High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Please comment

[latinmuscle]

About a year ago every single bodybuilding publication was writting about this "wonderful" new way to do cardio.

It is supposed to be much more effective burning fat than traditional cardio, take less time and not burn Muscle.

However sudently no one talks about it and I have not heard of any top bodybuilder using this training method.

Does anyone know the downfalls of HIIT? Is it that still not many people know about it? What is the deal?

[Big H]

Read Topic of the Week forum about HIT program.

[Zulu]

Big H, dude, he's referring to something else

HIIT seems to have some validity to it, but I'd rather do regular cardio. I've seen no conclusive evidence that intense cardio with intermitent breaks burns more fat than normal cardio.

MIght be an option if you're jogging and you can't go long distances.

Anyway, good question.... I have no real answer for you man, sorry.

-Zulu

[Timbo]

Actually, there have been several studies published showing that high-intensity cardio, specifically interval training, elevates the metabolism to greater extent than steady-state, low-moderate intensity cardio. One such study can be found in the Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology. 23.5:433-422, 1998.
As far as why...well, EPOC is the measurement used to measure this elevated metabolic rate, and following the HIIT-type cardio EPOC is higher. This is a function of getting rid of lactic acid, a higher heart rate & body temperature, replenishment of hemoglobin and myoglobin, as well as elevated levels of epinephrine. Now, it's probably not an extremely huge difference that should totally eliminate steady-state cardio. But if you like to work hella hard and like a more time-efficient approach, then it's probably better. Again, the percentage of calories from fat is higher at lower intensities, so during HIIT type cardio, a much greater percentage of energy comes from carbohydrates. Also, HIIT type cardio may be somewhat more catabolic...but any form of endurance training is, so...

[peterb]

Track athletes have trained this way for years.
It's excellent for overall conditioning.
pb

[Big H]

Originally posted by Zulu
Big H, dude, he's referring to something else

-Zulu

Damn. Yes I reliazed that after I posted.. =)..

[latinmuscle]

One of the claims made by the supporters of HIIT is that you could get better Fat-burning results in a 20 min session of HIIT than in a 45 min of steady paced cardio at 70-80% MHR.

[jdstl1977]

I really wouldn't recommend HIIT for beginners. It's more for people with an athletic fitness level. Moderate intensity may be more appropriate.

I agree that HIIT can be more time efficient but i've also heard that men respond more to lower intensity longer duration aerobic activity.

Track athletes and athletes in general train this way to condition their cardiovascular system closely to actual conditions on the field. Bursts of energy followed by periods of lowered intensity.

Whether you choose one or the other, each is effective and is personal preference. There's also a way to elicit a cardio-training effect in your weight training as well, HITers have this built in to their routines.

Big media splashes about this routine or exercise is just a gimmick to buy and read magazines. The principles are largely the same, how you tweak them opens up for literally thousands of variations.

[Timbo]

jdstl...good post, bro! Right on about the Principle of Individualization. Give both ways a shot and see what works better for you and your goals!

[peterb]

To follow up on what jds said. There are programs you can do in the gym(every once in a while) to improve conditioning.
They are described as metabolic because they combine weight training with a ton of cardiovascular stress.
I've tried this and they are extremely strenuous.
For those looking strictly for mass gains this is probably not suited for you.

Here's a copy of the article from cyberpump.com
pb


This is the unedited version of an article that appeared in the December 1996 issue of Coach and Athletic Director.

METABOLIC CONDITIONING: THE 3x3 WORKOUT

Matt Brzycki

Coordinator of Health Fitness, Strength and Conditioning

Princeton University

Typically, coaches have athletes perform their strength training separate from their conditioning activities. Yet, during the course of their competition, many athletes are required to integrate their muscular strength with their cardiovascular or aerobic conditioning.

Metabolic conditioning is essentially a combination of strength training and aerobic conditioning. Unfortunately, conditioning an athlete's metabolic system is rarely addressed. Metabolic conditioning may be improved by simply doing strength training with very little rest between exercises. Performed in this fashion, the shared demands on an athlete's muscular and cardiovascular systems will create a metabolic conditioning effect that cannot be approached by traditional methods of training.



