Beginner HIIT question

piratektty

piratektty

New member
I am new to HIIT, in fact ive only tried it for a week now but i think i am doing it wrong. I tried google searching but i come up with different suggestions on every page i read.

From what i understand you interval between intense cardio and a resting period. I use an elliptical at my gym. There is a program on there called "interval" so i assumed this was correct and have been using that.

After a 5min warmup, the program increases resistance for 1minute (i end up pedaling slow b/c the resistance is soo high, but i can feel my heart rate soar as i push against the resistance to pedal), then it drops the resistance for 1 minute (and i pedal moderately). I do this 1:1 ratio for 15 minutes then cool down for 5mins. I am tired after this cardio session but not much more than i am after steady paced cardio. I do this 5 times a week

Is this correct? what's the correct ratio of cardio to rest that i should be following? should i ignore the program and just go as fast as i can and then rest? I am 26 and moderately fit (only 10-15lbs "excess"). I can do a 30min steady paced cardio with ease now so i decided try HIIT in order to push myself. I just want to make sure I am doing this right.

Thanks for any suggestions and help!
 
If you've been using the elliptical for awhile, I'd suggest ditching it and opting for either an upright bike, treadmill, track (if your gym has it) or even rowing machine. As with any form of exercise, the more you do it - the better you get (also known as plateauing) which provides for less room towards progression.

To be honest, most stuff I see on the internet and in books totally pervert the concept of true HIIT training. In its essence, it's a short session of cardio with the high intervals aiming @ 85% of your max heart rate and the low intensity intervals enough to catch your breath. Total time of interval (not including aggressive warmup and cooldown) should be between 8 - 15 mins (8 minutes for beginners and deconditioned individuals, 15 being for more conditioned athletes).

I would recommend keeping HIIT sessions to maximum 3 times per week. Your body needs to recover. Overtraining can lead to performance drops - however - rate of recovery is an individual thing.

I generally use ratio's of 30 seconds (high) and 45-60 seconds (active rest). I've had conditioned marathon and triathlon athletes not able to perform 15 minutes. So if you can do 30 it simply means you're not working hard enough during that 30 seconds.
 
I've been doing bicycling with HIIT

Managed to get my heart rate up to 181-185 (I'm 22 male) one day, and the next day 175.

Did it for 20 minutes or so. I've done 20 and 45 mile bike rides before on my bike..(not doing HIIT, just moderate-vigorous pace). Should I go running instead? I Cannot run at all.

Really gave it my all, went to max gear, trying to build up speed up to that. Tried as hard as I could. Had to bump up to 90 second bursts, 90 second rests to get the heart rate up to sufficent amounts. The first time I did it I felt like I was going to throw up 20 minutes after the excerise was over. The second time I was sweating like crazy but didn't feel quite as sick. I also got my herat rate up but took too long rest between intervals.
 
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Ive thought about doing it on the treadmill but i get afraid that the constant speed switch may cause me to trip. Id rather do it on a track but my gym does not have one. I should probably just put my big girl panties on and give it a try.

If i drop HIIT training to 3 days, would it be okay to do steady cardio for the other 2 or is that overkill? I hit the gym about 5days a week (alternating weight training). If i dont do cardio, for some reason i feel like im doing my body an injustice. Perhaps i am incorrect with that logic?
 
SparkErosion said:
I've been doing bicycling with HIIT

Managed to get my heart rate up to 181-185 (I'm 22 male) one day, and the next day 175.

Did it for 20 minutes or so. I've done 20 and 45 mile bike rides before on my bike..(not doing HIIT, just moderate-vigorous pace). Should I go running instead? I Cannot run at all.

Really gave it my all, went to max gear, trying to build up speed up to that. Tried as hard as I could. Had to bump up to 90 second bursts, 90 second rests to get the heart rate up to sufficent amounts. The first time I did it I felt like I was going to throw up 20 minutes after the excerise was over. The second time I was sweating like crazy but didn't feel quite as sick. I also got my herat rate up but took too long rest between intervals.
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I'd start with the sprinting and complete 8 minutes of total interval duration (not including warmup and cooldown) and see how you feel. Remember it's sprints - not jogging or running. The first few intervals may be easy but as time goes on your body begins to fatigue quickly. Every person adapts differently and you're going to have to find what works well for you.

