I own an Elliptical Trainer which I love and use almost everyday, and I've gotten much stronger on it since I first began using it. Originally I would just jump on it and go as hard as I could at some wimpy tension for 30 minutes. I strived to get strong enough to move onto HIIT. Unfortunately, I don't think the program that the trainer offers is a true to form HIIT. What would this fall under? LIIS or HIIT? Or maybe something else, but just as effective as either/or?

3:00 warmup (tension 1)
1:52 (tension 5) HR 120-130 bpm
3:44 (tension 10) HR 162-167 bpm
3:44 (tension 5) HR 125-135 bpm
3:44 (tension 10) HR 162-167 bpm
3:44 (tension 5) HR 125-135 bpm
3:44 (tension 10) HR 162-167 bpm
3:44 (tension 5) HR 125-135 bpm
3:44 (tension 10) HR 162-167 bpm
1:52 (tension 5) HR 120-130 bpm
3:00 cool down (tension 1)

By the looks of the programming, if I set it to 16 minutes (seeing as how there's 16 LED's) it would basically be 1min, 2, 2, 2, etc. Not sure if that would be better for me.

The other question I have is regarding the routine in my cardio. I know people argue about whether its better to do it in the morning or afternoon, and I couldn't much care for the debate. I know I am much better at giving my cardio session my all in the afternoons when I've got fuel in me to burn, but what I really would like to know is, can it be more effective if I always do it at the same time each day?

For 2.5 months I've done it at the end of the work day and been fine with it. Lost 30 pounds that way. Then I took somewhat of a break to go on vacation, and then was sick for a week after that (so 3 weeks) and now I'm getting back into the swing of things, but I seem to be mixing up cardio between afternoons and mornings. I'm not sure if it's having a bad side effect on me, because I feel like I'm dead locked qith my weight over the past couple weeks. This last week has really tested my nerves since I feel like I've stalled and not lost any weight. :(

So can it be a hinderance to switch back and forth between mornings and afternoons with something like cardio?

I never mess with my tension on bikes or elliptical. I just put it on as hard as I can make it through (you learn from experience) and then set it to a program of steady tension, and control my effort by going harder and spinning it as fast as I can go for the desired interval. Works in the real world, why not on cardio equipment?

I find the machines that are magnetically tensioned don't react as fast as I'd like anyway.

People always try to make HIIT too hard to figure out. It's simple, really. Medium intensity followed by so hard you feel like your lungs are going to burst. Repeat cycle until you are no longer fat (last sentence stolen from a t-nation article). :D

You can get in speed work or interval training doing any number of things, including the program that thing prescribes. You can also build your workout so that maybe 2/3 through you're going at super high intensity and then when you're about to die, cut it back for recovery.

When I train for speed on the bike I sometimes keep resistance the same but up the tempo. Other times I keep the tempo the same but up the resistance. Other times I'll massively jack up resistance and have tempo drop (like riding up hills). For running, I mainly just increase/decrease speed to get my heart going hard, but many people will run up hills to do it, too.

Medium intensity followed by so hard you feel like your lungs are going to burst. Repeat cycle until you are no longer fat (last sentence stolen from a t-nation article). :D

Works for me.

People always try to make HIIT too hard to figure out. It's simple, really. Medium intensity followed by so hard you feel like your lungs are going to burst. Repeat cycle until you are no longer fat (last sentence stolen from a t-nation article). :D



Yup, I do the same, few mins medium, 2 mins hard etc. :tu: