Intense HIIT Cardio Program

[AZtrainer]

HIIT is the V12 engine of cardio workouts, but its up to you to put the right fuel into it. Eat right and you'll get there faster than anyone else.

[klandy]

wow, that looks like an awesome routine. I used to run for a mile and a half straight, then do HIIT for the last half mile and that was way more fun than just running at a constant pace. When I make it back to the gym Im definantly gonna try that routine. Now Im excited for the months to come. lol. and for the kid from peru a few suggestions I guess could be doing killers and sprints up a hill. worked for me when i was playing lacrosse.

[AZtrainer]

wow, that looks like an awesome routine. I used to run for a mile and a half straight, then do HIIT for the last half mile and that was way more fun than just running at a constant pace. When I make it back to the gym Im definantly gonna try that routine. Now Im excited for the months to come. lol. and for the kid from peru a few suggestions I guess could be doing killers and sprints up a hill. worked for me when i was playing lacrosse.

Yah the intensity of this routine is pretty significant. HIIT is fun and so much better than just staring off into space pretending to be interested in running for 30 minutes straight. I HATE DOING THAT

[hyperboloid]

Best way to mix HIIT and muscle building? I know you can't have both ..

200 lbs, 6'2", male, 20 years old

I've lost 20lbs in last 12 months, bought myself dumbells, been doing bodyweight exercises for some time (2 times a week for upper body, 2 times a week for lower body) ..

Eating habits are getting better every day

But I still have some fat on hips and waist ..
Should I do serious HIIT (3+ per week?) for few months and after that continue on muscle building (same time 1 HIIT per week or smth) ?


Or should I just do HIIT 2x times per week after bodyweight exercises?

[AZtrainer]

Best way to mix HIIT and muscle building? I know you can't have both ..

200 lbs, 6'2", male, 20 years old

I've lost 20lbs in last 12 months, bought myself dumbells, been doing bodyweight exercises for some time (2 times a week for upper body, 2 times a week for lower body) ..

Eating habits are getting better every day

But I still have some fat on hips and waist ..
Should I do serious HIIT (3+ per week?) for few months and after that continue on muscle building (same time 1 HIIT per week or smth) ?


Or should I just do HIIT 2x times per week after bodyweight exercises?

I am doing intense weight lifting and HIIT together and having no problems. I dont mind losing some muscle from legs to gain a much lower BF %. I lift heavy 4 days a week and do HIIT a minimum of 4 days a week (on non leg or non heavy lifting days). My diet is ridiculously clean so that allows me to do a lot of cardio and keep my weight training intensity high.

[besant7]

i just started this program on friday and all i can say is WOW! it is a very hard cardio work out and definetely is't for all to do. i was able to get through it. All im afraid of is losing muscle from working too hard.

Overall A

[AZtrainer]

i just started this program on friday and all i can say is WOW! it is a very hard cardio work out and definetely is't for all to do. i was able to get through it. All im afraid of is losing muscle from working too hard.

Overall A

Eat well and make sure your supplementation is on key. I haven't lost muscle on a significant level and I do this 5 days a week when I'm cutting. Your diet, rest, and supplementation are the keys.

[mikehc27]

I seriously wanna give this a try, I've done HIIT on the eliptical for a few weeks but my diet is nowhere near in order. When I hit the treadmill I've never went over 7mph.

I'm 6"2 330lbs and trying to drop 100lbs. I lift 5 days a week and I slide in the HIIT atleast 3 days a week. But my biggest concern now is trying to lose the weight and worry about the muscle mass later.I've been thinkin about trying the HIIT on the treadmill but this thread has me wanting to do it for sure. But I gotta get my diet in order. What kinda diet are u following?

[AZtrainer]

I seriously wanna give this a try, I've done HIIT on the eliptical for a few weeks but my diet is nowhere near in order. When I hit the treadmill I've never went over 7mph.

I'm 6"2 330lbs and trying to drop 100lbs. I lift 5 days a week and I slide in the HIIT atleast 3 days a week. But my biggest concern now is trying to lose the weight and worry about the muscle mass later.I've been thinkin about trying the HIIT on the treadmill but this thread has me wanting to do it for sure. But I gotta get my diet in order. What kinda diet are u following?

