Hiit & Hrm

B

bennos

0
I have been working out in a group outdoor style training, sometimes the trainer sets up a class/session which he calls 'blitz' classes... I'm pretty sure it is a HIIT session - he says that after we finish these 'blitz' sessions we will keep burning calories at a higher rate then the normal cardio classes we do other times. Cool, I'm totally for that!! However, I find the following confusing... can anyone shed some light on it?!

With that in mind... My MHR should be 188 (220-32(my age)=188). However, my HRM has in the past shown 210!!! while doing one of these classes. It is usually around the 180 - 195bpm during these classes. Should I work not as hard to get my MHR down to around 188 or keep going as hard as I can?

To burn fat. I have read several articles (online and in mags) that I should perform exercises to stay around the 65% (122bpm to me). I don't know if it is because I am unfit or I have anxiety or something but I can get to 122bpm very easily without much effort, eg. walking the dog at a just a little quickness in my steps. 122bpm just doesn't really feel like exercise!

I am confused as to whether I am doing the correct thing to lose fat as fast as possible?! Should I just walk around and try to keep my HR at around 122bpm or should I keep doing the HIIT classes and smash my HR at up over 195bpm?

EDIT: I use a Polar F6 HRM
 
Last edited:
There are 2 calorie burning benefits of exercise: 1) the calories you burn while performing the exercise, and 2) the elevated number of calories you burn after the exercise is complete.
While you are exercising the maximum calories are burned by being in the "fat burning zone" for as long as possible. However even if you exercise for hours on end you never burn more than a few hundred calories during the exercise session.
The elevated number of calories you burn after the exercise session can last anywhere from a few minutes to many hours or even days depending on the exercise session. That can add up to many times the number of calories you could reasonably burn during an exercise session.
Based on that assumption you would get the best total calorie or fat burning results from an exercise session designed to maximize calorie or fat burning after the session.

Most organized "classes" generally last way too long (45+ minutes) to be considered anything but endurance workouts and generally are not ideally suited to maximizing fat burning. In fact, there is some evidence that they tend to raise cortisol levels which signals the body to store fat in preparation for fueling the next long endurance session.

A good HIIT routine need last no longer than 20 minutes and the high intensity portion should be done at an intensity that does not allow you to go beyond about 20 minutes without puking or passing out.
 
Based on that assumption you would get the best total calorie or fat burning results from an exercise session designed to maximize calorie or fat burning after the session.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. Am I understanding you correctly?... I should not worry about training at 65% of my MaxHR (recommended for max burning fat), I should do the HIIT style training to smash the calories for the following hours after the session (but don't go over 20 mins/session)?
 
Yes. A typical HIIT workout consists of High Intensity Intervals lasting 15-30 seconds of all out sprints (~100 yards flat, or 70 yards uphill or stairs) separated by 1-2 minutes Low Intensity Intervals (walk or slow jog). Done properly you should not be able to do more than 6-8 High Intensity Intervals. Remember the goal of HIIT is to increase the intensity of the High Intensity Intervals, not the length of the intervals or the total time spent.

BTW, the whole 220-age thing is a very rough estimate for the "average", probably sedentary, person. Every individual is different. I have to get my heart rate up to over 150 or so before I even feel like I am exerting myself, at my 80% rate (.8*220-52=134) I am not even breathing hard.
 
Yesterday I went out and did a HIIT session, I couldn't even perform the 7th set. Died at the 6th set, I'll have to keep on keeping on, work towards it.

As below, I got this from here, I think it was from 'R Lewis. Miyagi Moderator'.
1. Warm up (light jog around half perimeter of the footy fields)
2. Run hard for 30 secs / 142 yards approx, struggled to do this!
3. Walk till pulse is about 145, this took aprrox 2.5mins
4. Repeat 7 times steps 2 and 3, was only able to perform 6 times.
5. Cool down (light jog then walk around half perimeter of the footy fields)
6. Stretches
 
It's not 65% but 75%
Anyway, you can figure out yourself aprox. YOu burn fat by using oxygen, or so is said. So when you use only oxygen you make sure you are burning fat. When you feel you are having a hard time breathing (eg. you can't have a conversation while running), you are running to fast.

I have to run at 150 bpm to stay in my "fat burning zone". How boring this may seem, i sometimes drag myself through these sessions.


For more information maybe read this site:

It seems based on facts... so i trust it.
Bodybuilding.com - Michael Kurilla - Understanding The Science Behind Interval Training: Part 1.

For you this conclusion is what is usefull:
Maximum fat burning rate occurs during moderate intensity at about 60 - 65% VO2max which corresponds to about 75% max heart rate for most people (this assumes an aerobically trained individual).

Running at 120 heart rate is ridiculous lol. During my last HIIT training my heart rate was 130 bpm WALKING back home (120 after 20 minutes orso).

ps: i'm not a heartrate expert. but such a high heart rate seems extreem and inaccurate! I almost died once when i was at 188 heart rate!
 
Last edited:
Nico2009 please read part II and III of that article. Fat burning after a proper HIIT session continues for many hours after the exercise and greatly exceeds the amount of fat you can burn while performing exercise at the optimal fat burning level. The conclusion is that a proper HIIT session should produce periods of >90% heart rate for maximum total fat burning.
 
I never said I wasn't aware of that.

The heart rate for max fat burning DURING exercise is 75% of max heartrate.
I didn't say HIIT doesn't burn calories after exercise.

And it isn't proven 100% that HIIT burns more fat.
:rolleyes:

A combination of both is best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top