What is HITT?

[Lindsay]

Hey Y'all, I was just wondering if someone can explain to me what HITT is? I heard it's a great work out and you get some awesome results! I have no clue what it is though so can someone please help me out? thanks.:

[.V.]

I don't know about HITT. If you meant to type HIIT - that is high intensity interval training.

Hit it really hard and fast then slow down to catch your breath, then hard and fast again.

My little one could never finish the mile run at school. Poor thing has legs like mine - long thighs, short calves - makes her a terrible runner. When I would go for my pitiful attempts at running and a lot of walking, she would take her bike along. Ride out about 100 yards, get off and run as hard as she could back to me, then with me walking fast, she would fast walk/jog to keep up back to her bike and do it all over again. That is an example of one way to do HIIT.

I think geurilla cardio is another way, but I'm not that familiar with it - you can do a search for it here and learn all you want to know about it though.

Then there's HIT for weight training - lifting more weight for less reps - kind of like the Max OT or powerlifting plans.

[Chain]

What a_welch said. There are many ways to do a HIIT routine. A good way to start HIIT if you're not used to it and aren't in good cardiovascular shape already is to do something like this:

Get on a Treadmill. Set the incline to 1. Then:
Step #1 - 5 minutes @ 3mph to warm-up
Step #2 - 30 seconds @ 7-8mph
Step #3 - 90 seconds @ 3-3.5mph
Step #4 - Repeat Step's 2 # 3 for a TOTAL of 8 times.
Step #5 - 4 minutes @ 2.5mph to cooldown

If you're in decent shape though then you could do something harder. Going by heartrate isn't a bad idea either.

[Gooseneck]

Google.

[cursor]

There is HIT (High-Intensity Training), and then there is HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). I'm guessing that you mean the latter:

Forget the Fat-burn Zone
In Search of the Ideal Aerobics Routine
Intervals for Fitness and Fat Loss
Escaping the Fat-burn Zone

[TrevorsMum]

HIIT is great. Its a bit like fartlek. Mainly for games players who need stamina and speed at the same time.

[gymcoch]

High-Intensity Intermittent-Training

(HIIT)


HIIT training is not a new means of training but has recently become more popular. HIIT training is interval training with a bout of very high intensity followed by a rest/recovery period or period of lower intensity.


Studies have shown that HIIT training is far superior for fat loss than long, steady duration (LSD) aerobic exercise (example: 45 minutes on a treadmill at 75% MHR).

What these studies have shown is that, although more calories may be burned during the LSD exercise session, the HIIT training method burns more calories and fat after the training has stopped. The cause of this is excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). It is the amount of fat utilized throughout the entire day that is more important than the amount of calories and fat used during the exercise session.


Some studies have shown a 9 times greater amount of fat burned after HIIT training compared to LSD training.

Besides HIIT training being a great protocol for fat burning, it is also easy to prescribe because it can be done using a variety of equipment.


Remember, HIIT training is an intense period of exercise (say, 10 seconds), followed by a “recovery” or rest period (say, 45 seconds). This would give you a work to rest ratio of 1:4.5.


This can be done in many ways:



· 10 seconds of fast rope jumping followed by a 45 second jog



· a 10 second sprint followed by 45 seconds of walking (or in a swimming pool)



· fast climb up several flights of stairs, walk back down


It’s a matter of being creative using the equipment available. And, as you can see, it can be done with no equipment at all!


Although different studies use different percentages of HR to determine intensity level, these do not have to be followed exactly.


When prescribing HIIT training for your client, make the work interval fall somewhere on a 19-20 on the Borg scale.

** Before I go any further, it is IMPAIRATIVE that you realize that HIIT training is extreme and only for those individuals who are already at a high level of fitness! **

You probably won’t want to start your client performing the work interval at a 19-20 right away. You need to start them at a level that challenges them, but doesn’t kill them! Progress accordingly.


Another progression lies in the changing of the work to rest ratio. You may want to start your client at a 1:6 ratio (10 seconds of high INT: 60 seconds of recovery), and gradually decrease the rest time, increase the work time, or both.


Examples:

15 sec. Of Work: 60 sec. Of Recovery (increased work)

10 sec. Of Work: 45 sec. Of Recovery (decreased rest)

15 sec. Of Work: 45 sec. Of Recovery (increased work and decreased rest)


A third way to increase the intensity level with HIIT is to increase the number of exercise bouts.

Maybe your first training session was a 5 minute warm-up (yes, don’t forget the warm-up!!), followed by a 1:3 interval, repeated 5 times. Add a 5-10 minutes cool-down. After a few sessions of this (if your client hasn’t left you for doing this to them), you can now add another interval or 2. So now they will be repeating the 1:3 interval 6 or 7 times in a session.


HIIT training should probably be prescribed only 1-2 times a week to allow for complete recovery.


HIIT training can also be performed with resistance exercises. How about doing 15 seconds of hard, fast tubing rows followed by a 60 walk up some stairs.


This is an exerpt from the ebook "Designing Exercise Programs Made Simple"
which can be found at
www.DesigningExercisePrograms.com

[vivid]

Let me start with how I was doing cardio before I read about HIIT. I mainly used the elliptical on the weight loss program which gave me a pattern that was 4mins low incline and low resistance then 4 mins of higher incline and resistance for 28mins with a 4min cool down, totaling 32mins. I tried to keep my heart rate around 145-160 ignoring the "fat burning zone"... I guess in a way this was/is similar to HIIT.

Now what I am doing is getting on the elliptical choosing the manual setting for 18mins and I do 2 min warm up then 16mins of HIIT, doing 1min on 1 min recover. All I change is the RMPs for intensity from 150rpm to 230rpm. After the 16mins of HIIT the machine gives me a 4min cool down which I do at 120rpm and I bring my heart rate back down to around 120bpms. The first time I had the incline and resistance set to 8 and 8 and did 302cals. The second time I set the incline and resistance to 9 and 8 and I did 317cals

Am I doing HIIT right? Any suggestions or pointer?

[Your_Crazy]

I don't have a treadmill or a stationary bike. What would be a good alternitive in inclimate weather?

[gymcoch]

your crazy-
a jump rope!
jump fast for you work session, walk or slow jog/jump rope for your recover

vivid- sounds good. Dont worry about #s too much (calories, incline, etc).
Just go hard, like a 9 or 10 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being "Make IT Stop!"

**please remember, this is the ideal, and only recommended for people already in good health.

Therefore, push yourself for your "work" bouts, and build up progressively.

[SNPiccolo5]

I feel a lot more tired when I do my HIIT instead of distance running. I'll go to a park that's 2 miles around, and I'll jog the first mile, and then do 20 second sprints and 10 second jogs, alternating until I've done 8 sets. Then I jog the rest. It's really tiring!

-Tim

[gymcoch]

a great article on HIIT can be found at www.HIIT.com