I started pretty much where you are now. In the beginning I spent almost no time doing serious weight training. Spending an hour doing cardio was more than enough to exhaust me. I would do about 40 minutes of weight loss cardio (keeping my HR around 125 to 130) then 20 minutes of intense HIIT cardio on the elliptical or stair climber. Once I dropped 60lbs or so I got on the treadmill and just did what I could.

Your diet has to be in line or no amount of cardio is going to make that much of a difference. I follow Derek Charlebois's cut diet (it's in these forums) AND do HIIT 5 days a week. I have some morning light carbs (1 piece of wheat toast and some no fat cottage cheese) to help me with my workouts since I run so much (4 to 5 miles a day), but I am losing 1 to 2% BF every 7 to 9 days.

I am almost below 10% from 38% a year ago...so yah...it works.

[ninjaa]

I'm going to try this. I also do some lifting 3x a week but I know the HIIT will get in the way. Im continuing lifting just to keep my muscles awake and retain as much muscle mass as possible while dropping pounds.

[AZtrainer]

I'm going to try this. I also do some lifting 3x a week but I know the HIIT will get in the way. Im continuing lifting just to keep my muscles awake and retain as much muscle mass as possible while dropping pounds.

There is not a person I've ever met who wouldn't want to burn body fat faster than 40 to 60 mins of boring cardio. This is a fantastic way to burn extra fat during a cut cycle. USE IT!

[AZtrainer]

I had someone PM me recently saying they tried this and fell off the treadmill. PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS ROUTINE UNLESS YOU RUN REGULARLY AND KNOW YOUR PACE.

My pace may NOT necessarily be yours. For someone people they need to increase the incline and decrease the speed or decrease the incline and decrease the speed. PLEASE BE SAFE!!!!!!

[lesterarin]

I seriously wanna give this a try, I've done HIIT on the eliptical for a few weeks but my diet is nowhere near in order. When I hit the treadmill I've never went over 7mph.

I'm 6"2 330lbs and trying to drop 100lbs. I lift 5 days a week and I slide in the HIIT atleast 3 days a week. But my biggest concern now is trying to lose the weight and worry about the muscle mass later.I've been thinkin about trying the HIIT on the treadmill but this thread has me wanting to do it for sure. But I gotta get my diet in order. What kinda diet are u following?

Just get a good diet and do moderate 30-45 min cardio. HIIT is for the person who has the last 5 pounds of hard to get rid of stomach and love handle fat.

No need to kill yourself with HIIT with over 100 pounds to lose. Its 99% diet for anyone with 30 pounds or more to lose.

[mikehc27]

Just get a good diet and do moderate 30-45 min cardio. HIIT is for the person who has the last 5 pounds of hard to get rid of stomach and love handle fat.

No need to kill yourself with HIIT with over 100 pounds to lose. Its 99% diet for anyone with 30 pounds or more to lose.

Moderate cardio is too slow for me. I would rather get it over in 15 minutes than 40. I sweat way more in my 15 minutes of HIIT than I do with a 40 minute cardio sesion.

[AZtrainer]

Personally I feel like I am cheating myself when I do 45 minutes of moderate cardio. I dont feel like I even worked out. I went from almost 40% BF to now under 10% in a year by pushing myself. I believe most people in the gym don't push hard enough. After a year of seeing the same people almost every day I can see how much I have changed and they haven't. Frankly I dont know why some of them even show up because wasting time PISSES me off.

HIIT isn't just for people who want to lose the last 5 lbs. HIIT is what they do on the biggest loser and a major reason why so many of those people lose so much weight so fast. My HIIT program is likely one of the most intense you'll ever do and is geared for people who are already in good or decent shape.

[AZtrainer]

So last night I put the incline to 11% and went at 10mph for 40 seconds...

WOW

HR was 193 as I was slowing down.

Still losing 1.5% BF or so a week doing this...

[klandy]

So last night I put the incline to 11% and went at 10mph for 40 seconds...

WOW

HR was 193 as I was slowing down.

Still losing 1.5% BF or so a week doing this...

Thats crazy awesome. Everytime I get on this thread and read it makes me wanna get to the gym asap. I haven't been to the gym in a while due to ride issues and work scheduling along with schooling, but once that gets sorted out I'll be sure to let you know how your routine worked for me.

[Rich85]

great thread! AZ you have really worked hard and are a great motivation for others to follow.

