HIIT workout buddie

[ozdancer]

I'm almost through my first week of HIIT (high intensity interval training). Is anyone else doing this? Thought I'd start a thread about it if anyone else is interested. I am using my elliptical trainer as it's the only equipment I own and I'm not a runner. Besides it would be difficult to go for a run with out DD (5) which would defeat the purpose of HIIT as her legs are too short .

I thought I would like to add skipping for variety, but this will be a work in progress as I need to improve my skipping skills. 7 skips does not make a workout!

I have been doing a HIIT session every other day since Saturday and have already noticed my fitness improving. My recovery is much shorter and I need to push the resistance up in the high intensity bits next time. My machine starts to buck off the floor if you go too fast so I need to up the resistance more to get a higher intensity level.

I'm also going to price up some hand weights to add some resistance training. We don't have room or budget for a home gym or gym membership.

[Sherrie]

Don't buy the "pretty pink dumbells" but rather the ones that you can add weights too as you progress, you will save much more money in the long run.

[ozdancer]

Thanks Sherrie, I've just been looking on ebay & rebel sports website at the dumbbells you add weights to. Rebel sports seem to have a sale price which is cheaper than ebay once you add the shipping. Might have to save up or use layby.

[ozdancer]

well I bought my dumbbells tonight . I didn't intend to buy, just price them up but Rebel Sports had 20% off today only so picked up 20kg adjustable dumbbell set for $63.99. They were already reduced from $99.99 to $79.99 so I think I got a bargain! The cheapest ones on ebay were $69 + $30 freight. Amart All Sports had the same type of dumbbells for $74.99. So I've put them with my other exercise equipment downstairs and had a play to see how easy & how heavy they are to use. I think I'll need to buy additional weights for it fairly soon (maybe a few months) but will start slowely as it's a while since I've done weights. WOOHOO I'm excited about exercise .

Better get off to bed or I'll have trouble getting up early in the morning and working late tomorrow night.

[Shez]

Hi Alana, I alternate HIIT and weights with my PT at the gym. It really is the best way to build your cardio fitness (for me anyway) I have improved out of sight since starting

[ozdancer]

Hi Shez, I've noticed a big difference just in one week with the HIIT. Can't wait till tomorrow to weigh-in & see what it's doing in the scale & measurements side. I wasn't planning on starting with the weights quite yet, but couldn't leave them at the shop for that price. I might still wait a few weeks to start weights as I still want to do yoga and dance training which I haven't been doing this week as I've been too busy. I want to end up with a dancer's body (and the skills which I'm in class for) so need to make sure these things are as important in my workouts as fitness, stamina, cardiovascular & strength. Plus I don't want to go full out and burn out - I have at least 9 months till I'm getting near goal anyway.

[justagal]

Kick Boxing was a great way for me to get my HIIT. I toned really fast, gained a good fitness level, hurt in places I didn't think was possible and learned self defence all at the same time. Prior to that I had done boxing/skipping/weights - which is a great all round workout. Now that ankle is getting stronger - will take this up again.
After pregnancy I broke my ankle - hence was unable to take it up for awhile - so did my own interval training with weights / core strength exercise / sprints at local park.
Whatever HITT people decide, it is a great way to get results without long slow sessions that don't do much at all.

Good luck!

[Shez]

I love my Box Fit sessions at the gym, my trainer always incorporates the kick bag into her routines - great stuff!!!

[Mimo]

when you say HIIT - what kind of intervals are you aiming for and for how long?

[ozdancer]

Hi Mimo, my HIIT workouts are 30sec flat out 30sec recovery. I do 5 minutes warm up on my elliptical machine then turn the resistance up for HIIT. I now do 15 intervals and am working on making every recover 30seconds instead of some 30sec some 45sec, etc. Depending on what website you read there info out there saying you need to aim for 15 and others saying 12.

[Mimo]

Thanks for that, I think Im on the right track. Onthe days I dont walk I use the exercise bike and do 5 mins warm up then 20 mins of 30sec high intensity and 30 low, then 5 mins warm down.

Sound Ok?

[ozdancer]

I would do 15mins of intervals = 15 x 30sec HI + 30sec LI. From what I've read '15' is supposed to be the magic number for HIIT. Do your own reading, if you google high intensity interval training there is tones of info available, and make up your own mind about what you do. I found a website once for body builders that said to get the lowest % body fat do HIIT but then do normal cardio afterwards. As the HIIT is designed to switch you into fat burning mode then use that switch to burn bodyfat doing straight cardio.

So my full HIIT workout looks like this:-

5min warm up
15 x HIIT intervals (30sec HI / 30sec recovery - intensity of the machine doesn't change just the speed I go at)
20min straight cardio - intensity turned back to my warm up level (which is only 1/2 turn difference now)
20min Yoga sunsalutations and stretches

[Mimo]

Hi Alana,

Im getting into the groove now I think. Do you aim for HIIT everyday. I was thinkin every second coz then I could do my weights dvd. I guess there is no point getting too hung up about it, everything counts.

Cheers

[ozdancer]

I only do HIIT 3 times a week with a days rest inbetween. Everything I've read says you must have a days rest between. So I do HIIT one day, weights the next. I have decided starting this week I will just keep cycling these rather than my Sunday rest day. Just wanting to change things up a bit as I had gotten into a bit of an exercise rut. So this morning was weights as usual, but lower body (LB) rather than upper body (UB) as I did those on Sunday. So this week (Mon-Sun) I will do 2 LB weights workouts as opposed to the 1 I was doing, 1 UB weights workout and 4 HIIT workouts. Next week I will do 2 UB weights workouts, 2 BL weights workouts & 3 HIIT workouts. So over a fortnight I'll do 4 of each UB/LB weights and 7 HIIT workouts I think (does that add up???).

ETA:- I have done cardio 2 days running when I wasn't up to weights or wanted to burn off a poor day of eating. But in these instances one of the workouts hasn't been HIIT, just straight cardio and normally a lot longer duration than HIIT because it is at a lower level on intensity (although my elliptical machine counts the calories burned at the same rate .

[mick]

Anyone else tried Tabata's?

4 minutes of agony, but the best workout I've ever done.

Tabata sprints:

8 x 20 second intervals of 110% sprinting!
10 second break in between (walking, crawling, hunched over vomiting)

When it was warmer here I was doing this about once a week and playing soccer I found I had considerably better cardio endurance and my speed was a lot faster.

The only problem is that this 4 minutes will probably make you feel sick for the next 3 hours after you're done it! It's an amazing workout, you can do it with any number of exercises such as punching a heavy bag, bike, body weight squats.

The first time I did it I could barely walk for 3 days later! And sprinting is a great, whole body workout. 4 minute workout, is it possible??