HIIT weight loss cardio

[CrazyChemist]

I'm trying to incorporate HIIT cardio into my training for the next 10 weeks for a cut I'm trying to do. HIIT is new to me so I've been looking on the web and what I gathered from that information was that I should essentially go at 60% pace for 2 minutes, then 100% pace for 1 minute on and off.

Now... I can sprint 12mph for one minute. If I'm doing my math right then that'd mean 60% is 7.2 mph. Problem is - after 2 minutes at 7.2 mph, one minute at 12 mph, and then 2 more minutes at 7.2 mph - there is NO WAY i'm going to be able to do another minute at 12 mph.:wtf1: Am I just really out of shape or am I doing the HIIT incorrectly? If so, what is the correct way. I'm skeptical that HIIT is really that much better than just jogging.

 

[Rosie Chee]

I'm trying to incorporate HIIT cardio into my training for the next 10 weeks for a cut I'm trying to do. HIIT is new to me so I've been looking on the web and what I gathered from that information was that I should essentially go at 60% pace for 2 minutes, then 100% pace for 1 minute on and off.

Now... I can sprint 12mph for one minute. If I'm doing my math right then that'd mean 60% is 7.2 mph. Problem is - after 2 minutes at 7.2 mph, one minute at 12 mph, and then 2 more minutes at 7.2 mph - there is NO WAY i'm going to be able to do another minute at 12 mph.:wtf1: Am I just really out of shape or am I doing the HIIT incorrectly? If so, what is the correct way. I'm skeptical that HIIT is really that much better than just jogging.

You can do HIIT Cardio however you want, so long as you're doing maximal efforts and having recovery time.

I use the Guerilla Cardio Method (and have been for 5 years now) and it's very effective for me. You can do it in many modes (I do it running, cycling, and rowing).

Guerilla Cardio:
1. 4 min easy (i.e. warm-up)
2. 8 x 20 sec efforts/10 sec easy
3. 4 min easy (i.e. cool-down)

Just starting out at 12 minutes is enough for quite some time. Once it starts becoming 'easy', though it can be adapted (i.e. increasing sets, reps, effort period; decreasing recovery period, etc.); also something that I do.

Yes, HIIT is far superior to just long, slow cardio. For one you don't need to do it as long (i.e. it's more effective), and it increases your metabolism for far longer than just the cardio session.

Actually, Layne Norton explains why HIIT is better than "just jogging" well:

Another question that often arises regarding cardio is the argument "Low-Intensity vs High-Intensity" cardio. Many people automatically assume that low-intensity cardio is better; citing that high-intensity cardio primarily utilizes glucose (anaerobic metabolism), while low-intensity cardio primarily burns fat (aerobic metabolism).

Once again, the substrate used during cardiovascular work is not as important as the caloric deficit created by the cardiovascular work. In actuality, high-intensity cardiovascular work is superior to low-intensity cardio for several reasons

High intensity cardio has a much stronger effect on GLUT-4 translocation in muscle cells due to the increased force of muscle contraction. This means that high-intensity cardio creates a much stronger nutrient partitioning effect towards muscle tissue than low-intensity cardio.

Low periods of low-intensity exercise tend to "overtrain" the fast-twitch muscle fibers and convert the intermediate muscle fibers to slow-twitch fibers. This is not a desirable effect as the fast twitch muscle fibers are those that have the greatest chance to hypertrophy. If your body has less fast twitch fibers, then you will experience less hypertrophy from training.

The body's hormonal response to high intensity cardio is similar to the body's hormonal response to resistance training (i.e. increased insulin sensitivity, gh release, Igf-1 release, etc) without placing the same strain on the nervous system as resistance training.

High-intensity cardio causes the body to preferentially store more carbohydrates and burn more fat.

High-intensity cardiovascular exercise increases oxygen expenditure and forces the body to adapt by becoming more efficient at oxygen transport (increase in VO2 max). More efficient oxygen transport to the muscles will increase fat oxidation as fat oxidation is dependant upon the presence of oxygen.

