High-Intensity Interval-Training

[Adv. PT]

Here's some tips to get the most out of your cardio sessions and to stay motivated using music to drive your HIIT sessions:

Fit people can train harder, burn more calories during exercise than unfit people. High Intensity Interval Training is the key to rapid fitness.

Canadian researchers - led by Jason Talanian - found that peolpe who completed seven high-intensity interval training workouts in two weeks increased areobic capacity by 13%, fat burning by 36% and key aerobic enzymes by about 25%. After two weeks of interval training, subjects used less muscle glycogen during a 30-minute bicycle ride at 60% of maximum effort. The interval training routine consisted of 10 4-minute bouts of cycling at 90% effort with 2-minute rest between intervals. Most long term studies show that high-intensity training causes more fat loss than low-intensity training. The body uses fat for fuel at low exercise intensities and carbs at high intensisites (above 65% of maximum effort). Training intensely burns more total calories during exercise and increases the capacity to use fats as fuel during the rest of the day and night.
Train intensely to build the kind of body you want.
(Journal Applied Physiology, 102: 1439-1447, 2007)

As a tip, heres something that works time and time again to get my clients results:

To keep it user friendly and simple apply the following training zones:
"Comfortable" - 60 to 70%HR
"Uncomfortable" - 70 to 80%HR
"Breathless" - 80 to 90%HR

These training zones are based on the findings from exercise physiology research.

Put a playlist together on your ipod in the following format:
Warm up #1: use a track with a tempo around 100-110bpm (beats per minute) - R&B works, Ememiem, 50cent - Keep pace with the beat all the way through. Comfortable throughout

Warm up #2: use a track with a tempo around 120 - charty pop music is good - use the verse to ride at 1/2 (cadence 60-65rpm) to 3/4 (cadence 80-90rpm) pace and the chorus at pace (cadence 120rpm +). Work from comfortable to nncomfortable to breathless (this will not be as breathless as interval tracks though!)


Interval #1: use a track with a tempo around 140bpm - something with a strong beat, - use the verse to climb at 1/2 pace (cadence 70rpm) for active recovery, use the chorus to climb at 1/2 pace (cadence 70rpm) for work phase (up the level).
Most good songs will have 3-phases, so you can have 3 intervals of differing intensity within the individual song. Each work phase takes you to breathless, however each phase is progressively harder.
Stoned in Love by Chicane ft Tom Jones is a very good example

Recovery #1: use a track with a tempo around 128bpm - some Coldplay, Snow Patrol, most funkyhouse - vary the pace between 1/2, 3/4 and pace throughout the track.
The goal is to bring the body back to comfortable and then take it back to uncomfortable by the end of the track

Interval #2: Same as Interval #1

Recovery #2: Same as Recovery #1

Interval #3: Same as Interval #1 & #2

Cooldown #1: Find some music that allows you to bring the body down from Very Breathless towards Comfortable

Cooldown #2: Comfortable throughout

So in essence you have:
10-minute warm up
20-25 minute interval training
10-minute cooldown

[Adv. PT]

A thread would be good with any music that works to the above format!

[Stiggler]

Bloody hell, never mind the tracks I need half an hour to understand what you are saying!! lol

Its all good stuff though, I have just tried a HIIT session on the rowing machine and tried to have set times.. i.e. 1 min rowing, 1 min interval, 1 min rowing etc etc for 6 rowing sessions. Knackered me out but in a good way!

is it better to vary the times? i.e 90 secs row, 30 secs rest, 30 secs row, 60 secs rest etc etc?

Or just keep it as is? I have just been told some good advice on another thread I posted yesterday about the "rest" not meaning "stopping" which I was guilty of a couple of times, but not sure I could go a full 12 mins without a rest at the moment!!

[Adv. PT]

C2 Rower is great for interval training.

If you have one of the newer models you can set up distance intervals.
250m intervals are good (around 1-minute in duration) and then program allows you to set rest interval for 1-minute.

Start with 5 sets and then build up to 10 sets over the next 5 weeks.

