rule of thumb for sprinting

[danman]

I have been doing hiit for about a week now and am still trying to ascertain what my optimal speed should be during the spring period. Since my the treadmill that I use is in in k.m/hour my speeds per hour are not rounded off.
30 second- 6.25 mph , 30 second 11.25 mph. What I am interested in is what is the rule of thumb for talking while sprinting. Should you be running so fast that you are not able to complete one sentence ? Any help in finding out this rule of thumb would be great in determining whether I should increase my spring speed or not.

 

[g8r80]

I have been doing hiit for about a week now and am still trying to ascertain what my optimal speed should be during the spring period. Since my the treadmill that I use is in in k.m/hour my speeds per hour are not rounded off.
30 second- 6.25 mph , 30 second 11.25 mph. What I am interested in is what is the rule of thumb for talking while sprinting. Should you be running so fast that you are not able to complete one sentence ? Any help in finding out this rule of thumb would be great in determining whether I should increase my spring speed or not.

Speeds mean nothing; perceived exertion means everything with hiit. You shouldn't be able to talk at all during the sprints, maybe grunt out a single syllable here and there.

I use the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion and try to get as high as possible, 17 - 19 to me, during the workout.

 

[hiitfreak]

First of all do yourself a favour and get onto a spin or recumbent bike and off the treadmill for HIIT.

And you definately should not be able to talk during your HI intervals, or your active rest intervals for that matter - you should be breathing quite hard.

Try this - get your heart rate up to 90%+ of your max heart rate, check your speed and try to have a conversation. This is where you should be for your HI intervals - every time.