MHR + HIIT = Safe ?

Gilogy · 20-Aug-04, 01:35 PM

Hi everyone! I've been reading so much great info from this site.

: And based on what seams to be overwhelming recommendations, last night I decided to try HIIT cardio ( 30/30 on a stationary bike ).

But now I need some re-assurance here. As my heart rate rose passed my target range and closer to my MHR, the heart rate monitor I was wearing started screaming!

ok -- maybe not screaming but beeping, (you know like BEEP...BEEP...BEEP or rather WARNING...DANGER...WARNING..). This scared the hell out of me, which probably raised my heart rate even more.

Anyway, I continued the work out but a few times as the monitor read close to 90% I would extend the resting cycle from 30 seconds to 60, just to ease my mind a little.

So my questions are: Is it really safe to work the heart this hard?
And, other than things like a joint injury, has anyone had any bad experiences doing HIIT?

Lift2Live · 20-Aug-04, 03:00 PM

In short, yes IF you have no currently existing heart condition(s).

HIIT is meant to achieve exactly what you experienced. To get the heart near max for short periods of time.

Gilogy · 20-Aug-04, 09:26 PM

Thanks Lift2Live! Since HIIT contradicts the things I learned growing up it's a bit of a mental challenge as well as physical. Hope it's worth it. btw- that fitday.com link is pretty cool!

Lift2Live · 20-Aug-04, 11:52 PM

Yah, HIIT is a tad contradictory to the normal 30 minutes 3 days a week. When I do interval training I try to think of something that it mimics to keep it more in perspective. Example... I LOVE baseball. Playing, watching, anything to do with it. When playing, you are sprinting to each base for the most part, then some waiting time. Or in the field you wait, go all out for a little bit, wait some more and your body adapts to that and burns more fuel than perhaps an endurance run or walk. I guess it's all relative. Keep it up though eh. It's good for the ticker and the looks!

I like keeping track of my diet online which is why i use fitday.com. It's handy and when I talk to someone, I can just shoot them a link to see how i'm eating. It's pretty accurate as long as you add your own food labels.