HIIT and the elliptical
 

My doctor said that instead of the longer cardio sessions I've been doing, I should try more HIIT (actually she said PACE, but it seems similar) of a shorter duration. I'm curious if anyone does HIIT on the elliptical and what incline and resistance you use, how much time at the high intensity and how much time at the lower intensity. Should one work up to longer times every week? Any information welcome.

Thank you!

What do you mean by HIIT?

HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training...intervals of high intensity, followed by intervals of lower intensity, which repeat. It burns more calories than a steady state workout.

Sheila, my settings depend mostly on heart rate/perceived rate of exertion. I typically go 1 minute at a 9 on a scale of 1-10 level of exertion...just barely under the fastest I can go. Then I go 2 minutes at about a 5-6...a moderate pace. Then I repeat. You may have to tweak the settings to find what puts you at that level...maybe you can do it solely by increasing/decreasing speed (sprint for a min, then go slower for recovery) instead of having to change the resistance all the time.

Thank you! I'll give that a try.