Another option is to skip the traditional cardio and look at tabata work done post weight training. It's the same concept - 8 minutes of intervals of 30:60 but you're not sprinting/rowing/biking. Instead you might do pushups or box jumps or jump squats or squat thrusters.

One other thing you might try is suicide sprinting drills. (just do a google search for that).
 
piratektty said:
Ive thought about doing it on the treadmill but i get afraid that the constant speed switch may cause me to trip. Id rather do it on a track but my gym does not have one. I should probably just put my big girl panties on and give it a try.

If i drop HIIT training to 3 days, would it be okay to do steady cardio for the other 2 or is that overkill? I hit the gym about 5days a week (alternating weight training). If i dont do cardio, for some reason i feel like im doing my body an injustice. Perhaps i am incorrect with that logic?
Click to expand...

Definitely overkill with the cardio. I'd suggest 2 days HIIT and 1 day long duration steady state cardio. You should be incorporating some weight resistance training into your weekly exercise routine in order to maximize both metabolic changes and fat loss.

One thing you must get into your head is that cardio is not effective for long term metabolic changes or fat loss. We've all been conditioned to believe otherwise. Most of us carry weight due to slower metabolic responses - which happens for a variety of reasons. At the end of the day - the more calories/fat you burn at rest (which makes up 99% of our day) - the easier it is going to be to lose fat and more importantly - avoid a rebound of weight gain. Everything in balance!

I'm not a fan of the treadmill and don't usually recommend it. Depending on where you live you can definitely sprint outdoors. If you're going to try the treadmill @ the gym - just use the first session as a feel out to gauge what you can and can't do and then adjust the second HIIT session to what you feel works you at your maximum ability. I also use the aerobics studio @ my gym for HIIT training (sprinting) with my clients but more with a suicide training approach (see above response to other poster).
 
piratektty said:
I am new to HIIT, in fact ive only tried it for a week now but i think i am doing it wrong. I tried google searching but i come up with different suggestions on every page i read.

From what i understand you interval between intense cardio and a resting period. I use an elliptical at my gym. There is a program on there called "interval" so i assumed this was correct and have been using that.

After a 5min warmup, the program increases resistance for 1minute (i end up pedaling slow b/c the resistance is soo high, but i can feel my heart rate soar as i push against the resistance to pedal), then it drops the resistance for 1 minute (and i pedal moderately). I do this 1:1 ratio for 15 minutes then cool down for 5mins. I am tired after this cardio session but not much more than i am after steady paced cardio. I do this 5 times a week

Is this correct? what's the correct ratio of cardio to rest that i should be following? should i ignore the program and just go as fast as i can and then rest? I am 26 and moderately fit (only 10-15lbs "excess"). I can do a 30min steady paced cardio with ease now so i decided try HIIT in order to push myself. I just want to make sure I am doing this right.

Thanks for any suggestions and help!
Click to expand...

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to HIIT - except perhaps that your work interval should be very intense - and I will assume that's what 90 rpm represents for you. Times for work and rest intervals can vary quite a bit.

The norm for most is to simply make sure your work interval is one in which you are going ' flat out ' - i.e as hard as you can. And, that your rest interval is simply long enough allow you to recover comfortably - which for some is to get all your breath back ( full recovery ) and for others it is to simply be at a pre-determined lower training heart rate for recovery, but not one in which you get all your breath back.

I do know that there is a reputable trainer ( Alywn Cosgrove ) who advocates his own HIIT protocol to optimize fat loss - not sure if this is what you're after. His protocol calls for 1 minute ' flat out ' as hard as you can stand followed by 2 minutes of active recovery - a 1:2 ratio. Actually, the ratio of 1:2 is the one I have seen used most often - for example, this is the ratio I used when training hockey players during lactate threshold training ( i.e bike, treadmill, elliptical trainer ) - but again, there is no hard and fast rule.
 
As far as the interval training, I agree with most of the comments. During your intense periods get close to going all out. But I wouldn't feel guilty about not doing cardio. In fact, mixing in strength training will help you a lot.
 
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