The FastDay Forum

hi again Bruce, just saw your post on frequency - yes, I think the jury's out! if you're pushing the duration up, I would be cutting down the frequency, 5 times a week sounds a bit much. Maybe four? Steve Boutcher says it's fine to do 4 a week, it's hard to strike a balance between being gung-ho and preaching to the lowest common denominator, I find.

Thanks jools7, original Tabata protocol had 4 days/week with the intervals plus a day of 70% medium-intensity for 45 minutes. I'm thinking 3 days is definitely safe, and that it might be that, depending on the regimen you use, a good rule of thumb would be to never do it two days in a row (like intermittent fasting LOL) and to put at least a day between two HIIT workouts. (Maybe the ADF people could do HIIT on fast days or feast days...)

I'm also seeing a lot of 4-day and 5-day recommendations. With a 4 minute workout that makes more sense. I think you're right in that if I want to go beyond the basic 4-minutes it wouldn't hurt to put at least a day between each workout.

Good stuff. I think I'll stick with my plan, then, of going 3 days per week and building up to 8 minutes over time.

Keep posting and let us all know how your HIIT workouts go from time to time!

Wife & I did intervals on the running track that was painted on the grass in our local park last summer, 400 meters as fast as possible with a 60 second rest.
400 meters takes me about 100 seconds nowadays, wife more like 120 seconds, so this roughly fitted the last one you mention BruceE.
It certainly worked for us. We started only being able to do 4 cycles but built up to 6 cycles after a couple of weeks. We only did this once a week, on Wednesday evenings, but our parkrun 5km times improved considerably during June and July.
The soccer players took over the field in the fall though and this stopped our interval training. I would rather limit running due to my hips wearing out so would like to start one of the stationary bike protocols, as soon as I can organize a suitable machine!

This sounds like the training I used to do for the 440 (showing my age) back in high school. We were supposed to run one, walk one 10 times. God, I hated it. I hated the 440. I was a sprinter, but I got moved to 440 after a hamstring injury. It almost put me off running for life. We used to cheat in our training, and miss out the walking parts (which defeated the purpose because it meant we weren't going all out on the running parts), and I realized that I actually liked longer distances. I quit track and started running in my neighborhood. There was this brilliant bit with about a mile of rolling hills, and lots of bits through the woods. I got hooked on longer distances and never looked back. I probably should do intervals on a track… but the thought makes me cringe. I'm curious how fast I can do a 400m...

I managed 15mins for my HIIT workout today. I'll get to 20 eventually!

P. s. I seriously need some padded bike shorts.

Yay, @MaryAnn! Well done that woman! Lovely to read your personal history of running too! I didn't discover I liked exercise until I was at uni - at school I wasn't part of the elite group who were going to win awards for the school, and so PE and I tried to avoid each other as much as possible. At uni I discovered I loved bush walking & quite enjoyed squash. But it was never frequent enough to get me enough fitness. It wasn't until I diagnosed myself with diabetes at age 43 that I became a regular exerciser - walking to start with, now dancing & bike riding & Pilates & some XC skiing when I get the chance.

Struggling with my HIIT this week because of the 43 deg Celsius heat - I'll have to rig something up for that today.

Good luck to all HIITers and all exercisers in general today & every day!

Andy Murray (a Scot) seems to have no trouble with a bit of heat in Aus - maybe you lot are getting a bit soft???

yes, well, Andy Murray has a slightly different level of fitness and BMI to me! I'm just hoping to survive until Saturday (cool change)

[Debs]

Watch it creakypete!! Tennis players and ball kids were keeling over today, I'm not prepared to take the chance

They showed the array of cooling devices available at the tennis this week - ice vests, ice "sausages" in a big sleeve to put around your neck, and ice baths - and Andy Murray came in for a special mention as a big user of the bath!

Now I'm wondering, since Juliana has created the HIT club, should we move on over there?

Now I'm wondering, since Juliana has created the HIT club, should we move on over there?

Thanks Jools.

Yes come on in...

exercise-f24/new-club-the-fast-exercise-hit-club-t10741.html

this thread has some great material.

I tried a HIIT class at my gym yesterday. 06.45 am start !!!!! But I need to exercise before work anyway as no time after (daughter, other half, domestics etc).
I have to say I loved it. It was advertised at 30 mins but was more like 40 by the time we warmed up-cooled down etc. We did 4 exercises for 1 minute each. Starting with 1 exercise then rest, building up sequentially to all 4 with no rest. Then the same backwards. No idea how this fits in with the HIIT principles in the fast exercie book but must be better than just lying in bed at that time in the morning!