Cardio Question

[ts8586]

Hi, folks. Long-time lurker here. I'm getting back in shape, and have a question about cardio. I'm trying to do 20 minutes of HIIT on my elliptical daily. Is HIIT something that I should or should not be doing daily? Just looking for some advice.

P.S. I try to squeeze in weights as much as possible (which averages to 2 or 3 days per week).

Thanks for taking time to read this.

(I'm a 39 year old male. 6 ft. 1, 210 lbs. if it matters)

 

[CorpKiller]

I hear HIIT should be done 2-3 sessions per week. Never hurts to throw in a regular/long cardio in there once a week for an hour or so either.

What is your HIIT like on the elliptical?

 

[CorpKiller]

My cardio normally consists of 20 mins on the stair stepper then directly to 20 mins on the bike. Then I go do 1-3 bodyparts on the weights (DBs, machines, Hammer strength and BBs.) I finish off with abs. If I wait to the end to do my cardio, then I probably won't do it at all....

 

[ts8586]

I hear HIIT should be done 2-3 sessions per week. Never hurts to throw in a regular/long cardio in there once a week for an hour or so either.

What is your HIIT like on the elliptical?

Sorry I didn't see your reply sooner, CorpKiller. I do HIIT about 3-4 times per week, 20 minutes each session. I follow Craig Ballantyne's plan(s). I do HIIT on the days that I don't lift. And now, I'm not lifting at all since I screwed my back up last week!

 

[DreamWeaver]

The amount of cardio and the length of the sessions is really dependant on body type. Endos need to do a bit more some ectos don't need any at all. I do 3 30 minute interval sessions which would be high intensity. I also do a couple to 3 45 minute fasted cardio sessions per week. Yes I am an endo.

 

[ts8586]

The amount of cardio and the length of the sessions is really dependant on body type. Endos need to do a bit more some ectos don't need any at all. I do 3 30 minute interval sessions which would be high intensity. I also do a couple to 3 45 minute fasted cardio sessions per week. Yes I am an endo.

Well all I have to do is figure out what I am! Thanks for the info!

 

[DreamWeaver]

Endo is easy gainer for both fat and muscle

Ecto hard gainer all the way around

Meso fairly easy gainer for muscle tends to stay lean though

Most are a combination of the two, I would classify myself as more of an endo meso

 

[CorpKiller]

I am an ENDO. I did HIIT this week 4 days in arow to jump start myself on this routine, and I have to admit, I am exhausted! I did 15 mins HIIT on the Elliptical. 60 sec work interval on a high setting then dropped to a low setting for recovery for 60 secs then repeated till I got to 15 mins total. Afterwards, since I enjoy cardio, I did 20 mins on either the bike or the stepper at a moderate pace getting the HR up to about 110-120 (I am 38 yrs old.) After that, I did one or two bodyparts then if I had any smoke left I did some abs. I can already tell my waist is trimming down. Also, since I do my work sets on the elliptical at a high setting my whole upper body feels pumped all the time.

 

[DreamWeaver]

Eliptical is my weapon of choice as well. I will do 4 minute intervals for 30 minutes (start off with 2 minutes moderate)

1 do

2 minutes level 6
2 minutes level 10
2 minutes level 12
4 minutes level 6
2 minutes level 10
2 minutes level 12
4 minutes level 6
2 minutes level 12
2 minutes level 14
4 minutes level 6
4 minutes level 14
cool down

My 45 minute sessoins are done a level 6 or 7 depending how my legs feel.

 

[LT*]

Another way to use the elliptical for HIIT is to keep the resistance constant and vary the speed. I usually do either 20 or 30 second sprints followed by 40 or 30 second "rest" periods.

Warm up- 4 minutes
20 sec-118+ RPM
40 sec-45-50 RPM
Repeat for 8-10 sprints
Cool down-2 minutes

I follow this up with about 30 minutes of heavy bag work and abs.

I do not do this on an empty stomach ever. Performance would suck.

 

[DreamWeaver]

Yes and empty stomach is not a great time for high intensity cardio.