New to HIIT and have some questions

T

TheBluths

0
Hi everyone! I just found out about HIIT and have just completed my second training session. I absolutely love it, really hoping you guys could help me with some questions.

Background : I normally run 2-3 miles a day, 5 days a week. No other form of training. Have never done weight training in my life.

I'm not doing HIIT to lose weight - I'm around my ideal weight right now, but rather to lose body fat, get more toned and eventually start building lean muscle. I'm skinny but untoned/flabby, if you know what I mean.

A few questions :
1. I keep reading that you should do HIIT three times a week with a rest day in between sessions. What if I replaced those rest days with low intensity running? ie. a 30 min slow run? Would that negate any HIIT benefits? Or is there some other form of training that would be a good idea to add on the off days?
2. How can I be sure that I'm getting my heart rate up and down enough? Right now I'm just sprinting as fast as I can and then walking, is that correct?
3. Would going for more than 20mins per session be harmful or useless?
4. I did my first session 2 days ago and muscles are still aching very badly today, but I forced myself to do my second session just now. This isn't harmful is it? Cos I suppose every beginner will ache, but you can't wait till you stop aching to start again right?

Any help would be much appreciated!
 
1. how long are your sprints? They should be 10-30 seconds (no more than as long as you can run at the same all out sprint speed, as soon as you start to slow down, end the high intensity interval and start the low intensity interval).
2. after 6-8 sprints (which should take no more than 20 minutes) you should feel like puking and not be able to sprint at that same speed any more (or you have not been sprinting hard enough or your low intensity intervals have been too long).
3. HIIT is best performed 2-3 times a week. One routine to consider is 2 HIIT sessions per week and one steady state cardio session a week.
4. on the off days the best way to get to your stated goals would be some sort of resistance training: weightlifting, pushups/pullups, etc.
 
My sprints are about 20-30 seconds long at full speed. Towards the end of the interval, of course, I tend to slow down a little.

Thanks so much for the other advice - has helped me alot!

Another question : am a little confused, does HIIT burn more calories or fat or both than steady state cardio?
 
HIIT burns very few calories while you are actually doing it, like most exercise includng steady state cardio. HIIT causes an increase in beneficial hormone levels (HGH and others) which causes your body to burn more fat than it normally would for up to 48 hours after you perform it. Steady state cardio can actually increase BAD hormones (like cortisol) which causes your body to store more fat (the theory is that your body expects you will perform another steady state cardio session soon and it needs to store more fuel in the form of body fat to be ready to fuel that next steady state cardio session).
 
Thank you! But I'm wondering, since the body gets used to steady state and plateaus, logically speaking, won't that also happen with HIIT after awhile?

I'm still aching after only two sessions and am scheduled for my third either today or tomorrow! Do you think I should skip it? Am worried about over straining my muscles.
 
TheBluths said:
Thank you! But I'm wondering, since the body gets used to steady state and plateaus, logically speaking, won't that also happen with HIIT after awhile?

I'm still aching after only two sessions and am scheduled for my third either today or tomorrow! Do you think I should skip it? Am worried about over straining my muscles.
Click to expand...

Remember the purpose of HIIT is (good) hormone stimulation, not muscle building, so it works a little different. You can always switch up HIIT as well to avoid boredom, which is probably a more likely event than a physical plateau. Change up the length of the high intensity and low intensity intervals, run up hill, run up stairs, run with a wighted vest or backpack, etc.

IMHO there are 2 kinds of aching, just general soreness that can be pushed through and a second kind which is a sign of overdoing it and a possible precursor to injury. You have to learn your body and get a feel for which is which and when to rest an extra day and when to go for it. Sorry I can't be any more specific than that. Unfortunately I tend to err on the side of pushing through and experience frequent injuries, but I am getting better at knowing when to back off.
 
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