after reading a lot on here about HIIT training, i just tried it today and it was good. i used the stair master(the one where you push the pedals up and down, not actually stairs). i got fully warmed up and did a simple method of going hard for one minute then slower for 2 minutes. i did this for 20 mins. after i got going, in my 1 minute hard section my heart rate would get up to 185- 190, and in the 2 minute slower sections it would get to about 175. i am using a polar heart monitor and i am 20 years old. should i set the machine so in my hard 1 minute sections i only get my heard rate to 175- 180 or is it safe doing what i am?

thanks.

Theoretical max heart rate: 220-age.

If you were going 1 min, you weren't doing true HIIT (you couldn't maintain it that long) but that's not to say it isn't doing any good.

Cosgrove has something he uses called "Metabolic Overdrive" which is 1 min all out and 2 mins lower speed. He says his clients lose 1-2lbs/week doing this, combined with his weight training methods.

i know after 20 mins i was done! so to go more towards HIIT, would i need to stay at the high level for more than a min? and is it safe to have my heart rate at 185?

thanks.

For proper HIIT, you need to do maximum effort for 15-30 seconds only at a pace that you can not maintain any longer than that. Anything else is just Interval Training because the intensity of the high intensity intervals is not high enough! No one can maintain their maximum sprint speed for more than 30 seconds, not even world class sprinters!

If you are using the stepper, make sure you have the resistance set as high as the machine will go. For the first 15 seconds of every minute, step as hard as you can, as if you are being chased up some steps by the devil himself. If you have that resistance up all the way, and you are going as hard as you possibly can, 15 seconds will be about all you can do. The next 45 seconds, just be very chill and go slow, and repeat for 15 minutes. When I do it this way, it almost kills me...

ok i understand a lot better now. i'll try it today. should i do this 4-5 times a week? and should i not let my heart rate get so high? (before it was as high as 185-190).

thanks!!

You should only do this training 2-3 times per week. If done right it is very taxing on the body and you need recovery time for it.

As far as your heart rate, this is to train to increase your VO2 Max. Essentially to do that you have to be at 90 to 95% of your Max. heart rate. This is what also creates the highest amount of EPOC (metabolism afterburn). Be careful and listen to your body, but go hard.

ok i will try it this evening, thanks again for all your help!!

Let us know how it goes, it should kick your ass!!!

Yes, you should be near(or at) max when doing HIIT.

ok, just got done doing my first session of HIIT. I did it on the stair master, and did my max for the first 15 seconds of every minute. i had it set to do 15 minutes and i had to quit after 11. i dont think i have ever exhausted my self that fast in 11 minutes. The highest heart rate i reached was 194. after that, i was beat.