When you have achievied 10 sets go back to 5 sets and reduce rest interval to 45 seconds. Then build back up to 10 sets.

Repeat again, however this time reduce down to 30 seconds rest.

There's your HIIT for the next 15 weeks

There is nothing wrong in stopping to rest between inervals unless you want to do active recovery.
I prefer to get my clients to rest, as do I.

Jason

[Adv. PT]

Active Recovery (AR):
Working at a lower intensity than your working (High Intensity) phase. Always found it difficult to do active recovery on C2, ie rowing at half pace.
It is a lot easier to do AR on a stationary bike (drop the levels and/or cadence) or treadmill (lower the spead and/or incline.
Attempt to stick to one or the other on the C2 in a single training session. The number of calories you burn either resting or using AR between sets on a C2 is negligable.
Also when resting between sets you are possibly going to bring HR down to aerobic levels. So therefore it would make a very good aerobic / anaerobic HIIT session.


Good idea as well to include HIIT in an overall training plan. Weights, Low Intensity Cardio, HIIT.
What you could do then is a rotating 6-8week plan where one of the training parameters takes priority
For Example
Weeks 1-8
Weights 3 x 40min sessions
Low Intenisity Cardio 2 x 20min sessions after weights
HIIT 2 x 45min session (includes warm up and cooldown)

Weeks 9-16
HIIT 4 x 45min sessions (includes warm up and cool down)
Weights 2 x 40min sessions
Low Intensity Cardio 2 x 20min sessions after weights

Weeks 16-24
Low Intensity Cardio 3 x 60min sessions
Weights 1 x 40min session
HIIT 1 x 45min session (includes warm up and cooldown)

Weeks 25-32
Repeat cycle

[Stiggler]

Lovely stuff. So if I wanted to keep to a push/pull/legs routine as well as the HIIT and interspersed with some low intensity cardio treadmill work is that OK? Reason for asking is that I am really enjoying the weights at the moment, I know I may be training hard without gaining equal gains but enjoyment is an important aspect for me.

[Adv. PT]

The routine is good, however, with weight training "less is more".
I find this works very well:

Quads: 6sets (include min 3sets of squats / Leg Press)
Hamstrings: 4sets
Calves: 3sets
Chest: 6sets (include min 3sets of Bench Press)
Back: 8sets (include min 4sets of Bent Over Row)
Shoulders: 10sets (include min 4sets of Shoulder Press)
Triceps: 4sets
Biceps: 4sets
Abdominals: 6sets

Try and focus on 10-12reps
Don't train to failure!!
You should have a couple of reps left in you on every set without anyone giving you assistance.
Stick with the basic exercises and machines

On HIIT. I meant as follows
week 1: 5sets with 60sec RI
week 2: 6sets
week 3: 7sets
week 4: 8sets
week 5: 9sets
week 6: 10sets
week 7: 5sets with 45sec RI
etc etc

[Stiggler]

yeah that's exactly how I have mapped out the HIIT.

With the following..
Quads: 6sets (include min 3sets of squats / Leg Press)
Hamstrings: 4sets
Calves: 3sets
Chest: 6sets (include min 3sets of Bench Press)
Back: 8sets (include min 4sets of Bent Over Row)
Shoulders: 10sets (include min 4sets of Shoulder Press)
Triceps: 4sets
Biceps: 4sets
Abdominals: 6sets

is that per week or per session???

[Adv. PT]

Try
Day 1: Push (Chest & Triceps) - total 10sets + warm up sets
Day 2: Quads & Hams - total 10sets + warm up sets
Day 3: Shoulders - total 10sets
Day 4: Pull (Back & Biceps) - total 12sets
Day 5: Off
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Repeat

Work on a 2:2 principle - 2 secs up : 2 seconds down - with a little squeeze at either end to feel the contraction
And keep Rest Interval at 60secs between sets and exercise when using 10-12reps

[Stiggler]

Cool. Back to the excel spreadsheet drawing board then!!