The 3x3 Workout



On June 1, 1996, I had brunch with John "JT" Thomas, the Penn State Strength Coach. Our conversation drifted to opinions as to what exercises each of us thought were the absolute toughest to do. Along those lines, JT told me about the toughest workout he'd ever been through. The workout occurred several years ago when he was an Assistant Strength Coach at the U. S. Military Academy. At the time, the Strength Coach at the Academy was Bob Rogucki. (Bob has been the Strength Coach of the Arizona Cardinals for the past 5 or 6 years.) JT told me that Bob once put him through a workout that required an amazing amount of metabolic conditioning. The workout is sometimes referred to as a "3x3" (i.e., three by three) and has become one of JT's favorites.

Strangely enough, at roughly the same time JT was describing his 3x3 Workout, Tony Alexander (my training partner) was going through a version of it. Figure 1 details the workout Tony did on June 1, 1996.

When he was done with the workout, Tony said he collapsed into a chair and was numb from his neck to his calves. One hour later, he said his heart rate was still 100 beats per minute (bpm). (His normal resting heart rate is about 60 bpm). In Figure 1, notice that Tony was also using exceptionally heavy weights during this workout. For example, at a bodyweight of about 230 pounds he performed his first set of dips and chins with an extra 25 pounds of resistance. The herculean workload placed upon both his muscular and aerobic systems simultaneously translates into a tremendous metabolic conditioning effect.



3x3 Design



The sample routine shown in Figure 1 is just one of many possible versions of a 3x3 Workout. A 3x3 Workout can actually be modified in a countless number of ways. However, it's critical that the athlete performs every set to muscle failure. It's also important that the athlete moves quickly between exercises with as little rest as possible. The length of the recovery between exercises will depend upon the athlete's present level of metabolic conditioning.

A 3x3 Workout is basically a multiple-joint hip movement followed by a multiple-joint chest movement followed by a multiple-joint upper back movement and repeated two more times with as little rest between exercises as possible. Using these three types of movements will address every major muscle in the body including the hips, quadriceps, hamstrings, chest, upper back, shoulders, biceps, triceps and forearms.

The most demanding exercises for the hips would be some type of squat, deadlift (with an Olympic bar or a trap bar) or leg press. Certainly, dips and chins would represent the most challenging selections for the chest and upper back. Those who cannot perform dips and/or chins with their bodyweight can perform the movements in a negative-only fashion. Three other exercise options for the chest are the bench press, incline press and pushups. Any type of pulling movement -- such as lat pulldowns or rows -- are suitable for the upper back.

The first time through the movements, an athlete should reach muscle failure at about 20 reps for the hip exercise, 12 for the chest exercise and 12 for the upper back exercise. When the sequence is repeated the second time, the repetition goals would be 15 for the hip exercise, 10 for the chest exercise and 10 for the upper back exercise. The third time through the movements should have goals of 12 for the hip exercise, 8 for the chest exercise and 8 for the upper back exercise. In summary, the repetition goals for these movements should be 20, 15 and 12 for the hip exercise and 12, 10 and 8 for the chest and upper back exercises.

Another Application

I tried a 3x3 Workout similar to that shown in Figure 1 on June 7, 1996. Overall, I may have done more demanding workouts but this one ranked right up there with the most challenging. From a muscle fatigue standpoint, the 3x3 Workout was brutally effective. I've experienced far greater muscular soreness from numerous workouts. However, no other workout I've ever done compares to this one as far as the high level of metabolic stress.

First, let me say this about the muscle fatigue from this workout: I didn't use wrist straps for chins (in order to save time). For more than 5 minutes following the workout, my forearms were engorged with so much blood that it felt like they would explode. I couldn't even close my hand to make a fist. I can't ever recall feeling that much muscle fatigue throughout the entire length of my forearms for that amount of a time. The fatigue in my biceps and triceps was also very evident almost immediately after the workout. The next area I noticed was my hips and legs. After about 3 hours, my upper back started to tighten up. About 4 hours later, I could feel my abs start to stiffen. And my upper back was getting more numb by the hour. Oddly enough, I had very little muscle soreness the next day.

Getting back to the metabolic stress: From a standpoint of total systemic fatigue -- that is, my muscles, heart, lungs and so on -- a 3x3 Workout was incredibly demanding. After the first set of leg presses, I was already inhaling and exhaling like I had just sprinted a quarter-mile. At this point, my lungs were on fire and I was gasping for air. After performing my dips, I went right into chins -- only pausing long enough to change the weight I used that was around my waist. Needless to say, the second and third times around were progressively more difficult.

