HIIT as key to weight loss

Hey I'm new here, just discovered this site/forum from searching on the web. I used to participate on a powerlifting forum for three years, then I decided to move away from just dedicating myself to strength gains, and now I'm fully focused on weight loss and conditioning. I usually jog a couple times a week at the beach (I love being by the water it's peaceful.) But what I usually focus my time on now is HIIT. This has been the key to my weight loss, I usually follow this routine.

I find it to be the most effective and rewarding way to gain endurance, stamina, and just a good boost to my morale. I thought I would join here, the community seems really awesome. Lots of helpful people : ) I want to learn some new things for my diet and training. Hope I can also be a good helper.

So has anyone here really tried HITT?  From my readings, it seems that most people think they are doing HITT, but all they are doing is regular interval training.

Going from level 4 to level 8 on a machine isn't HITT according to what trainers say.  HITT elevates your heart rate to its max.  You should feel your throat getting hot and an odd lack of coordination, kinda like passing out, and you feel like you are going to throw up the first times you do it.

Has anyone actually had those feelings? 

Regular interval training is just fine, but there seems to be a big difference between high/low intervals and actual HITT training.

How far you need to go depends on your conditioning. For some people it's much lower then others. There is no magic number that will cover everybody.

To directly address your point I think most people are doing Medium intensity but IIRC the studies show it's about the same in end results. In addition you can go longer with MIIT then you could with HIIT.

I try to HIIT - but when I start to feel queezy and sick I take it down a notch especially if I am working out alone and no one to call 911 should I collapse and have a heart attack or hurt myself from falling.  My heart rate monitor many times will give me a reading over 160 when I do HIIT.  My heart rate for the 90% is 156  based on the age from 220 the max I should do is 175 so I do think I strive and do reach HIIT on most days I do it.  Granted I may only do it once a week and just do regular workouts the other days.

I usually do 40 min LI aerobics mixed with mini-trampoline (when I don't like the moves on the video).  Last night in the middle as part of my 40 minutes I tried to HIIT using my mini-trampoline.  I jogged as fast and hard as I could for one minute and then got off the trampoline and marched in place for two minutes.  I did that five times.  Then I went back to just LI aerobics followed by legs/butt workout.  So, I think I used my time before and after HIIT to warm up and cool down.  My question is, does this sound effective as a HIIT workout?  I know I sure felt good afterward.   Today is my rest day.

bigtwinky,

I think that I am doing it right, because when I am done I feel like I may die.  It makes me nauseous and close to passing out. My heart rate was 167 today while I was doing it.  My max heart rate is 177.  Am I doing it right?

I am doing it right, but from any healthy stand point, you should not work yourself until you feel like you're going to pass out. listen to your body! I do HIIT, and during that interval, you (as noted above) get sticky in your throat, heat, you feel uncoordinated a little, max heart rate, but if you get dizzy or feel like you're going to pass out, that's VERY dangerous, especially if you are on a treadmill or elliptical or other machine. BE CAREFUL, but let me tell you, it works. even MIIT does good, but the HIIT, when yo do it right, is awesome. just remember you can do longer slow intervals, just make sure that the high intensity interval is just that - high intesnity. again, above all, L I S T E N to your body!

I tried this on my exercise bike last night and I've never sweated so much! I usually do 30-35 mins at a constant pace, last night I did 5 mins warmup, and repetitions of 30 secs pedalling as fast as I could, followed by 1 min of a moderate pedal.

I didn't adjust the resistance but I sure felt like I got a harder workout than normal.

Does anyone think it matters on the resistance? In my mind, the higher the resistance the slower you are gonna go in the 30 second part.

When I do this on the elliptical its usually on the lighter less resistant mode so I can "move"  Like you said on a higher resistance I feel I am not pushing myself as hard - I 'm sure my heart rate goies up but still doing 'fast all out" just makes me feel better when I step back down a notch.

I tried this on the elliptical this afternoon. I think I about died! I did my 5 minute warmup and then 4 sets of 30 seconds as hard as I could go with a 1 minute break in between. I am not sure that this is a safe thing to do. I am sure if it doesn't kill you it would work fine. I could not get enough oxygen in, my thighs were burning, and I was sure I was going to puke! From what I have read here you are suppose to feel great after doing it, but I still feel queasey. Are you sure this is a safe thing to be doing? 

logman,

It gets better after you do it a few times.  I felt the same way the first time. The second it really worked me hard but no nausea. The third I managed to make my last 30 seconds a whole minute.  I am really liking this.  Thankx Xdanx!!

Tried this today. Walked for 60 seconds, ran for 30, walked 60, ran 30, repeated until I got back home. 23 minute workout!
When I was 'running' 4 times a week, I used to walk-run-walk-run and I was really slim so I can see how this can work.
I'm going to try this a few times a week and see how I fare.

I've been doing a version of HIIT (I gues guru's would call it interval training) that I saw in a fitness magazine last year.  I typically do it on the treadmill and sometimes the bike. It's a 20 min long workout and apparently said to burn 300 cals. 

I thought this was HIIT but continued to learn from experts at Oxygen magazine who said during HIIT it should be a 1:3 ratio. Exert yourself for 20 seconds and have a 1 minute recover.

What do you have to say about that?

I don't think a stock ratio works. For some people it might be 1:3 for others 1:5 for others 1:1. The main thing is you push yourself very hard for the high period. Then recover partly. Push again.

Okay, I tried this again today. I think it might have been a little better than the last time I tried it. At least this time I didn't feel as though I wa going to die! I guess I will continue to try it a few times a week along with the rest of my workouts. I can see where it would work if you could ever get use to it.

All I know is my legs hurt today!!!

This last couple months when I was doing this or a variation I walked the track at the middle school its walking/ jog path 1/2 mile with hills not a track meet track - anyway I'd walk the track then hit the bleachers and do the stairs for 2 - 5 minutes pushing hard and getting my heart rate up to the 90% zone then walk the track again for 1/2 mile to do the "cool down" then back to the bleachers would do the HIIT 3 times and walk 2 miles then stretch

My goal was a 2lb loss this week.  I had two HIIT workouts as described in my previous post, plus my regular workouts.  I lost 3.5 lbs!!!!  But over the weekend, I slept like a log at 12 hours per night!!!  Yesterday was 100% rest day.

Ok HITT sounds really great for me, cause I love listening to my music on the cardio machines, but for an hour, it gets boring. My question is, I read the article and it said you should mix HITT with resistence training, which I want to do, but I don't really know what that is and how to do it. I'm 23 and I'm overweight, but I'm not in horrible shape, I had a trainer and he was shocked that for my weight I was able to do so well in the gym. I have like 127lbs. of lean muscle mass so it's not like I'm weak. I just need to know how resistence training should be done, for a woman, cause I hear such contradictory things all the time. And of course like every woman I don't want to be all bulky, I want to be lean and sexy, don't we all??? So please if anyone out there can help me out I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

Here are some stats if they help, I'm 23, 230lbs., eat decent, drink about 60-70 oz. of water a day, 127lbs. lean muscle mass, have been doing the eliptical for about an hour on the weight loss interval settings.

This HIIT thing sounds deeply unpleasant to me, but I'm glad it works for some of you.  But just out of curiosity, what is the appeal of a workout that makes you feel like passing out, vomiting, dying, etc?  Also, does it have any significant cardiovascular benefits, or is it just for increasing fat loss?