I started working out fall last year and was doing 40 minutes of boring cardio. My goals are to increase strength and muscle mass while losing bodyfat. I was doing cardio based on HR alone, starting at 140 and increasing every 10 minutes up to 170. I thought this was working but it was taking too much time and became extremely boring.

While researching I came across a hiit program and started reading up on it. I started 3 weeks ago doing hiit and it is brutal but I can feel the difference. I am not seeing much change in my weight but I think I'm losing BF. My diet is non-existent, I like to eat many different foods so I'm trying to cut down on portion sizes and the number of times I eat. Also increasing my fruit and vegetable intake aswell hoping to offset the bad stuff I eat.

I do hiit on a bike to avoid injuring myself on a treadmill. My first day I was doing 30 second intervals at 16/24 resistance but was needing to rest for about 3 minutes before going again. I started then doing 5 minute warmup, 30 seconds on at 12/24 resistance at 122-130rpm getting my HR to 175-180. I then slow to 90-100rpm at 2/24 resistance for 90 seconds. I do this 6 times and cool down for 3-5 minutes at the end. I have seen my recovery increase significantly since starting which is awesome. I am now on "level 2 of 8" which drops the recovery period from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. Hopefully in 2 weeks this will be easier and I can move on.

I am doing hiit after doing weight training (all upper body). I'm hoping this won't counteract each other.

Any advice for improving my progress or results? I read doing hiit longer than 20 minutes is probably a bad thing as you may start to burn muscle?

[LifestyleFlashy]

I like this program! I can never seem to get myself to do hiit on a treadmill but I do Hiit on tracks or the road. For example sprinting from light pole to the next and then jogging till I get to the next and sprinting again. Its always fun

[saizen]

Damn you for reminding me that i need to get back into the HIIT game...i injured my knee and used it as an excuse to stick to 10k runs...my knee is healed...and i still be doing 10k runs...cause we all know what hurts more, HIIT lol

[AZtrainer]

Thats crazy awesome. Everytime I get on this thread and read it makes me wanna get to the gym asap. I haven't been to the gym in a while due to ride issues and work scheduling along with schooling, but once that gets sorted out I'll be sure to let you know how your routine worked for me.

It's hard to believe that one year ago THIS was me a year ago. 300lbs, almost 40% BF and only 26.

I have severe asthma, tendonitis, a heart condition, and never ran a mile in my entire life before doing this. If I can do it, ANYONE CAN.

It's worth making the sacrifices in your life to change what you see. You feel better, you have more confidence and truly changes your life.

[AZtrainer]

great thread! AZ you have really worked hard and are a great motivation for others to follow.

I started working out fall last year and was doing 40 minutes of boring cardio. My goals are to increase strength and muscle mass while losing bodyfat. I was doing cardio based on HR alone, starting at 140 and increasing every 10 minutes up to 170. I thought this was working but it was taking too much time and became extremely boring.

While researching I came across a hiit program and started reading up on it. I started 3 weeks ago doing hiit and it is brutal but I can feel the difference. I am not seeing much change in my weight but I think I'm losing BF. My diet is non-existent, I like to eat many different foods so I'm trying to cut down on portion sizes and the number of times I eat. Also increasing my fruit and vegetable intake aswell hoping to offset the bad stuff I eat.

I do hiit on a bike to avoid injuring myself on a treadmill. My first day I was doing 30 second intervals at 16/24 resistance but was needing to rest for about 3 minutes before going again. I started then doing 5 minute warmup, 30 seconds on at 12/24 resistance at 122-130rpm getting my HR to 175-180. I then slow to 90-100rpm at 2/24 resistance for 90 seconds. I do this 6 times and cool down for 3-5 minutes at the end. I have seen my recovery increase significantly since starting which is awesome. I am now on "level 2 of 8" which drops the recovery period from 90 seconds to 60 seconds. Hopefully in 2 weeks this will be easier and I can move on.

I am doing hiit after doing weight training (all upper body). I'm hoping this won't counteract each other.

Any advice for improving my progress or results? I read doing hiit longer than 20 minutes is probably a bad thing as you may start to burn muscle?

I follow the advice of Troy Alves (a local world class body builder who competed in Mr. Olympia many times) and you need to set clear cutting and bulking cycles for yourself. If you are trying to gain muscle and you are bulking it will be hard to lose a significant amount of body fat at the same time without having your diet PERFECT.