High-intensity cardio seems to be more muscle sparing. Several studies have shown that high-intensity interval training (aka HIT) burns less calories when compared to continuous lower intensity cardio. However, the skinfold losses were greater with the HIT group than in the continuous intensity group. This means not only did the HIT group lose more fat, they also spared more muscle tissue by burning less overall calories .

Team APPNUT

 

[Legacykid]

^^good read..thanks

 

[CrazyChemist]

yeah that was good. so - you probably don't run on a treadmill then? The reason I say this is that is takes awhile to change speed on a treadmill so short intervals are difficult to accomplish. Maybe I should run outside while the weather is nice.

 

[keeper]

I'm a believer. HIIT has proven itself to me with the bf drop. Sounds too simple, but it works like mad science and it works fast. I can't see myself ever reverting to steady rate cardio. See a recent thread on the Training Forum here titled "Interval Training... YES!!!!!" Good discussion there.

 

[coreanitaloca]

I'm trying to incorporate HIIT cardio into my training for the next 10 weeks for a cut I'm trying to do. HIIT is new to me so I've been looking on the web and what I gathered from that information was that I should essentially go at 60% pace for 2 minutes, then 100% pace for 1 minute on and off.

Now... I can sprint 12mph for one minute. If I'm doing my math right then that'd mean 60% is 7.2 mph. Problem is - after 2 minutes at 7.2 mph, one minute at 12 mph, and then 2 more minutes at 7.2 mph - there is NO WAY i'm going to be able to do another minute at 12 mph.:wtf1: Am I just really out of shape or am I doing the HIIT incorrectly? If so, what is the correct way. I'm skeptical that HIIT is really that much better than just jogging.

I'd say that maybe speed is not going to be your best indicator of how effective HIIT cardio is going to be for your cut. I've used HIIT cardio using both outside running, treadmill hills, and elliptical and mixed both 1:1 ratios and also Tabata times, etc. BUT I also mix in 1-2 days of long slow cardio as well in the week. I think sometimes people get too caught up in using one type or another and thinking it's the only solution or the "Correct" solution. We all know that the nutrition/diet is going to be your biggest factor in cutting and upping your energy expenditure will just help speed it along but stay open-minded on how to get that extra fat-burning cardio and weights in. There's a ton of research and bro-science on both HIIT and long slow cardio debates.

 

[Rosie Chee]

^^good read..thanks

No worries.

yeah that was good. so - you probably don't run on a treadmill then? The reason I say this is that is takes awhile to change speed on a treadmill so short intervals are difficult to accomplish. Maybe I should run outside while the weather is nice.

No, I never run on a treadmill for HIIT; I do it outside sprinting.

And FYI: FEMALE, just so you know.

I'd say that maybe speed is not going to be your best indicator of how effective HIIT cardio is going to be for your cut. I've used HIIT cardio using both outside running, treadmill hills, and elliptical and mixed both 1:1 ratios and also Tabata times, etc. BUT I also mix in 1-2 days of long slow cardio as well in the week. I think sometimes people get too caught up in using one type or another and thinking it's the only solution or the "Correct" solution. We all know that the nutrition/diet is going to be your biggest factor in cutting and upping your energy expenditure will just help speed it along but stay open-minded on how to get that extra fat-burning cardio and weights in. There's a ton of research and bro-science on both HIIT and long slow cardio debates.

Yes, speed is not going to be the most effective indicator of how effective HIIT is going to be. However, you want to make sure that your speed during your efforts is MAXIMAL.

There is no "correct" solution. Everyone works differently, and what works best for one person isn't going to give the same results for another.

Nutrition/diet is the most important factor in cutting, yes...For MOST people, but not all. For example, you could keep your nutrition/diet the SAME and just increase your EXERCISE levels (which is what I do, and I lose fat effectively).

You DON'T need to be dieting AND increasing energy expenditure to lose fat; one or the other is going to be effective. Personally I think that the latter is better (that's not to say that your diet shouldn't still be healthy), because then you're not restricting calories (but that's just me; everyone has different preferences).


