Game Strength Insider

How to do HIIT Part 2

Posted on by David McCready in Cardio/Conditioning, Speed+Power, Weight Loss

Thanks for dropping by, in my last post you learned the benefits of high intensity interval training. In this post you’ll learn to do it and get maximum results…Read on

How to do High Intensity Interval Training

As mentioned in the previous lesson, you’ll be doing a series of intervals where you put out near-maximum output followed by “active recovery” phases where you drop down to about 50% output. Depending on your fitness level, you’ll do about 6 to 12 of these intervals.

How long each cycle lasts also depends on your fitness level. Basically, your goal is to spend as much time as possible working at near 100% capacity. The 50% output part of the interval is where you recover – catch your breath a bit – before you boost it back up to 100%.

By 100%, I mean that you truly should be giving your all. If, for example, you’re sprinting, then you should be sprinting absolutely as fast as you can for as long as you can. You should be unable to talk during the sprint nor during the active recovery phase, simply because you’ll be breathing too hard.

In addition, when you’re finished with your entire session (which generally lasts about 15-20 minutes), you should be completely exhausted. If you think you could hop on the treadmill and do steady-state cardio for a bit after HIIT, then you’re doing HIIT wrong. Next time, push harder.

Now, you can do HIIT using just about any type of cardio where you can easily adjust the intensity. Here are two of the more popular HIIT methods:

Jogging/running/sprinting

This is the most popular method, just because it’s so easy to adjust the intensity. If you’re not in shape, you may have to walk during your active recovery period. As your fitness levels improve, you can jog during the active recovery period.

Biking

On level ground you can change the intensity by peddling harder and changing gears so that you have more resistance. You can also peddle as quickly as you can uphill for the maximum output phase.

But again, you can use most any form of cardio where you’re able to go at maximum output. For example, you can do HIIT using a rowing machine.

As mentioned earlier, the intervals depend on your fitness levels, but your goal is to spend as much time as possible really pushing it.

Let me give you some examples of how you might progress as your fitness levels improve:

• Run at 100% for 15 seconds, then walk for 30 seconds to recover. Do six intervals.
• Do the same length intervals, except start adding more intervals. Add intervals until each session is about 12 intervals.
• Lengthen the time you run and shorten the time you recover. For example, run for 20 seconds, walk for 20 seconds.
• As your fitness levels improve, sprint at maximum output and jog for the recovery period. For example, start by sprinting for 15 seconds and jogging for 30 seconds. Again, you can lengthen the maximum output times and shorten the recovery times.

While you should be seeking to improve, your HIIT session shouldn’t last more than 20 minutes. If you feel like you can do more than 20 minutes, then you’re probably not putting out 100% during the intervals. Again, push harder so that you’re exhausted when your session is over.

That’s it for this time. Next time you’ll discover another form of training that’ll keep you from getting bored. See you soon!

-David

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