If you diet isn't right NOTHING you do in the gym will count for much. Look at that picture of me...I didn't go from 300lbs and almost 40% BF to 10% in a year by having a "so-so" diet.

Sure I had off days and enjoyed myself, but more often than not and 98% of the time I was eating what I was suppose to be eating. Get committed to your diet first before you worry about what you are doing in the gym.

I've said this a 1000 times to the people I work with and train. I have not seen a SINGLE person in the gym change their body to the degree that I have in the past year. Every person I see that looks chubby or fat is still that way after a year...they are doing as much if not more cardio than me in terms of time...

What's the difference?


DIET

[AZtrainer]

Damn you for reminding me that i need to get back into the HIIT game...i injured my knee and used it as an excuse to stick to 10k runs...my knee is healed...and i still be doing 10k runs...cause we all know what hurts more, HIIT lol

One of the reasons I added the incline is because it allows for people to do HIIT with the same intensity but at lower speeds. Doing a sprint at 11mph at no incline might be hard in terms of the cardio factor, but doing a run at 8mph (more manageable for most people) at an incline of 8% or higher garners the same results and helps save your knees.

Believe me I have tendonitis in both knees, which is why the incline is a LIFE SAVER.

[BIG OGER]

do you have any ideas for eliptical machines, I have a bum knee so treads out.

[jmw0540]

I have been reading this thread and it has some pretty good information. I think I will try out your HITT program. I wanted to know are you doing just the 15 min HIIT on the cardio machine or 60min (20 min HIIT + 40min slow cardio).

[chimpy]

AZ...are you using a HR monitor or just the ones on the machines? I did a HIIT workout yesturday and was:

5 min: warm up @ 6 mph

"Set"
1 min: 10 mph @ 5%
1 min: 6.5 mph @ 5%
2 min: 8 mph @ 0%

and repeated that set increasing the % incline by 2 points up until 9 (5/7/9). I then cooled down for around 4 minutes. Also, what is your calorie intake daily? I'm running a 95% clean diet right now, but I need to add some more calories.

[AZtrainer]

do you have any ideas for eliptical machines, I have a bum knee so treads out.

I used to do HIIT on the ellipitical way before I could run well. I would do a warmup of 3 mins then do bursts of speed 180 to 200 rpm at a high resitance (12 to 16) for 45 seconds. Rest for 1 min or so and then repeat. 10 to 15 minutes total and you'll burn a ton more calories than 20+ mins at a normal pace.

Everyone always looks at me like I'm out of my mind, but obviously what I am doing works...

[AZtrainer]

I have been reading this thread and it has some pretty good information. I think I will try out your HITT program. I wanted to know are you doing just the 15 min HIIT on the cardio machine or 60min (20 min HIIT + 40min slow cardio).

I do about 20 mins of HIIT and 20 mins of normal cardio every day during a cut cycle.

[AZtrainer]

AZ...are you using a HR monitor or just the ones on the machines? I did a HIIT workout yesturday and was:

5 min: warm up @ 6 mph

"Set"
1 min: 10 mph @ 5%
1 min: 6.5 mph @ 5%
2 min: 8 mph @ 0%

and repeated that set increasing the % incline by 2 points up until 9 (5/7/9). I then cooled down for around 4 minutes. Also, what is your calorie intake daily? I'm running a 95% clean diet right now, but I need to add some more calories.

That's a good way to start out. Push yourself each time and dont get off the treadmill until you feel like you gave it your all.

I eat about 2800 calories a day. I'm on contest prep diet from Derek Cherebois (however you spell that). It is here in the forums and while it is not meant to go hand in hand with HIIT it has helped me shed about 11 lbs of fat in 4 weeks. Considering I started at 16% BF when I started the cut diet I was pretty impressed to see how quickly I lost the fat.

I am now at 9.8% BF at 212. My AV pic is of me at 13% BF at 219

[AZtrainer]

Hey all I've received a TON of PM's from the community. Feel free to email me as well, I'm more likely to see an email before a PM.

Also remember this workout is not a rigid plan that must be followed identically. The idea is to get your HR up high for short periods of time. How you accomplish that can vary greatly. For me high speed is no longer enough to do that so I must add incline.

Good luck and be safe!