Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, I was semi-religious about doing HIIT once a week or so. And I noticed a big improvement in my running: my legs were stronger, my aerobic capacity was greater, and I could run faster for longer.
But thanks to an injury, some other health problems, and just generally not enjoying HIIT, I lapsed. Nowadays the health issues are under control, and I am totally capable of getting back on the HIIT bus, but ooooh it just makes me feel like I've been hit by a bus. So I tend to stick with other cardio and strength training, simply because I enjoy it more. But occasional HIIT workouts are supposed to be good for you, so I'm sort of side-eyeing this once-a-weeker schedule that I used to follow. So the other day I did an actual, real-life, proper HIIT workout.
Now, I consider myself to have a moderate amount of fitness. But guys, this thing destroyed me. Or more specifically, things were fine until the jump squats. And it got me thinking.
For a lot of exercises, the more you do them, the stronger you become, and the easier the exercise becomes. For instance, say you want to do 100 squats. At first, this is very difficult; your legs get tired and you can't breathe. But after some training you get stronger and 100 squats becomes much more doable. You achieve your goal, the trumpets are blaring, the confetti is flying, or if you're like me you are lying in sweaty pile on your exercise mat by yourself in the living room.
But with HIIT, the goalposts are constantly moving. My understanding is that "true" HIIT (like, the definition used in scientific studies), is when you are pushing yourself to your absolute max. The routine I did recently included 20 second intervals of jump squats, repeated 3 times. Maybe today your max is 2 jump squats, jumping 1 inch off the ground per 20 second interval; this makes your muscles scream and your lungs burn and possibly want to puke. But after lots of training, you get fitter, and do this workout again. And this time your max is 10 jump squats, jumping 6 inches off the ground per 20 second interval. And this new max is what makes your muscles scream and your lungs burn and possibly want to puke. Clearly, you have gained a lot of fitness. But when you do your HIIT workout, the result is the same: your muscles are screaming, your lungs are burning, and you possibly want to puke.
I do not like this feeling, and that's why I avoid HIIT!
I'm sure there are lots of HIIT lovers out there, and I'm wondering how they do it. Do you really push yourself to your max? Or do you dial the intensity down so the workout is more enjoyable? For instance, 5 jump squats 3 inches off the ground would certainly be good exercise, even if it's not your max. Do you push yourself to the max every time, and never press pause? If you never press pause, how are you still alive by that 3rd set? Has the quality of your jump squats gone down? Or do you press pause to have a longer recovery time, and then continue on with the best jump squats you are capable of? I tend to go for that last option, but in my head I imagine everyone else is doing amazing jump squats for every interval and no one ever presses pause :)
HIIT: are we there yet?
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, I was semi-religious about doing HIIT once a week or so. And I noticed a big improvement in my running: my legs were stronger, my aerobic capacity was greater, and I could run faster for longer.
But thanks to an injury, some other health problems, and just generally not enjoying HIIT, I lapsed. Nowadays the health issues are under control, and I am totally capable of getting back on the HIIT bus, but ooooh it just makes me feel like I've been hit by a bus. So I tend to stick with other cardio and strength training, simply because I enjoy it more. But occasional HIIT workouts are supposed to be good for you, so I'm sort of side-eyeing this once-a-weeker schedule that I used to follow. So the other day I did an actual, real-life, proper HIIT workout.
Now, I consider myself to have a moderate amount of fitness. But guys, this thing destroyed me. Or more specifically, things were fine until the jump squats. And it got me thinking.
For a lot of exercises, the more you do them, the stronger you become, and the easier the exercise becomes. For instance, say you want to do 100 squats. At first, this is very difficult; your legs get tired and you can't breathe. But after some training you get stronger and 100 squats becomes much more doable. You achieve your goal, the trumpets are blaring, the confetti is flying, or if you're like me you are lying in sweaty pile on your exercise mat by yourself in the living room.
But with HIIT, the goalposts are constantly moving. My understanding is that "true" HIIT (like, the definition used in scientific studies), is when you are pushing yourself to your absolute max. The routine I did recently included 20 second intervals of jump squats, repeated 3 times. Maybe today your max is 2 jump squats, jumping 1 inch off the ground per 20 second interval; this makes your muscles scream and your lungs burn and possibly want to puke. But after lots of training, you get fitter, and do this workout again. And this time your max is 10 jump squats, jumping 6 inches off the ground per 20 second interval. And this new max is what makes your muscles scream and your lungs burn and possibly want to puke. Clearly, you have gained a lot of fitness. But when you do your HIIT workout, the result is the same: your muscles are screaming, your lungs are burning, and you possibly want to puke.
I do not like this feeling, and that's why I avoid HIIT!
I'm sure there are lots of HIIT lovers out there, and I'm wondering how they do it. Do you really push yourself to your max? Or do you dial the intensity down so the workout is more enjoyable? For instance, 5 jump squats 3 inches off the ground would certainly be good exercise, even if it's not your max. Do you push yourself to the max every time, and never press pause? If you never press pause, how are you still alive by that 3rd set? Has the quality of your jump squats gone down? Or do you press pause to have a longer recovery time, and then continue on with the best jump squats you are capable of? I tend to go for that last option, but in my head I imagine everyone else is doing amazing jump squats for every interval and no one ever presses pause :)