Why Adding A HIIT Workout To Your Plan Is A Mistake...

Most people wrongly believe that an interval or HIIT workout has to be done in a standard cardio mode (such as running, cycling, stairmaster etc.), without knowing that the same adaptations can be achieved far more efficiently and more safely.

I've read countless articles, scientific papers, physiology and fitness books, and I still don't understand the reason for doing intervals (if you have valid arguments, shoot me en email), or at least not the way most people do it.

I know, this sounds very dogmatic, like most shitty information on the internet, or most advice given by self-proclaimed gurus who are full of shit, and most likely have something to sell.

In fact, what is interval training? Well, as its name suggests, it's an activity which alternates intervals of high intensity exercise with bouts of lower intensity or no intensity at all (sit on your but).

In other words, any properly done weight training suits this interval concept because your heart and lungs don't know if you are working intensely your leg muscles on a treadmill or leg press.

All that matters it's the energy requirements that have to be met, which increase according to how much effort you put in.

From a metabolic perspective, there is no difference whatsoever, so why should you do both? I guess the number one reason for adding a HIIT workout to your plan is to burn more fat.

You may think that doing more exercise is a good idea, but in fact you can go terribly wrong, especially when your calorie deficit is substantial. If that's the case, and you are training hard your legs once or twice a week, good luck with your intervals.

It's important to know that muscles are better stimulated by tension training than by any HIIT workout done in a so called “cardio mode”. In fact, several studies have even reported a shift of Type 2b muscle fibers towards Type 2a characteristics with intensive interval training.

Of course, this adaptation usually occurs after years of consistent training, but my point is that intervals are not necessary if you include proper weight training in your program.

For this purpose, I recommend full body workouts because this way you can keep a faster tempo from exercise to exercise.

Also, as you may know, the rest between sets is inversely proportional to the number of reps done, so a highish number may be necessary – unless you organize your workout in a circuit fashion.

Generally, when trying to lose weight, I feel that doing 10 balls-to-the-wall reps for most exercises (lower body parts can be trained with more reps) may be also a good compromise between keeping strength/mass and glycogen depletion.

By aiming to use small increments, you can sustain this fixed-rep range for the entire dieting cycle. In my opinion, this single progression is more comfortable because, mentally and physically, you get in this repetition groove – so it may be easier to make progress.

Also, you should aim for not more than one minute of rest before moving to the next exercise. (If you organize your training as a circuit, how long you rest depends entirely on your cardiovascular strength and motivation.)

If you don't believe me, and still want to burn fat with intervals, bear in mind that when calorie intake is reduced, you need to kill two birds with the same stone.

Remember, you don't have too many stones in the first place because your recovery ability is limited. So doing a traditional HIIT workout is not only a waste of energy, but also counterproductive to your efforts.

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