on the ellipti-tron or whatever it's called (Life Fitness contraption w/no model name on it) lately I do 30 minutes with a base level of 8-9 at 40-45rpm. to get the heart rate up I increase the level to 16-17 for 2 minutes, then go back to 8-9 for 2-3 minutes to get my heart rate back down again. I don't increase the speed/rpm, just the effort.

is the high-intensity part too long? my HR at the lower level ends up around 125, and in the high-intensity interval it goes up to 150-155.

How many intervals do you do? The first part is Continuous Training and the higher intensity parts would simple be interval training because the intensity doesnt seem to be as high as HIGH intensity interval training. Just because its not HIIT, doesnt mean its not effective.

Marcus :tucool:

I would say its close.......but your gonna want to shoot for around 160 for your heart rate when you increase the level. Its going to be really hard, so you might want to work your way into it ( 1 min at 160- 2 min at 107) and then try to get rid of that extra minute @ 107.
good luck, I hope that makes sense :tucool:

I would say its close.......but your gonna want to shoot for around 160 for your heart rate when you increase the level. Its going to be really hard, so you might want to work your way into it ( 1 min at 160- 2 min at 107) and then try to get rid of that extra minute @ 107.
good luck, I hope that makes sense :tucool:

mostly ;)

trouble is my HR never goes below 120 on this thing. I guess I could take the resistance waaay down and see what that does, and reduce the hiit interval to one minute maybe with higher intensity. don't wanna blow the ol' ticker just yet.

marcus, I don't keep track of the number of intervals. mostly i just want it to be over as soon as possible :)

is the high-intensity part too long? my HR at the lower level ends up around 125, and in the high-intensity interval it goes up to 150-155. I'd say both the rest and high-intensity intervals are too long. I've made mine a 30second split. I increase RPM instead of resistance, since it takes the machine (a bike in this case) too long to change the resistance.

Anyway, it is HIIT, but it's probably not optimal -just yet-. That's fine though! Personally, I'd try slowly decreasing the intervals until I was down to 1 minute high, 1 minute low. More, shorter intervals. The reasoning has to do with which energy sytem your using. If you search around here for energy systems, or if the author of that post (marcus?) chimes in they'll give you the timings for various systems and how they work, or at least point you in the right direction.

:gl:

My HIIT workout is as follows. I think everyone does it a little differently, but it's the normal 1:3(sprint:jog ratio) that really matters. My maximum heartrate for my age, 27, is 193 and I normally get around 175-176 during my 30 second sprint intervals.

I do my HIIT on an elliptical until I can have a chance at doing sprints outdoors when the weather gets better. Although, I may stick with the elliptical because it's a really good piece of cadio training equipment. I set the resistance on the elliptical machine @ 8 and have the ramp @ 10.

4 minute warmup-heart rate around 135-140
30 sec 100% effort-heart rate around 160(83% of max H.R.)
90 sec 50% effort-heart rate down to 150
30 sec 100% effort-heart rate between 160-165(83%-85% of max H.R.)
90 sec 50% effort-heart rate down to around 155
30 sec 100% effort-heart rate around 170(88% of max H.R.)
90 sec 50% effort-heart rate down to around 160
30 sec 100% effort-heart rate between 170-175(88%-91% of max H.R.)
90 sec 50% effort-heart rate down to around 160-165
30 sec 100% effort-heart rate between 170-177(88%-92% of max H.R.)
90 sec 50% effort-heart rate down to around 160-165
30 sec 100% effort-heart rate between 170-177(88%-92% of max H.R.)
90 sec 50% effort-heart rate down to around 165
30 sec 100% effort-heart rate around 176(91% of max H.R.)
90 sec 50% effort-heart rate down to around 165
30 sec 100% effort-heart rate around 176(91% of max H.R.)
4 min cool down-heart settles back down to around 145-150

8-30 sec max effort intervals
7-90 sec rest effort intervals
Total time 22:30

Let me say that after this session I'm POOPED. At about the 5th to 6th 30 sec interval I get really, really tired and am literally grunting to get through the full 30 secs...lol! People look at me like I'm training for an Iron Man Triathlon which I may very well try out some time if I keep this hardcore cardio training up.;) I sweat for a good 2 hours after the workout because my body temp must be soaring. All I know is that I love the intensity of HIIT and can even admit to being a little anxious or even nervous before each session because I know it's a BALLS TO THE WALL type workout.:D I go 100% when needed and I litterally exhaust all my energy doing the HIIT workout. I also supplement with a pre and post meal just like I do on workout days. This is EXTEMELY important! I hope others share their HIIT training regimine like I have. I'd be interested in seeing what others do.

