HIT Advice

[anonymous-user]

Hi Guys,

I want to add some form of CV activity to my workout. I train my top half M,W, F and my legs Tues and Thursday.

At the moment I finish the leg days with HIT on the rower (I have bad knees that will not handle running) - 20 secs/10 seconds and repeat 8 times.

The Q is - how often is good for HIT? Is twice a week good or should I do it more?

Thanks!

[Hoofy]

HIT or HIIT?

Oh, 20/10... HIIT then. It's good for your CV system. Apparently, 2-3 times a week should be enough because you need to recover. If you find you can do it everyday, then you're probably not going hard enough.

Edit: really need to read posts slowly and with a finger.

[anonymous-user]

Hoofy said:

HIT or HIIT?

Oh, 20/10... HIIT then. It's good for your CV system. Apparently, 2-3 times a week should be enough because you need to recover. If you find you can do it everyday, then you're probably not going hard enough.

Edit: really need to read posts slowly and with a finger.

Cheers Hoofy. I'll start with 2 days as it's about all I think I can do right now with the intensity

I meant HIIT but so I hear so many people just say HIT.

[Davey S2]

I do this on the Concept 2 as well.

I train every other day and generally do 30 mins continuous rowing at a good pace then do 15 - 20 mins of HIIT to finish.

There are several pre set programs on the Concept 2 monitor or you can programe your own.

There is a 500m preset programme which is really good. 500m as fast as you can then 1 min rest. Repeat as often as you can.

There are also pre set pyramid programms on there such as 200m, 300m, 400m, 500m, 400m, 300, 200m all with 1min rest in between.

I programmed my own this morning for 1min 30s of high intensity then 1min 30s rest. Kills you after aboit 5 of them.

There are also a lot of suggestions on the Concept 2 web site here http://www.concept2.co.uk/indoor-rowers/training/t...

Finally sign up to the Workout of the day here http://www.concept2.co.uk/indoor-rowers/training/w...

They email you every day with a short, medium and long workouts.

[anonymous-user]

Cheers Davey!

We don't have Concept rowers at the gym so I just have to set the timer and work it manually.

I'm 51, fit but still 51, so I think a lengthy HIIT session like yours would finish me

[Davey S2]

No worries. The principles are the same so you can do them on any rower.

Oh and you dont need to have / use a Concept 2 to get the daily workouts. Just sign up.

[anonymous-user]

Davey S2 said:

No worries. The principles are the same so you can do them on any rower.

Oh and you dont need to have / use a Concept 2 to get the daily workouts. Just sign up.

Thanks for that. I've been on thee before when I was a member of a gym that did have C2 rowers but had forgotten..... all good stuff.

[Mr Trophy]

Hi

What are thoughts on doing HIIT first thing, so it burns fat, rather than working out in the evenings? Is this a NO NO?

[Art0ir]

Mr Trophy said:

Hi

What are thoughts on doing HIIT first thing, so it burns fat, rather than working out in the evenings? Is this a NO NO?

When I was losing weight at the end of the summer I would do circuits for 15 minutes after waking up. Stripped the fat right off.

[Hoofy]

ISTR it also helps burn muscle if you train on empty. If you eat then train (obviously, try to eat a 3 course meal then immediately do burpees ), you'll have fuel to train, feel better and use up less muscle. Apparently.

[IroningMan]

What sort of intensity qualifies as HIIT?

I've always assumed 95% of HRMAX - which means a very small number of pretty short efforts if tunnel vision and vomiting are not your thing?

Edited to add that it also means a long warmup if muscle tears are not your thing, so personally I don't see it as an option for first thing in the morning.

Edited by IroningMan on Monday 24th November 11:37

[Mr Trophy]

I was (naively) assuming that if you do first thing, your body would just burn straight fat.

[Art0ir]

Hoofy said:

ISTR it also helps burn muscle if you train on empty. If you eat then train (obviously, try to eat a 3 course meal then immediately do burpees ), you'll have fuel to train, feel better and use up less muscle. Apparently.

I put on more muscle than I've had in my life while doing fasted cardio in the morning and a resistance/HIIT session in the evenings.

[Hoofy]

Art0ir said:

Hoofy said:

ISTR it also helps burn muscle if you train on empty. If you eat then train (obviously, try to eat a 3 course meal then immediately do burpees ), you'll have fuel to train, feel better and use up less muscle. Apparently.

I put on more muscle than I've had in my life while doing fasted cardio in the morning and a resistance/HIIT session in the evenings.

Maybe you would have put on even more had you not done the fasted cardio.

[Art0ir]

Hoofy said:

Art0ir said:

Hoofy said:

ISTR it also helps burn muscle if you train on empty. If you eat then train (obviously, try to eat a 3 course meal then immediately do burpees ), you'll have fuel to train, feel better and use up less muscle. Apparently.

I put on more muscle than I've had in my life while doing fasted cardio in the morning and a resistance/HIIT session in the evenings.

Maybe you would have put on even more had you not done the fasted cardio.

And lost less fat? All a matter of balance I guess.

[Hoofy]

Art0ir said:

Hoofy said:

Art0ir said:

Hoofy said:

ISTR it also helps burn muscle if you train on empty. If you eat then train (obviously, try to eat a 3 course meal then immediately do burpees ), you'll have fuel to train, feel better and use up less muscle. Apparently.

I put on more muscle than I've had in my life while doing fasted cardio in the morning and a resistance/HIIT session in the evenings.

Maybe you would have put on even more had you not done the fasted cardio.

And lost less fat? All a matter of balance I guess.

Lost less fat for the same amount of time, surely?

Or had you done non-fasted morning cardio, maybe lost the same amount of fat, if the article I read is correct.

[Halb]

Art0ir said:

And lost less fat? All a matter of balance I guess.

Indeed. Only way to comment is to experiment.
I've had great success with fasted training.

[Art0ir]

Well Scott Alexander says it's great, so nurr.

[Hoofy]

Well, truth is, I've done it before and I can't say it's been a negative experience. But unless you experiment with the same set of conditions but eat 200 calories before you train in the morning, you can't really say it was because of fasted training as it might have been in spite of fasted training!