Are you ready to HIIT it?

June 16th, 2010 by Amy Gonsalves Leave a reply »

You may have read about “high intensity interval training” or HIIT in the news.  It’s the latest thing coming to the forefront of cardiovascular training.  What makes it fantastic is the little time it takes compared to the results it can deliver.  

But is it really new??  Seems like we all do this type of training instinctively. 

High intensity interval training.  “High intensity” means your max effort, one you cannot keep up for longer than even a minute, and barely a minute at that.  “Interval” in terms of training means a period of time at an increased heart rate alternated with a period of time at a lower heart rate.  I’ve included two of my heart rate reports from previous workouts—one treadmill interval session and one HIIT workout.  You can see what my heart rate goes through as I work out like this.

I remember when I was a kid, I’d run full out and then have to stop and gasp for air.  I see kids do it all the time; they don’t have a plan to get them wherever they’re going—they just GO—and have to stop if their body isn’t conditioned to keep at the pace they started.  I think the only reason most adults don’t do the same thing when they get back into exercise is their maturity seeking a plan to get them wherever they are headed.  They know they can’t get there by keeping themselves that massive effort so they usually slow down before they have to stop and gasp.

Sounds like a full effort, then a recovery to me.  Kind of like an interval workout.

I remember when I weighed 175 pounds and hadn’t exercised in years.  I got on the treadmill and couldn’t go fast or far before I had to slow down.  I worked up to a minute running followed by a minute walking. 

Kind of like an interval workout.

So why is HIIT receiving so much press these days?  I’m not sure.  I think because they are now recognizing that the physical gains (increased fuel efficiency at a cellular level in the mitochondria and improved reserves in muscle cells to help raise lactate threshold to name two big ones) are earned even with fairly short workouts.  In an age where time is everything, being able to see results from a shorter workout is huge.

I cannot tell everyone to go out and HIIT it; everyone will be different and you each have your own physical needs and situations.  What I can say is don’t be afraid to go out there and work really hard for a short period of time and then give yourself time to recover from that effort.  The more effort you expend, the greater your physical reward.

I try and fit in either a HIIT workout or an interval session on the treadmill once a week.  They are exhausting, and I try to change my body with each one, so more is not better when it comes to this kind of workout. 

You will absolutely need to have your insulin figured out (take less) because you shouldn’t really be able to eat and go to your max effort simultaneously.  (I’ll stand far back if you attempt it when I’m around.)  You also need to be vigilant about watching for a low; this is likely to happen when you first start out with these extreme efforts so you need to have glucose very nearby.  

Additionally, watch for lows 90 minutes to 6 hours after you finish an interval session.  They take a lot of energy and your body takes several hours to make the changes you’ve worked for.

After that, enjoy yourself and work hard—one of my favorite combos! 

HIIT workout

Intervals on the treadmill

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