'k, tonight I did one minute on, two off for 30min. according to the built-in HR monitor I maxed out at the end at 170 which I'm thinking might be a little high for an old dude of 41. during the off minutes it'd settle down to 130 or so. I really cranked on the hi-intensity part, putting the resistance to level 17 and speeding up the RPMs to about 60. it was tough but I made it through and didn't feel winded or dizzy or out of breath. I did not eat before; I had a late lunch around 2pm and did this around 7pm, then forced down 8oz broiled ahi tuna and some steamed brocc around 9pm.

anyway, thanks for the info, all. sounds like I sorta got it but I need to do some more tuning and probably buy a real HR monitor.

The reasoning has to do with which energy sytem your using. If you search around here for energy systems, or if the author of that post (marcus?) chimes in they'll give you the timings for various systems and how they work, or at least point you in the right direction.


Bascially HIIT is working the ATP-PC system and the Lactic Acid System. Intervals that are too long may untilise the Aerobic system which isnt a bad thing but it means the intensity is not high enough to get the gains you would get from HIIT. eg, from HIIT you are able to spike your metabolism higher in a shorter amount of time than if you were doing continuous training (using the aerobic system).

If you want to know about energy systems here is some info I posted in another thread:

The energy source that is required for all muscular activity is ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). As the name suggests ATP is an adenosine molecule with 3 phosphate molecules attached. When muscular activity is required a phosphate molecule breaks off releasing energy. This results in the creation of Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP)

Now, because our muscles only store a limited amount to ATP our body must find ways of manufacturing ATP.

This is where the Three Energy Systems come in:

ATP-PC system AKA The Phosphate Energy System.

The Lactic Acid System AKA The Lactate System.

The Aerobic System.

The ATP-PC System

This is an ANAEROBIC system as it doesnt utilise oxygen to produce ATP.
This system provides energy for activities of short duration (up to 10 seconds) and high intensity (85-100% of Maximal Effort). Its most evident in events like 100m sprint, high jump and shotput. For energy it uses ATP straight from the muscles and simultaneously resynthesizes ATP by rebuilding ADP and the free phosphate moelcule. It gets the energy to rebuild the ATP by breaking down another phosphate compound called creatine phosphate (phosphocreatine) or PC. This is where the supplement Creatine Monohydrate helps. So to recap it gets energy by breaking down PC and then it is able to rebuild the ADP and the free phosphate molecule to form ATP. As I said earlier it can only do this for up to 10 secs and it runs out of ATP. Hence the body must slow down and find another way to produce ATP while the scores are slowly replenishing.

The Lactic Acid System

Is also an ANAEROBIC system and is more complicated than the ATP-PC system providing far more energy. It provides energy from 10 secs up to about 3 mins. This sytem would be useful for 400-800m runs. Unlike the ATP-PC system the the LActic Acid System uses carbohydrates transformed into glucose to create ATP. As this process does not require oxygen it its called Anaerobic Glycolysis. Because of the absence of oxygen the process is incomplete and it produces a by product called Lactic Acid. When this Lactic Acid builds up in the blood and muscles as a result of intensive exercise it cause muscular fatique. Only after the athelete reduces the intensity of the exercise is the latic acid able to be removed form the system.

I wont go into detail about the actual process of Anaerobic Glycolysis but I can post it if anyone wants it.

Once the lactic acid builds up in your system you have to slow down and then use another energy system to continue supplying your muscles with ATP

The Aerobic System

Its named so because it produces ATP in the presence of oxygen. It is the most complex and powerful energy system. After about 3 mins of submaximal exercise the body has to slow down to under 85% of max HR and it is then able to get in enough oxygen to produce ATP in the presence of oxygen with is better because it produces lots more ATP, doesnt produce any by products (except water and CO2) and lasts forever. This is the system you use not only when you are exercising at a lower level but also when you are at home around the house. The system converts glucose into ATP by using the process called Aerobic Glycolysis. (if any wants I can explain this further). Events the aerobic system is used in would be marathon and anything over 3 mins.

To Recap

Anaerobic
ATP-PC System - 0-10seconds (maximal intensity)
Lactic Acid System - 10 secs to 3 mins (submaximal)

Aerobic
Aerobic System- 3 mins onwards. (low to med intensity)

Marcus :tucool:

OMG Marcus!! :bow: :bow: God bless you for all the info!:D

OMG Marcus!! :bow: :bow: God bless you for all the info!:D

yeah, what he said. I learned about this stuff in my first year of college/univ but that was a long time ago. Thanks!

...and probably buy a real HR monitor. Check out this thread ('http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=865') before you go pick one up :tu:

Your Welcome Guys, Its handy info to know because you can then work on and improve different energy systems with different results and hence have more effective workouts :tu:

Marcus :tucool: