H.I.I.T.

or otherwise known as high intensity interval training. I love intervals for their efficiency and boredom attacking ways. H.I.I.T. is my most recent favorite training sword, or at least runs right at the top. What are these you ask? Allow me to explain.

Crossfit (where I gained my trainer certs) has a couple wicked workouts based around Tabata, peruse their site (FREE!) and discover the ninja way, ha ha! Tabata intervals (named so after Dr. Tabata who discovered them, read more here) are intervals based on a 2:1 work rest ratio. Most common format, maybe the only true one as well, is 8 sets of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. This equals 4 mins and you do it with squats, pushups, pullups, situps, whatever.

Now, H.I.I.T. is an awesome beast and one that I am just beginning to play around with more. I have not done much, until recently, outside of the CF Tabata programs. So now we get funky! Reverse the ratio, extend the time and jump on a treadmill for an evil awesome workout. Minimum 3 rounds on this one folks, and I have yet to make it past 6 rounds. Here's how it goes down.

(photo courtesy of this blog found via Google image search for treadmill running)

Warm up for 5 minutes at a nice easy pace, I do mine around 3-4mph. Then let the fun begin. Turn the speed to one that is near as fast as you can go, for me that is 7.5mph right now. And then GO, for a full minute. At the end of the minute take it back down to an easy pace for two minutes which I do 3mph. Repeat (at least twice) Warning, this will kick your butt and right at the end of that minute all out run you will think you are going to die! But it works wonders. Your heart will work hard then calm down and over again. SO effective folks!!

I have found a little formula that has worked with some of my trainees, whatever your pace you normally hit the treadmill at for your long 30-45 min cardio workouts can be the middle ground for finding your pace here. For example Sean normally does 6-7 mph, so we took him 2 mph both ways for 4mph at the low pace and 8-9mph for the high pace.

So it looks a little something like this when I am playing:
1:00-5:00 walk/jog warm up 3-4mph
5:00-6:00 RUN 7-8mph
6:00-8:00 walk 3-4mph
8:00-9:00 RUN 7-8mph
9:00-11:00 walk 3-4mph
11:00-13:00 RUN 7-8mph
13:00-15:00 walk 3-4mph

DONE! 15 minutes, I feel like I have ran my butt off for miles and you will feel the intensity, trust this! Have I mentioned I love the way intervals battle boredom, especially for me when applied to running which I really only enjoy outside, and even then, its a wink link in my bag of tricks.

Let me know how it goes my fellow gym rats!