HIIT vs. Steady state cardio - FreeTrainers.com Forums

Group: General Fitness & Exercise

General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 382, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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HIIT vs. Steady state cardio

DividedEntity Posts: 5 Joined: 2007/03/24	2007/05/12, 10:26 AM I'm looking to train for strength rather than hypertrophy or even shaping. I'm guessing HIIT would be better for me? Previously I've been doing about 45 minutes of steady state cardio at quite a fast pace. Could someone suggest what kind o time intervals I should be using for HIIT? For example, how long I should be running before walking, etc.?

DividedEntity Posts: 5 Joined: 2007/03/24	2007/05/12, 10:27 AM Ah, and also, fo weight lifting, could someone confirm that I should be doing sets of around 5 reps? Bearing in mind, once again, that I'm training for strength. Also, how many sets?
asimmer Posts: 8,201 Joined: 2003/01/07	2007/05/12, 10:32 AM You can play with the interval time - sometimes I pyramid up - 30 seconds high, minute moderate, 1 minute high, minute moderate 1 1/2 min high, 1 1/2 minutes moderate, 2 minutes high, 2 minutes moderate and then pryamid back down. I also like to do 3 minutes warm-up and then just 1 minute high, 1 minute moderate for about 15 minutes total and then 3 minutes cool-down (21 minutes total). You don't need a long session for HIIT, I never do more than 30 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down. There is a chance of losing mass doing too much HIIT, I would alternate HIIT with lower intensity steady state, like walking on an incline treadmill. Strength rep range is usually 6-10, sometimes as low as 3-5. You may want to ask about training specifically for strength in the powerlifting forum - lots of info there in the stickies, too. -------------- Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. Thomas Carlyle
Tinnuk Posts: 291 Joined: 2005/12/19	2007/05/17, 11:57 AM You should pretty much always keep reps below 5 if you're avoiding hypertrophy.
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2007/05/17, 12:59 PM Your goals sound contradictory to me. Are you trying to gain strength, or are you trying to lose fat.... What does your diet look like? Above or below maintenance calories?