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Old 05-05-07, 09:04 PM  
Pratima
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mary09
Sancho- I'm not sure but I wonder if starting so short is more for people with no recent exercise regimen?

Pratima- I think his 1-2 lbs/week weight loss is from doing that WITH his strength training and diet, sadly.
Bummer Mary! But I figure this type of training can't hurt. Might not be the be-all-end-all, but probably worth a try.

Sancho, I do think you could up your intensity--speed, resistance--to get to where you do feel like you've done more during that minute burst.
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Old 05-05-07, 10:15 PM  
Gibbee
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Check out the May/June issue of OnFitness magazine. It has a 2 and a half page spread on HIIT - defining it, pointing out misconceptions, warnings about potential HIIT mistakes and common questions.
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Old 05-06-07, 08:03 AM  
Sancho
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibbee
Check out the May/June issue of OnFitness magazine. It has a 2 and a half page spread on HIIT - defining it, pointing out misconceptions, warnings about potential HIIT mistakes and common questions.
Should I be able to find this easily (like at the grocery store)? Or is it more of a specialty mag that's only sold certain places? If so, where? I'm very interested in reading.
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Old 05-06-07, 01:38 PM  
Soapmaker
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sancho
Mary,

I figured I should do it more than 3 times, but the article has you work up to 5 times. I did 8 times. Do you think I should increase my intensity so that I can only do it 5 times, or just stick with the intensity I used when I did it 8 times.

My HR (after the warm up) went from 170 (at the end of the 1 min high) to 140 (at the end of the 2 minute steady state) During the later circuits, I went from 170 (at the end of the 1 minute high) to 155 (at the end of the 2 minute steady state). I consider my max HR to be 190. I feel that I was getting a very intense workout, but I want to do this HIIT stuff right. I guess I should just try it at a higher level and see what happens.
From the heart rate differential, you are almost overdoing it. The fact that your HR wasn't recovering much during the later circuits is telling you that your heart is stressed out. You can increase the length of the recovery periods or decrease the number of cycles (preferable). You are shifting between Zone4 and Zone 3 (if your MHR is 190 on the machine you are using). You may want to drop to zone 2 during recovery. HIIT workouts range between 1:4 to 1:1 work to recovery intervals. Allow your heart to adjust to HIIT workouts for few weeks before increasing the number of cycles or intensity of the work. You need 48 to 72 hours recovery between workouts.

A sign of overdoing HIIT is erratic or elevated HR during rest, elevated RHR, feeling breathless, and unusual fatigue. You usually don't feel like you are overdoing it while you are doing the workout. The last time I overdid HIIT workouts, my HR was drastically elevated for 48 hrs to the point that I couldn't sleep because my heart was pounding so fast and so loud. It took 2 weeks before I could get back to my workouts.

Alwyn's recommendations are for people who are doing heavy strength training. Their hearts are more prepared for HIITs. When you shift from steady state to HIIT workouts (and vice versa), you will see an increase in metabolism. It is the result of the body adjusting to the use of different fuel system. In the long run, for weight reduction or maintenance without diet consideration, nothing beats steady state done right. The biology is unequivocal.
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Old 05-06-07, 01:47 PM  
Gardengirl
 
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Soapmaker, what exactly is steady state done right? I like doing stead state.
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Old 05-06-07, 02:01 PM  
Sancho
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Soapmaker
In the long run, for weight reduction or maintenance without diet consideration, nothing beats steady state done right. The biology is unequivocal.
Can you elaborate on this a little bit? If HIIT increases metabolism, why is steady state done right the best choice? I'm so confused. I already do a ton of steady state. I'm looking to burn fat. I thought HIIT would be a good plateau buster. No?
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Old 05-06-07, 10:41 PM  
psychpom
 
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I'm very interested in the answer to Sancho's question as well. I am STUCK STUCK STUCK so I have decreased my cardio and increased weights with Jari workouts. Would Ripped 1000 be considered HIIT?? Right now I'm only doing it once a week along with the others and doing "steady state" only twice a week (TJ). I'm hoping this will bust my plateau, but now I'm totally confused!!
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Old 05-06-07, 11:03 PM  
Soapmaker
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sancho
Can you elaborate on this a little bit? If HIIT increases metabolism, why is steady state done right the best choice? I'm so confused. I already do a ton of steady state. I'm looking to burn fat. I thought HIIT would be a good plateau buster. No?
HIIT is best suited for people focused on muscle building because it is the only form of cardio that fits within their goals (biologically). It's primary purpose is to increase heart strength (equivalent of lifting very heavy in terms of damage to the heart tissue and improving anaerobic endurance), and to improve the buffering capacity of the working muscles. You get a boost in metabolism when you shift from doing steady state to HIIT, but you get the same boost when you shift back. Think of it as confusion for the metabolism as it adjusts to the new demands that you are asking of it, in this case forcing the muscles to rely primarily on energy derived from glycogen. The main problem with HIIT workouts (if your focus is on fat burning) is the fact that you are not optimizing fat usage. You are doing workouts that are too short to use up many calories but require a lot of recovery time during which you shouldn't raise your HR above zone2 to allow the heart tissue to repair. You also have to make sure you are getting adequate protein intake to reach nitrogen balance or preferably a slight excess.

I will use a crude analogy (but accurate) to give you an idea of the difference in effect on metabolism between HIIT workouts and steady state. There are two types of water heaters on the market. One has the big tank that is constantly and inefficiently heating water just in case you need it. The other has no tank and heats the water very efficiently when you turn the hot water on. Steady state cardio builds a big fat burning tank in all of the trained muscles that is constantly on (increased mitochondria and a lot of supporting enzymes), while heavy lifting and HIIT workouts create a tankless water heater that is turned on only when the muscles are working. There is a reason why our bodies store a ton of fat and minimal amounts of glycogen (besides the toxicity associated with increased glucose levels).

If you have been doing steady state cardio for a while, it may be a good idea to do a rotation focused on strength/HIIT workouts to shake things up. You need to remember that the body will optimize only one energy system at a time (either fat aerobically or glycogen anaerobically). The default is always improving fat metabolism. So if you really want to get the most out of HIIT workouts, do a rotation that focuses on building anaerobic endurance. Many of Cathe's workouts will fit into this type of rotation as well as some of the classic firms that are more focused on weights. The NROL also has some weight training routines for fat loss that you can use before a HIIT workout. After 8 to 12 weeks, you can return to steady state cardio and get the benefit of confusing your muscles one more time.
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Old 05-06-07, 11:09 PM  
Soapmaker
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gardengirl
Soapmaker, what exactly is steady state done right? I like doing stead state.
Gardengirl, I will post again in a day or two to answer your question and psychpom also. Sorry I ran out of time tonight.
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Old 05-07-07, 06:03 AM  
Sancho
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Soapmaker,

If you get a chance, one other question . . .

SO, I shouldn't do hit once a week? Or, I shouldn't do hit in combination with endurance strength training? If I'm going to do HIIT, I should do it as part of an 8 (ish) week rotation in combination with heavy lifting?

I've got NROL on reserve at the library and will read it. But if you get a chance to answer the above, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks so much for the information you posted.
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