Team APPNUT

 

[Legacykid]

I like switching it up and doing HIIT with a speed rope..to rest i just do it slow or walk around the room

 

[purebred]

No, I never run on a treadmill for HIIT; I do it outside sprinting.

I wouldn't mind doing this if the humidity wasn't 80% year-round where I'm at. I have access to a nice track behind the local college which seems like an ideal place to do HIIT. in the end, my best bet is to tough it out and deal with the humidity when i start HIIT.

how do you all time yourselves regarding the intervals you perform. (e.g. how would you time a 90 second low intensity interval and then time your transition into high intensity for 30 seconds?)

a wrist watch w/ a timer i'm supposing?

 

[keeper]

Important point... it's not as much about time as it is your heart rate. You can buy a wrist strap heart rate monitor on ebay for about 12 bucks. You want to do a 3-5 minute warm up, then burst the intensity of your activity (sprints, jumping rope, biking, eliptical, etc.) to get your heart rate in the peak zone. Stay at that level for about 30 seconds, then slow way down to let your heart rate recover. When I first started this took about 3-4 minutes. Then spike intensity again. This is an "interval." Do this for 12-20 minutes 3 times a week. I'm repeating myself, but there is a thread on p.2 of the Training Forum titled "Interval Training... YES!!!" that will be very helpful to you. There are more aspects explained such as the peak increases week to week, and variance of activities.

In regard to the humidity, jumping rope can be done indoors and is a good option for HIIT.

 

[Rosie Chee]

I wouldn't mind doing this if the humidity wasn't 80% year-round where I'm at. I have access to a nice track behind the local college which seems like an ideal place to do HIIT. in the end, my best bet is to tough it out and deal with the humidity when i start HIIT.

how do you all time yourselves regarding the intervals you perform. (e.g. how would you time a 90 second low intensity interval and then time your transition into high intensity for 30 seconds?)

a wrist watch w/ a timer i'm supposing?

I run on the road very early in the morning.

Yes, use a stopwatch (anything that you can clearly see the time on). As you get to know what it feels like you'll also get to know how long the effort is, even without using a timer (not advisable to do it without a watch though).


Team APPNUT

 

[CrazyChemist]

And FYI: FEMALE, just so you know.

Hold on a second.... are you telling me that your o-so-hot avatar is actually you?.... wow.... umm, suddenly I'm nervous talking to you hottie.

 

[JDK5386]

I'm trying to incorporate HIIT cardio into my training for the next 10 weeks for a cut I'm trying to do. HIIT is new to me so I've been looking on the web and what I gathered from that information was that I should essentially go at 60% pace for 2 minutes, then 100% pace for 1 minute on and off.

Now... I can sprint 12mph for one minute. If I'm doing my math right then that'd mean 60% is 7.2 mph. Problem is - after 2 minutes at 7.2 mph, one minute at 12 mph, and then 2 more minutes at 7.2 mph - there is NO WAY i'm going to be able to do another minute at 12 mph.:wtf1: Am I just really out of shape or am I doing the HIIT incorrectly? If so, what is the correct way. I'm skeptical that HIIT is really that much better than just jogging.

I started HIIT three weeks ago, and its already gotten much, much easier. First week I was dying 3 min warmup, 4 sets of 1 minute jogging followed by 30 seconds sprinting, 3 min cooldown, but I completed 8 sets today. Its gotten noticeably easier every time I've done it

I haven't seen the fat loss effect that everyone talks about (bit of a hyper-endo, losing weight is always a battle for me even with diet and exercise), but its much more entertaining than regular cardio and the mass in my legs has responded. Energy levels, mood, and libido have also picked up.

 

[mrlargecalves]

my 20 min hiit goes like this:

4 min run
1 min walk
3 min run
1 min walk
3 min run
1 min walk
3 min run
1 min walk
3 min run
= 20 minutes

i notice most do 1 min sprints and 30 s jogs. is there anything detrimental with my routine?

