HIIT Interval lengths - JP Fitness Forums

duffeymt · 03-19-2007, 05:45 PM

Is there any significant difference between doing 30 seconds sprint/30 seconds recovery versus 1 minute sprint/2 minutes recovery?

vuduchyld · 03-19-2007, 06:59 PM

Well, the longer the rest interval, the more ANaerobic your workout will be.

bipennate · 03-19-2007, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vuduchyld

Well, the longer the rest interval, the more ANaerobic your workout will be.

Not exactly...whether it's primarily aerobic or primarily anaerobic will depend on the intensity first, then the length of the work interval second...the rest interval will determine the recovery, which could have influence on the amount of anaerobic substrates available for high intensity work (in other words, you would switch over to an aerobic energy system sooner), but I'd look at both factors vs. one or the other...

RacerBill · 03-19-2007, 07:04 PM

Craig has advised changing work/rest interval lengths to keep it challenging and effective. So whatever scheme you decide on, change it after 6 weeks or so.

vuduchyld · 03-19-2007, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bipennate

Not exactly...whether it's primarily aerobic or primarily anaerobic will depend on the intensity first, then the length of the work interval second...the rest interval will determine the recovery, which could have influence on the amount of anaerobic substrates available for high intensity work (in other words, you would switch over to an aerobic energy system sooner), but I'd look at both factors vs. one or the other...

I stand corrected!

RedWifey · 03-19-2007, 08:34 PM

Not that anyone understood what Bip had to say, but if you feel corrected and can take it like a man, good for you!

bipennate · 03-19-2007, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedWifey

Not that anyone understood what Bip had to say, but if you feel corrected and can take it like a man, good for you!

It wasn't that bad...!

Lost Dog · 03-19-2007, 11:41 PM

I pick a different pattern every time. I don't know if that's good or not.

30/60
60/120
60/60

When I ran, this morning. I picked a random object way ahead of me and sprinted to it, then picked a spot to stop "recovering," repeat. It's sort of random, but ended up being very hard. Gotta pick right, I guess.

jj · 03-20-2007, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

I pick a different pattern every time. I don't know if that's good or not.

30/60
60/120
60/60

When I ran, this morning. I picked a random object way ahead of me and sprinted to it, then picked a spot to stop "recovering," repeat. It's sort of random, but ended up being very hard. Gotta pick right, I guess.

This seems to work for me as well. Sometimes its only a 20/20 ratio, but it just seems to work.

UConnJulie · 03-20-2007, 08:29 AM

I also do a different ratio every time ... generally I chose between 30:60, 60:60, and 60:90 ...

dos · 03-20-2007, 08:35 AM

the shorter the work interval the greater the work:rest ratio needs to be. In other words, the intensity will dictate the rest intervals. I did this for Adam way back when for Men's Fitness....
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...20/ai_n6242987

BTW, without a HR monitor, you are truly guessing when it comes to true interval training.

Blackjack · 03-20-2007, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dos

the shorter the work interval the greater the work:rest ratio needs to be. In other words, the intensity will dictate the rest intervals. I did this for Adam way back when for Men's Fitness....
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...20/ai_n6242987

BTW, without a HR monitor, you are truly guessing when it comes to true interval training.

Glad you mentioned that Dos, I got a HRM a little over a year ago and generally use that to guage my rest periods when running on the road or in the park. I always thought that was a good way to do intervals. About the only thing that Craig Ballantyne has said (repeatedly) was that HRM's are worthless for fat loss. But when I brought up this way to use them doing intervals he agreed that it's a good application.

That being said, are there any guidelines for using a HRM for doing intervals and guaging your rest periods that are most effective?

dos · 03-20-2007, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackjack

Glad you mentioned that Dos, I got a HRM a little over a year ago and generally use that to guage my rest periods when running on the road or in the park. I always thought that was a good way to do intervals. About the only thing that Craig Ballantyne has said (repeatedly) was that HRM's are worthless for fat loss. But when I brought up this way to use them doing intervals he agreed that it's a good application.

That being said, are there any guidelines for using a HRM for doing intervals and guaging your rest periods that are most effective?

Great question....in a perfet world I would #1 have 100+ HRM's for my footall team and (more importantly) #2 I would TRUST them to go when it was time to go!

It's best to determine your threshold (where you are about to go anaerobic) and use that HR as your guide to tell you when it's time to go again. The problem with this method, however, is that is you are really out of shape, you could be resting 1:10+ at times and it might be better suited to just use a standard work:rest time interval. Onthe other hand, someone in great anaerobic shape may not need nearly as much rest as someone else (for the HR to come down to appropriate levels) so this is where a HRM is a big plus.

Jimbo · 03-20-2007, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dos

the shorter the work interval the greater the work:rest ratio needs to be. In other words, the intensity will dictate the rest intervals. I did this for Adam way back when for Men's Fitness....
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...20/ai_n6242987

BTW, without a HR monitor, you are truly guessing when it comes to true interval training.

That Sprint Ladder program looks like some sick fun. I wish I had a football field near me..

Lost Dog · 03-20-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dos

Great question....in a perfet world I would #1 have 100+ HRM's for my footall team and (more importantly) #2 I would TRUST them to go when it was time to go!

It's best to determine your threshold (where you are about to go anaerobic) and use that HR as your guide to tell you when it's time to go again. The problem with this method, however, is that is you are really out of shape, you could be resting 1:10+ at times and it might be better suited to just use a standard work:rest time interval. Onthe other hand, someone in great anaerobic shape may not need nearly as much rest as someone else (for the HR to come down to appropriate levels) so this is where a HRM is a big plus.

What's the downside to going longer than necessary at the slower pace?

Are you talking strictly fatloss?

What's the difference (in what you might expect in fatloss) between using the HRM (and using it correctly) vs. winging it vs. using preset timed intervals and rests?

Phaedrus49er · 03-20-2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbo

That Sprint Ladder program looks like some sick fun. I wish I had a football field near me..

Wow... I LIKE that... I miss having a usable football field nearby...

WorkinOnIt · 03-20-2007, 10:00 AM

Dos, great information. I just got a HRM and took the plunge into HIIT. But am a little confused about the timing of the intervals in regard to HR.

My target heart rate is 140-150 bm. I am using the 2:1 (work:rest) ratio on the treadmill.

I start timing the work portion once i reach my target HR and after 1 minute I decrease the speed and walk instead of run, but it takes my HR around 45 seconds to fall below 140 (the rest level).

I'm not sure if i start counting the rest period once my HR is below 140, or do i structly follow the clock?

The length of time it takes to reach the target HR's for rest and work also fluctuate during my session, making exact timing difficult if i go by HR.

Any help would be appreciated.