Starting HIIT

[jaykay]

I am going to begin HIIT 3-4 x per week, aiming for 30 min each session. I will continue my 2-3 days of weight lifting. And I may still do 1 day of longer, lower intensity cardio. I've read a little about it. It seems that both the stationary bike and running will work for it. Can I used the "hill" option on the bike for HIIT? I used it before and every few minutes it increases the intensity level then returns to normal. If I want to do it for running, is there an option on the treadmill? If not, to do it manually, should I do 5 min running hard, then 2 min rest and repeat? I also heard jump roping is good for this. Anything else?
Thanks.

[Lady C]

Just a note: Beginniers WILL NOT be able to do 30 mins of HIIT. If you can, it isn't intense enough. Start out with 10 mins and work your way up.

I do HIIT on a stationary bike. Increase the speed and intensity for 20-30 secs then drop speed and intensity for 10-15 secs.

If you run without a treadmill; you can sprint for 20-30 secs then jog or walk for 10-15 secs.

[jaykay]

So I tried HIIT on eliptical. But I don't think I did it right because I did it for 20 min. I did 4 min warmup, and 4 min alternating 30 sec of high intensity and easy. For the high intensity intervals, I had about 15 resistance and 12 crossover. Is this appropriate? I may have rested TOO much on the easy 30 seconds. I did not notice a higher calorie burn...maybe a little but not the tons that people say about HIIT. Then on the treadmill, I did 30 second intervals, ranging from 5.0 to 6.5 for about 8 minutes. Please help my tweak this program. I may try the bike tomorrow.

[Lady C]

No one can tell you if that specific equipment settings are appropriate or not. This is strickly individual, everyone is different. It needs to be as hard and as fast as you can perform for 30 seconds. Then rest for 10 seconds.

After 5-6 cycles you feel like one of the following; you are going to puke, pass-out from lack of oxygen, or legs fall off then the intensity is high enough.

More on HIIT and Tabata Intervals

[jaykay]

Hi all,
I did my first day of HIIT yesterday.
I started with 5 min warmup on stationary bike, level 3.
Then, 1 min level 6, 1 min level 4
1 min level 7, 1 min level 4
1 min level 8, 1 min level 4
1 min level 9, 1 min level 4
1 min level 10, 1 min level 4
5 min level 3 cool down
I could only do 30 seconds on levels 8, 9 and 10. Do you think I should modify this routine or just keep trying until I can do the full minutes? My legs were burning afterwards, but I still was able to jog 10 min afterwards.
I've been doing a diet/exercise plan for about 4 weeks now, and haven't noticed any difference. At first, I went down a belt notch size, and now I can't do that anymore! Am I regressing? I eat about 1600-1700 calories per day, do weights 2-3 x/week and cardio 4x/week. I'm 5'4", 135 # and 23. I am in the healthy BMI range but am trying to get my body fat percentage down from 25% (last tme I checked at least), and would like to be in the "fit" level of the BMI.

I have done hill sprints following the Sprint 8 cadence promoted by Phil Campbell in his great book "Ready, Set, Go". I don't know if you have access to hills but they are great and humbling for sprints.

I did a 30 second maximum effort sprint up a moderately-inclined hill, covering about 130 meters in the 30 second round. I then walked back down taking a 2 minute recovery, needing every bit of it. I completed 8 rounds so this took 20 minutes to complete.

I've done the Tabata cadence of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off for 8 rounds which is only 4 minutes. I personally find it is impossible to produce the intensity with this cadence that is possible with the Sprint 8 cadence.

If you are not able to do hills and are will get your HIIT in the gym, I believe the Concept II rowing machine is great for this type of workout.

Keep experimenting and you'll find what works best for you. It will be that which you develop a strong love-hate relationship with. Keep us posted.

[Lady C]

You have the right idea.

I would start with 5 min warm-up then do the levels that are taxing at 30 sec and work your way up to 1 min. When you can do 1 min it is time to increase the level again.

If you don't see results in another 4 weeks then I would analyze your diet more.