HIIT via Walking???

C

collegeri

New member
I can't really run because of a knee injury but I think instead of walking an hour a day I'd like to try HIIT walking. It sounds like it saves time and is more beneficial.

Can it be done on a treadmill alternating between intense walking for 2 minutes and low for 1 minute?

Also if I'm used to walking at moderate speed for 1 hour, what time frame should I give myself for HIIT walking? A half hour? 20 Minutes?

Thanks-Ken
 
Hi

You can't really do HIIT while walking, it just goes against everything that HIIT is about. You could do some training where you're changing the speed of your walk if you'd like. I'm not sure if this would be any better then just walking quickly the entire time though.
 
I frankly don't see how it could be done. HIIT gets your heart rate up to around 95% of max -- I can't imagine that happening, even if you were race walking.

There's nothing wrong with doing interval training (3-4 minutes of intense walking, followed by a slower pace) while you recover.
 
The HIIT that I have been doing is a 2:1 on a treadmill, 2 minutes of walking at a 2% incline at 4mph, 1 minute of running at a 2% incline at 8mph. Let me tell you at the end of that minute I feel like I am going to die! And the 2 minutes is a great recovery time. I enjoy it! I do a 10 minute warm up at 3.6 MPH and the same for a cool down. Total 40 minutes. 10 min warm up, 20 min HIIT, 10 min cool down. I am doing this 2x weekly.
 
hmm dont think you could really do it walking.. but im not too sure what HIIT is.. i do some interval training for my runs.. i dont like using the treadmills but have to when its raining usually speed 10 jog / speed 16 run in 8 sets of 2 mins each, at 2.5 incline..
 
collegeri said:
HIIT walking
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That's kind of an oxymoron. Read Leigh's explanation in the harsh truth section. However, there's no reason why you can't simply bump up the intensity during your walking, unless your injury prevents you from doing so. You'll get more benefits the faster you walk, but, it's still far, far, from HIIT.
 
almostthere said:
Off topic - but can someone tell me what HIIT is? Just seen it in so many threads hehe :eek:
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It's short interval workouts from hell that involves balls-out sprinting that most people here aren't anywhere near ready for, yet it still gets talked about constantly as if it's for everybody. There's a definition/guide as a sticky message at the top of the harsh truth section.
 
almostthere said:
Off topic - but can someone tell me what HIIT is? Just seen it in so many threads hehe :eek:
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Check my sig and read the latest article, it's an article by a trainer and she explains it really well for beginners.

Corndogggy is right you need a certain level of fitness to be able to do it properly, although I have seen people start off slower (not HIIT, but just interval training) and work up to HIIT with good results.
 
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