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what would you consider a short very intense interval as opposed to the 2 minute recovery 1 minute sprint?
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There are so many opinions on HIIT - I've read a ton of varieties. The original study, I believe, had elite cyclists on bikes doing 20 second intervals with 10 seconds "rest" - the whole workout was about 5 minutes long (I may be remembering slightly off here, but that was the gist).
Personally, I do 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, for 8 minutes (not including my warmup and cooldown - I usually do 8 minutes each, for a total of 24 minutes on the machine). Mostly I use the stairmaster on "manual" which works well for me because I can make it go up and down in speed very rapidly and it KICKS MY BUTT. Sometimes after the first 4 or 5 intervals, I take 40 or 45 seconds rest instead of 30, or I have to cut my 30 seconds of intense interval down to 25 or even 20. I always get my HR above 90% of my estimated max (sometimes within a beat of 100% max).
I think as long as you're doing anaerobic intervals, you're doing well. It can vary by fitness level and what mode of exercise you're doing (I prefer a machine that sets the pace for me versus something like an elliptical where I might "slack" if my concentration slips and not go full intensity the entire interval). I also do intervals sometimes on the treadmill, but I don't love it because it takes a couple seconds to speed up. I go full-out, then "jump" onto the siderail until it's slow enough - not ideal, but I make it work. I also do sprints on the track, but I'm afraid of tripping during a sprint when I'm tired and doing a face-plant (I'm not known for my grace!).
Just how I do it - I don't think there's only one right way. See how your results are, and go from there.