I’ve been hearing a few misconceptions about HIIT recently, so I thought I would write an article to give you a well-rounded view of what HIIT is, it’s benefits and its drawbacks. A couple of the misconceptions I came across recently, was that HIIT can be done for hours at a time, multiple times per day and it can be done without any prior experience or fitness base.
High intensity interval training
Ok, so if you don’t already know, HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It’s not a new thing, although in the past it was mostly just referred to as interval training. There are many different types of HIIT, but the general theme is short, highly intense bouts of exercise followed by a recovery period, repeated for the duration of the exercise session. The duration of the work and recovery periods will vary depending on the level of the trainee or prescription of the training source/provider.
The benefits of HIIT are many, including improved aerobic fitness levels (despite the exercise being performed predominantly using the anaerobic energy systems) and excellent body fat burning potential. Depending on the types of exercises used, improvements in muscular strength and power may also be seen. The biggest benefit of HIIT is its time efficiency. You can get equivalent benefits of hours of steady pace cardiovascular training with much less time, sessions ranging from as little as 10 minutes will show impressive results if they are done correctly. However, workout duration and training frequency will depend on the work to rest ratios, trainee experience, and the agenda of the training provider.
The reason HIIT seems like it’s shiny and new is that previously this type of training was mainly done by competitive athletes. However, as research on the benefits of interval type training has increased, it has become more and more promoted to a time conscious public. Another reason is that trainers have just spiced interval routines up by finding different ways to do them, which makes them look more glamorous and interesting. Which leads me to important point number one:
You don’t need to do anything fancy to do HIIT:
Before it was named HIIT, sports people would perform interval training whilst running, cycling, rowing, skipping, essentially all of the traditional stuff. I’ve even gotten people to do it by sprinting on the spot during their workouts. Anything that you can work hard on safely will do the job. Your long term health and fitness is important, so training activities should be appropriate for you, your fitness and experience level. It is worth noting that many HIIT exercises that are promoted to the public are very high impact. Whilst these exercises have their place when used sensibly, remember that you don’t always have to use high impact exercises for HIIT to be effective.
Important point number two:
The “high intensity” bit matters-make sure you’re ready for it:
In my opinion, it’s irresponsible to market HIIT as a method for everyone to use. HIIT will lead to high heart rates, and the intense nature of the exercise can be stressful on your joints and/or muscles if you’re not ready for it. Don’t take this lightly. Everyone who is thinking of doing HIIT should have a base level of fitness established first. Your heart is a muscle, just as you wouldn’t put 100 kilos on a bar for your first ever bench press, it’s not wise to over exert your heart if it has not been trained to tolerate those demands. A good strength training programme will help to better prepare the muscles and joints for the demands of these exercises before attempting them.
Important point number three:
You can work hard, or you can work long, but you can’t work hard for long:
Due to the intense nature of HIIT, workouts should be short. Doing overly long HIIT workouts will burn you out and can increase your risk of injury, including overuse injury. The point of HIIT is to be time efficient.
Important point number four:
HIIT shouldn’t be done too frequently:
It’s important that your training plan is sustainable. Doing HIIT too often for long periods of time will burn you out. You may lose enthusiasm for it, find yourself experiencing overuse injuries or feeling withdrawn in your daily life from the lack of recovery time that your body needs. With this in mind it’s important to find a frequency of training that you can sustain as part of a healthy lifestyle. Incorporating other types of activities so that you have a balanced programme will give you training options that suit your energy levels and your mind and body’s needs. Remember, you don’t get fit by training, you get fit by recovering from training.
Conclusion:
HIIT/Interval training is a great tool. I do interval training myself as part of a well-rounded training programme and use it in various forms with people that I train-when they are ready for it and if it’s appropriate for them. It’s great that the benefits of interval type training are getting out there, but I believe as fitness professionals we have a responsibility to not only make people aware of the benefits of certain types of exercise, but also to make them aware of the potential drawbacks and considerations.
Please remember that while HIIT has many benefits, you don’t have to do it if it’s not for you. There’s still nothing wrong with steady state endurance exercise, you’ll just need to spend more time doing it to get the equivalent benefits. This may suit you better than HIIT if you don’t like feeling uncomfortable while exercising, or if you are a beginner.
I help clients to determine what types of exercises are best to help them reach their goals. If I feel that interval training will be appropriate, I will help the client build up the levels of fitness and strength required to tolerate the exercise and perform well at it.
I hope this article has made you aware of the full picture of HIIT. As with all types of exercise, if you are considering starting a new programme, even with a Personal Trainer, it’s always wise to consult with your medical professional first, which can be done in conjunction with your Personal Training consultation.
Steve Shreeve