 

[Rosie Chee]

my 20 min hiit goes like this:

4 min run
1 min walk
3 min run
1 min walk
3 min run
1 min walk
3 min run
1 min walk
3 min run
= 20 minutes

i notice most do 1 min sprints and 30 s jogs. is there anything detrimental with my routine?

If you're sprinting for those 3 minutes when you're running, then it would be classed as HIIT. However if you're just jogging when you're running and then walking and running and walking, etc., then this is not really HIIT. To be HIIT you want MAXIMAL efforts (which is why most do the shorter sprints, since one generally can't do a maximal sprint for 3 minutes. Think of your sprints timewise in the sprinting events; anything over 400-metre sprint time is NOT a sprint.

There is nothing detrimental with your routine if it IS high intensity for YOU. However, I wouldn't do a effort:recovery period ratio of 3:1 for that long. Try using 1:1 or 2:1 ratios; if you're going to use a 3:1 ratio definitely do SHORTER efforts (i.e. 1-2 minutes).


~Rosie
Team APPNUT

 

[Legacykid]

Will HIIT build endurance for the long hall, as apposed to jogging? I ask becasue when you stop sprinting your right back into it in 30 sec, so its not like you just stop dead.

 

[keeper]

When it's done right, I'd say so. I kind of equate it to plyometrics for the cardiovascular system. The bursts and extreme peaks/valleys make the difference over steady rate. That was hard to get my brain around b/c it's so different, but once I understood... man, it's been good. Think about a football player. The plays require extreme max reflexive effort quickly, but then he's got moments of rest before the next play. He has to tap that max effort for 4 full quarters.

 

[keeper]

Will HIIT build endurance for the long hall, as apposed to jogging? I ask becasue when you stop sprinting your right back into it in 30 sec, so its not like you just stop dead.

No, no, no. Not necessarily 30 seconds. You need to let your heart rate recover before max effort again. The slow is as important as the max in HIIT because it's the burst mechanism that tricks everything out. The EXTREMES between your highs and lows in your heart rate create the advantage over steady rate and allow you to accomplish more in less time. That's the main concept... extreme peaks and valleys in your heart rate.

It's really important that your energies be expended correctly if you're going to do HIIT. Once I got it, I knew it. I could feel it and within 3-4 weeks, the pay-off blew my mind. There's a lot of good info here on AM. Search "interval training" and "HIIT."

 

[keeper]

yeah that was good. so - you probably don't run on a treadmill then? The reason I say this is that is takes awhile to change speed on a treadmill so short intervals are difficult to accomplish. Maybe I should run outside while the weather is nice.

Where I live, we have very hot, humid summers. I run on a treadmill, but rather than slowing the speed once I peak my heart rate, I just step up onto the side rails to allow heart rate recovery. Then back to running. Some might argue with that method, but the proof is in dropping from 19% bf to 15.24% after 4 weeks with no alteration to my diet (already 80% clean) or my lifting routine.

Be sure to vary your HIIT exercise. I'm on eliptical now. Don't love it, but I'm sticking with it for the 3 weeks (variance) then I'm back to running.

 

[Rosie Chee]

Will HIIT build endurance for the long hall, as apposed to jogging? I ask becasue when you stop sprinting your right back into it in 30 sec, so its not like you just stop dead.

Yes, HIIT does help increase endurance. I know that my "steady-state" running pace decreases (i.e. gets faster) and distances are easier when I do regular HIIT.

No, no, no. Not necessarily 30 seconds. You need to let your heart rate recover before max effort again. The slow is as important as the max in HIIT because it's the burst mechanism that tricks everything out. The EXTREMES between your highs and lows in your heart rate create the advantage over steady rate and allow you to accomplish more in less time. That's the main concept... extreme peaks and valleys in your heart rate.

Whether or not you let your HR "recover" between maximal efforts is up to the individual. I know for sure that my HR does NOT go back down to pre-effort HR in 5-10 seconds, which is how long my "rest" periods are when I am sprinting; and this doesn't make my HIIT any less effective.

~Rosie
Team APPNUT