HIIT Head Count?
Hey Dave,
Yep, you started this thing - and I love it! As you know, I started my journey last Dedember / January playing racquetball and then got into lifting / gym workouts with a personal trainer. Still going to him, but I've been on the hill where I live 3x per week. It's 2.3 miles from Sunset Boulevard up to my house, so 4.6 RT. The steepest grade is over 16%. I warm up with a little jump rope then start out walking and a slow jog to the bottom - coming back up I jog then an all out sprint - kicks the **** outta me, but so far, knock on wood, no injuries. Really has helped the lifting as well, or maybe the HIIT has made me better in the gym?? Don't really know that answer.
But it's all good - I'm holding firm @ 162 lbs - really starting to see the muscle definition and feeling great! My doctor said my nine month check up was perfect, wants to use me as his poster child (grandfather, actually). But last November I was @ 255 +/- if I'd had a good dump that morning - and, as I said, 162 today @ the gym.
Thanks for your continued support man!
Rick
Hi Rick, (and here's #6 !)
Glad to hear you're doing well and obviously working hard and getting fitter.
There have been a lot of books on injuries and I think a lot of them come from too much runnning speed training in the first months.
Sprinting is definitely and explosive power booster. I read that i you already have a lifting base, you can really get a boost in strength by adding sprinting, jumping and other power exercises.
The weights really toughen up the connective tissue and strengthen the supporting muscles. Today is my weight day. I'll very carefully try my jump squats again today. The sprinting seems to have healed my little 10 second pull.
It's funny the jogging seemed to hurt the sore knee a little, but sprinting seems to break the pounding up into little increments, so that it's more of a fluid "toe-knee-hip" splitup of the force. Plus, if you get any speed going at all, the whole body angle will be diferent from that of a jog - it's really biomechanically a completely different exercise.
Good to Hear from You,
Dave
Hi Dan,
The first time especially, it really does seem to "wake up" a lot of muscle tissue, doesn't it?
You look like a youngster, plus the amount of suffering is going to depend on your level of fitness and genetics. My guess is that a lot of MO people have monstrous muscles filled with red muscle cells and barring any joint problems, should adapt well.
My average is about 35 seconds, or what it takes me to run a slightly chopped off 200. Then, I wait for my heart rate to get back down to 135 or 40, which for me is non-labored breathing and start again. It's usually 30 seconds to a minute later, depending on how much "whipazz" I have that day. I don't time anything, usually. But I do have a Powermax bike at work that times it automatically - 30 seconds on/ 30 off X 8.
Always glad to answer any questions I can from 2.5 months experience. There's a lot on the web, but it also seems like a lot of newbies helping other newbies. Most of it's common sense, though - stuff we picked up from our PE teachers and coaches when they tried to kill us.
Dave
Hi Joe,
Yep, you were one of the original count!
That's one thing I've also noticed, that the heavy breathing becomes an upper abs workout.
I do the "heat" training bit, too. My logic is, weather that extreme hot usually doesn't stay around, so getting out for 20-30 minute****ting the HIIT and then coming back in will make the "run of the mill" hot weather much more tolerable when it returns. (it's all about enjoyment, isn't it?). Gotta get that fluid and those electrolytes, too. I make sure I eat something a while before the sports drink, too (salsa or chicken salad). Gives me some slower delivered electrolytes as well as providing something for the Gatoade to hold on to...
As for the weight, you still have the skeleton of a 400 lb man! Might as well make use of it!
Dave