It only took me 20 minutes to perform this particular 3x3 Workout . . . and I was panting the entire time. When I finished my last exercise (the third set of chins), my heart was pounding like crazy and my pulse was 150 bpm. As I was taking my pulse, my hand and fingers started to cramp from simply pressing on my carotid artery.
In short, a 3x3 Workout places an incredible demand upon every major muscle in the body and, at the same time, stresses the cardiovascular pathways. Furthermore, this type of workout can be used to improve an athlete's metabolic conditioning in a time-efficient manner.

EXERCISE WEIGHT REPS



Leg Press 450 16-17

Dip BW+25 10-11

Chin BW+25 8-9

Leg Press 450 8-9

Dip BW+10 8-10

Chin BW+10 5

Leg Press 225 8-9

Dip BW 4-5

Chin BW 4-5



FIGURE 1: A SAMPLE 3x3 WORKOUT

[100Day]

What do you mean its not common, its all over the place brah

[BlackLabelMafia]

you burn fewer calories during your hiit session, but your body continues to burn them after you're finished longer than on low intensity cardio. Plus it allows for preservation of muscle more than long, low intensity cardio.

[CrazyHumpy]

The fact that it hasn't blown up in the media and all the magazines that lazy people buy, to try and find an easy way out, is exactly that! I'm new to HIIT, but have done it for a couple weeks now. If you do it right, it's performed at somewhere around 90-100% intensity intervals. The general public would laugh if you presented this to them. Not to mention, most peoples perception of 100% is way different than a dedicated athlete. They want the "Sit on a stationary bike and read a book" type of cardio!

It has worked great for me, in the past 2 weeks. I'm not a huge cardio type of guy, but sprint and puke is a lot more appealing to me, than running for 45mins. staring at a TV with some stupid news channel on! LOL It is definitely personal preference, but I find it a lot easier to kill yourself for 20 mins. and be done with it.

[DuWeech]

Originally Posted by CrazyHumpy

The fact that it hasn't blown up in the media and all the magazines that lazy people buy, to try and find an easy way out, is exactly that! I'm new to HIIT, but have done it for a couple weeks now. If you do it right, it's performed at somewhere around 90-100% intensity intervals. The general public would laugh if you presented this to them. Not to mention, most peoples perception of 100% is way different than a dedicated athlete. They want the "Sit on a stationary bike and read a book" type of cardio!

It has worked great for me, in the past 2 weeks. I'm not a huge cardio type of guy, but sprint and puke is a lot more appealing to me, than running for 45mins. staring at a TV with some stupid news channel on! LOL It is definitely personal preference, but I find it a lot easier to kill yourself for 20 mins. and be done with it.

Ive got to agree, I can run for 45 min at a lower intensity but it gets very boring very quickly. Id much rather go all out for 20-25 min and get it over with.

[luv2pump]

I just did it for the second time half an hour ago (first time Monday) and it finished like this-


uuuugggghhhh.,.......cough.....splutter.....cough. ....uggggghhhhhhhhhh...I....can't....breathe.....u hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........can't move......uhhhhhhh..............


So- I think I did it right!!!!

[gkicksass]

Originally Posted by luv2pump

I just did it for the second time half an hour ago (first time Monday) and it finished like this-


uuuugggghhhh.,.......cough.....splutter.....cough. ....uggggghhhhhhhhhh...I....can't....breathe.....u hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........can't move......uhhhhhhh..............


So- I think I did it right!!!!

lol. yea u did it right. when i do hiit i can barely even stand up when im done. i go 6-7 mph for 1 min and then 12+ mph for 30 secs. do that 6-10 times and then im dead. i think it works though.

[luv2pump]

Long as it works, I can take it.

[TrainForHealth]

I did a lot of HIIT cardio during my transformation and I had amazing results. Even if it was hard as hell.

u can see my an example of my training program and progress pics here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=118461021

[jrh0341]

Yeah, I just finished my first real session today (though I have done regular interval training for other reasons before). Funny thing, I felt pretty much fine after wards. I mean, I didnt have anything left to do more, but I felt ...ok immediately afterwards. Then I got home....

man, twenty or 30 minutes after finishing up it kicked in hard. Not so much soreness as just that exhausted feeling. Felt like I had been workout all day. I'm going to sleep now!

[Tyler0]

I did it for the first time today, and I seriously ran myself out. I've never felt exhaustion this horrible before. The second I got home, I crashed on the couch and slept for a very long time. It's truly exhausting

[musapusa]

a good HiiT session can have u cooked in 10-15 mins , nothing longer is necessary if you have the ability to give 100% when needed

try suicides with cones at 10 yards apart for 5-6 cones...rest only 1min when ur done and do it again but all at absoutely 100%...do it 3 times