would be : a 5 minute warm-up, 10 minutes of 20/60 intervals (20 seconds @100% and 60 seconds recovery) and a 5 minute cool down. Total : 20 minutes.
** As you get more accustomed to the workout, you would make your interval section longer. Instead of doing 10 minutes, you would do 15, and eventually try to get to 20 minutes. Once you can do 20 minutes of 20/60 intervals, use a 1:2 work ratio (20/40).
Original Post by vyperman7:
There are two mistakes that people usually make when it comes to HIIT.
1) Mistaking regular interval training for HIIT. I notice that some people seem to think that HIIT involves gradually increasing the speed of the intervals over time. This is regular interval training, but not HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training is pushing yourself to the max everytime you do a sprint.
^this^ is what I think you might be missing. WIth HIIT, you need to push yourself to your limits - no holding back. Someone once put it like this - "Run like you're being chased by a lion." Try bumping it up a bit (if you can do so safely) and I'm sure you'll feel exhausted afterwards. Here's a good HIIT training schedule:
Original Post by runyourlife:
Original Post by vyperman7:
There are two mistakes that people usually make when it comes to HIIT.
1) Mistaking regular interval training for HIIT. I notice that some people seem to think that HIIT involves gradually increasing the speed of the intervals over time. This is regular interval training, but not HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training is pushing yourself to the max everytime you do a sprint.
^this^ is what I think you might be missing. WIth HIIT, you need to push yourself to your limits - no holding back. Someone once put it like this - "Run like you're being chased by a lion." Try bumping it up a bit (if you can do so safely) and I'm sure you'll feel exhausted afterwards. Here's a good HIIT training schedule:
This is why I think it is hard to do HIIT on a machine. You have to go all out, often for just 15 to 20 seconds, and it's hard to get the machine to do that because of the time it take the machine to speed up and slow down. But machines are great for regular intervals and regular intervals are a valuable training tool.
Bottom line, if you can maintain the pace for 60 seconds it is not HIIT.
Original Post by trhawley:
This is why I think it is hard to do HIIT on a machine. You have to go all out, often for just 15 to 20 seconds, and it's hard to get the machine to do that because of the time it take the machine to speed up and slow down. But machines are great for regular intervals and regular intervals are a valuable training tool.
The only machine I feel you can do it on is the stationary bike. There is no changing speeds involved. It is only a matter of pedaling as fast as you can during the sprint and slower during the recovery. However, trying to do HIIT on a treadmill sucks IMO.
I personally love doing HIIT with body-weight exercises. Much more fun. I like mixing burpees, mountain climbers, squats, sprinting in place, etc.. By constantly switching exercises, the time goes by much faster.
Original Post by trhawley:
This is why I think it is hard to do HIIT on a machine. You have to go all out, often for just 15 to 20 seconds, and it's hard to get the machine to do that because of the time it take the machine to speed up and slow down.
because of this^ I do this...
When I do HIIT on the treadmill, after I've warmed up, I set the speed to my sprint pace. I step off the belt and go onto the side rails at the end of each sprint and then back on again for the next sprint. I know it sounds nutty, but it works for me.
Jump rope HIIT is also a good alternative.
Original Post by cardioqueen1227:
Jump rope HIIT is also a good alternative.
Yeah it is..
Doing it with a jump-rope is great. I like to mix it in every once and awhile when I do my HIIT. Lately, I have been on a body-weight exercise kick for HIIT. A lot more fun.
I think I will pick a less crowded time, and try the setting treadmill to sprint, and jumping off bit. So that I don't look too terribly insane doing it while trying to avoid hitting the treadmills next to me.
My problem with doing it WITHOUT a machine is that I've never been much of a sprinter, ever. I literally get bored easier doing sprinting drills than doing distance drills, and stop doing my max concentration to attempt to go fast in short time. When I was in track, I'd more easily space out in a bad way trying to get through 100m than 800m.
So I was hoping to go on machine first to train some more short twitch muscles into myself, because doing it on my own does not work out. I've tried.
Original Post by vyperman7:
I personally love doing HIIT with body-weight exercises. Much more fun. I like mixing burpees, mountain climbers, squats, sprinting in place, etc.. By constantly switching exercises, the time goes by much faster.
When you do the body weight HIIT, what do you do during the rest period? Just stand there, box, slow jog in place?
Original Post by bmx419:
Original Post by vyperman7:
I personally love doing HIIT with body-weight exercises. Much more fun. I like mixing burpees, mountain climbers, squats, sprinting in place, etc.. By constantly switching exercises, the time goes by much faster.
When you do the body weight HIIT, what do you do during the rest period? Just stand there, box, slow jog in place?
I do it outside in the backyard. During the recovery period, I walk around the pool. I am a firm believer in having the recovery interval be just that, a recovery. If you are jogging, doing shadow boxing, etc you aren't getting a full recovery. That is why I make sure to keep moving, but just at a really slow pace. I want to have all the energy that I have left going towards the sprint intervals. Plus, you want the recovery to be slow to bring the HR rate back down a bit. One of the benefits of HIIT is that you work at two different HR's instead of just one.
I am slowly starting to get in better shape cardio wise. I have always been very good in the weight-room but somewhat lacking in the cardio department. It was a struggle, but I finally got to 20 minutes using a 1:3 (20/60) a few months ago. Ever since then I have been using 20/40 but it has been kicking my ass every-time. I would always have to stop between 11-13 minutes. However, tonight I really pushed myself and I was able to go for 15 minutes doing 20/40's. I was rather happy with myself that I made it to the 15 minute mark with that. I was dead afterward, but it was worth it.. LOL
Another thing I was happy about, was that my HR returned to normal much quicker than it usually does. I was already breathing normally within 20 minutes. Usually I am still breathing somewhat hard/elevated HR for at least an hour after I finish. I started adding a few longer, less-intense cardio sessions into my regime a few weeks back, and I think that has been helping too. I do HIIT (M/W/F) and on Tu/Thurs I do 30 minutes of walking/running (walk for 3 minutes/jog for 3 minutes @70% intensity). I like alternating walking with running because it allows me to get my HR back down and then the jogging takes it back up. By keeping my HR at two different levels, my body will have a harder time adapting which is one of the drawbacks of SS cardio. Plus, alternating makes the time go by faster.
Original Post by vyperman7:
Original Post by trhawley:
This is why I think it is hard to do HIIT on a machine. You have to go all out, often for just 15 to 20 seconds, and it's hard to get the machine to do that because of the time it take the machine to speed up and slow down. But machines are great for regular intervals and regular intervals are a valuable training tool.
The only machine I feel you can do it on is the stationary bike. There is no changing speeds involved. It is only a matter of pedaling as fast as you can during the sprint and slower during the recovery.
I do my HIIT on an old NordicTrack skier and it works great, since all it takes for me to go "all out" is to move my legs quicker back & forth. I have seen amazing changes already (especially in my ab & quad definition) in the 3 weeks I've been doing it!
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