Why isn’t HIIT Working?

Do you ever wonder if your actually doing your workout routine correctly? You have been exercising regularly for a while now with little to no results. You start to think to yourself, “Why isn’t this working?!”

In my opinion there are two simple answers to this frustrating question. One, YOUR DOING IT WRONG. Two, YOUR NUTRITION DOESN’T MATCH YOUR GOALS. The majority of the time it’s as simple is that . Sometimes you just have to be honest with yourself and admit that this could be you.

There are lots of methods to reach your goals and you could be on the right path, but you might be doing something wrong. For today’s blog, we are going to focus on the “fitness” side of this equation. Let’s take a look at a common goal and method to set the record straight!

GOAL: WEIGHT LOSS

METHOD: HIIT Training

FACT: HIIT stands for high intensity interval training. It’s an aerobic protocol that involves intervals of high intensity work followed by lower intensity work repeated for a set amount of repetitions. It’s true, HIIT training has been shown to increase fat burning, improve glucose metabolism, and increase aerobic capacity.

YOUR PROBLEM: This is high intensity. This is not jog for 1 minute walk for 1 minute or your time to chat up on Facebook. On a scale of perceived exertion, 1 being easy and 10 being giving it all you got, you have to be at a level of 7 or higher to consider this HIIT. I think think they should change the name to HARD, because that’s what it should feel like. You should have to push yourself out of your comfort zone if you want to reap the benefits from this type of training. There are different protocols for the length of the HIIT intervals ranging from high intensities lasting 8-10 second or longer intervals lasting 1-5 minutes. They key to the HIIT protocol is the work to rest ratio. Rest time should be equal to or longer than the work time. Common work to rest ratios are 1:1 or 1:2. HIIT isn’t limited to just running. It can be performed with any type of cardiovascular activity and even strength training.

Today’s take away is to be honest with yourself and really evaluate what method you are doing and the work you are putting in to reach your goals. Please comment on this post with other topics you would like to discuss! This will be a running blog series if enough topics are presented.

Sources:

ACE Fitness. High-Intensity Interval Training. Retrieved on February, 24, 2014 from http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/3317/high-intensity-interval-training/

Perry, C. R., Heigenhauser, J. F., Bonen, A., & Spriet, L. L. (2008). High-intensity aerobic interval training increases fat and carbohydrate metabolic capacities in human skeletal muscle. Journal of Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 33(6), 1112-1123. doi: 10.1139/H08-097

Talanian, J. L., Galloway, S. D., Heigenhauser, G, J., Bonen, A., & Spriet L., L. (2007). Two weeks of high-intensity aerobic interval training increases the capacity for fat oxidation during exercise in women. Journal of Applied Physiology, 102(4), 1439-1447. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01098.2006

In Good Health,