HIIT: how often?

[beospenser]

I have both NROL and Alwyn's Afterburn. In AB, Alwyn has you do HIIT 3x/week the first 2 months, and then goes up to 5x/week by the last month.

I have also read in other sources that you should absolutely never do HIIT more than 3x/week. Why would this be??

How often do any of you do HIIT each week?

Debbie

[Bytsi]

I can't tell you the "right" amount - I was under the impression that it's very stressful for your body to do HIIT more than 3 days/week BUT sometimes we need to stress our bodies for a short period of time while working towards a specific goal...

I do HIIT 2-3 times/week - mostly it depends on my schedule and if I can fit it in, but I would love to consistently get in 3/week. If I have to choose between lifting and HIIT though, the lifting always comes first.

[jvernacchio]

HIIT 2x a week on my off days when I am not lifting with one complete day of rest. I lift 4x a week.

If you are doing HIIT correctly your body really isn't going to want to do it more then 2 or 3 times a week.

[GinaKina]

I couldn't imagine doing HIIT 5 times a week. In my opinion, if you can do it that much, you probably aren't doing it correctly. That being said, I'm sure there is a reason Alwyn suggested it in that program, and I am not an expert by any means.

[Lisa~]

Originally Posted by jvernacchio

If you are doing HIIT correctly your body really isn't going to want to do it more then 2 or 3 times a week.

I think this whole discussion fails on semantics. In this forum (the NR4W forum, not JP's as a whole) we've really used the term HIIT very loosely to include several varieties of intervals. The recommendations to not do HIIT more than 2-3 time per week refer true HIIT, where the interval is very short and very intense. (There have been a few discussions of this topic in the main training forum). If, however, when you say HIIT you really mean 1 minute intervals followed by 2 minute recoveries, well, your body can most likely handle that more often.

Also remember that an individual's specific work capacity and recovery ability will determine how much work their own body can handle in a given time period. Different people will have differing levels of ability and no blanket advice (like never do HIIT more than three times a week) can be appropriate for everyone.

What is true HIIT? When is the term used appropriately? The answer depends on who's talking, and I'm not making a stand for any particular definition of HIIT. I'm just pointing out that this lack of clarification of terms creates this kind of confusion about the advice we read.

[A H]

what would you consider a short very intense interval as opposed to the 2 minute recovery 1 minute sprint?
I posted in a previous thread a little about this but would it be appropriate for me to do the 2 recovery 1 sprint for five days (replace those T Th steady state cardio with these HIIT sessions). Would that make them less effective eventually? If my body starts to get used to these how would I up the intensity? right now I do them on a treadmill ( 2 minutes at 4.4 and one at about 9.5) and they work well but I'm sure I will need to mix it up sometimes to keep challenging myself since that is the point of the HIIT right?

[Lisa~]

Originally Posted by A H

what would you consider a short very intense interval as opposed to the 2 minute recovery 1 minute sprint?

These threads might answer your question in more detail:

Ideas on HIIT

HIIT Interval lengths

[Silly Sally]

Thanks for posting the question, and thanks for answering! Great stuff, if a bit imposing
.
There's so many answers to that question. I remember reading this: http://www.cs.unm.edu/~wneumann/file...lla_cardio.pdf and wondering ... WHY? But, I after months of LD running with no body compostion changes, I guess I'll now ask: Why NOT?

[Bytsi]

what would you consider a short very intense interval as opposed to the 2 minute recovery 1 minute sprint?

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.

[missjane]

Speaking of HIIT, I see some people are doing their HIIT BEFORE weight training (whatever their version of HIIT might be) on the same day. I thought this was a big no-no. Comments?

[kfisherx]

I am one of those folks and am interested in hearing this answer. Lifting kicks my ass so cannot do HIT after lifting. Running doesn't do that so much to me even HIT running.

Yesterday I did 25 min of HIT, 3.5% incline (7mph, 3mph) 1 min on and 1 min off. My HR got up to 169. After this I was charged and ready to lift. Does this mean I did not do HIT correctly?

[Luv2Lift]

HIIT is supposed to kick your butt enough that you don't want to do anything afterwards (except cough up a lung...) It is my understanding that if you do cardio (HIIT or steady state), it should be done after weight training or on your off days. If you do cardio first, it depletes all the glycogen in your muscles before you even get to lift any weights. Your muscles are then too tired to put forth the effort required for an effective weight lifting session. And as rixatrix mentioned in another thread, HIIT after weights is also helpful in flushing out lactic acid from your muscles.

[DanceDiva]

And that again comes down the use of the term HIIT. I am also one of the people who is considering doing intervals before weight-lifting. I make a distinction that I am not doing HIIT because I don't intend to do anything that makes me want to cough up a lung on a regular basis. However, since I know that my discomfort zone is different from others, I don't have an issue when I read someone's intervals and the description doesn't match what I think HIIT is supposed to be.

But I think the comment that your muscles are then too tired to put forth the effort required for an effective weight-lifting session is a generalization (especially for an individual workout session) that does not take into account person's goal, the intervals that are being performed, and the variables that may be used to determine progression.

Just my 2 cents.

[Bytsi]

I've always understood that you train first for whatever your goal is. So a marathoner would lift (if they lifted at all) after their run, but someone building muscle would lift first. I can't imagine doing anything after HIIT (or even doing my HIIT after lifting on this program!).

I agree with Luv2Lift's answer - HIIT is a great compliment to lifting if you are hoping to burn fat - it keeps the metabolism stoked and burning, moves the muscles and helps reduce ongoing soreness after lifting (not lactic acid - that is gone within an hour of lifting). But HIIT or cardio of any kind depletes glycogen and your ability to really put your muscles through a maxed-out workout. If your goal is to build muscle, then I wouldn't suggest more than a warm-up (like Lou discusses in the book) before lifting.

I'd love to hear other's thoughts on this too!

[missjane]

That sums up exactly what I've always thought.

[kfisherx]

Well I can't seem to kick my ass hard enough that I don't want to do anything after HIT. Even on hill sprints. I tear up the hill as fast as I can and walk back down and do this for 7 times or 20 min. I mean it is only 20 minutes. I am a distance runner and am used to doing 3 hours of cardio. In the USMC we did physical stuff all day long. I know the intesity of HIT is different but even so after a 20 min run of any sort I am just warmed up for lifting. Of course I have to take a few minutes rest but once I've had that time I feel like I want to really hit the weights.

The converse however is not true. I tried doing my HIT after my lifting and I just cannot bring myself to do it. Lifting does kick my ass. Perhaps this is because my body is so used to running and cardio and so new to lifting? I don't know. I just know that it doesn't work for me to do them in the prescribed order.

[rixatrix]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Of course I have to take a few minutes rest but once I've had that time I feel like I want to really hit the weights.

I do my "HIIT" (or whatever it is) at either 30s on/1:30 rest or 1 min on/2min rest, and I do it on my in between days most of the time. But I often find that my endorphins are on HIGH the days I do HIIT. I'm energetic, cheerful, and just generally sort of giddy - usually for at least the entire morning after HIIT. So I can understand why you would be ready to hit the weights. Do you drink anything in between when you do HIIT before lifting?

[PowerManDL]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Well I can't seem to kick my ass hard enough that I don't want to do anything after HIT. Even on hill sprints. I tear up the hill as fast as I can and walk back down and do this for 7 times or 20 min. I mean it is only 20 minutes. I am a distance runner and am used to doing 3 hours of cardio. In the USMC we did physical stuff all day long. I know the intesity of HIT is different but even so after a 20 min run of any sort I am just warmed up for lifting. Of course I have to take a few minutes rest but once I've had that time I feel like I want to really hit the weights.

The converse however is not true. I tried doing my HIT after my lifting and I just cannot bring myself to do it. Lifting does kick my ass. Perhaps this is because my body is so used to running and cardio and so new to lifting? I don't know. I just know that it doesn't work for me to do them in the prescribed order.

If you're in good condition this may well be the case. The ordering of lifting -> cardio is in place because of fatigue elements. As a rule, lifting will usually impact cardio less than the opposite order.

However, if you're in good condition this may not always be the case, likewise depending on the kind of cardio work In fact, sprinters will routinely do their acceleration and speed work before a lifting session.

This really ties back to what Lisa said about HIIT being ill-defined. People tend to just think of it in monolithic terms, but "interval cardio training" has gradations of intensity and effort just like lifting weights does.