So I finally bit the bullet and reactivated my Y membership. I admit it...I fell into the trap of thinking, "Oh, I'm 'done' with my weight loss...I don't need to keep going to the gym!"

Yeah. NOT SO MUCH.

Anyway. What I discovered upon my return to the Y is that, during the time I've been inactive, they've added these *amazing* new treadmills. And they have an "interval" setting! WOOO! So I tried that tonight, for the first time. The first thing that came into my mind was "Oh fabulous! Now I can try this HIIT stuff I keep hearing about!"

But the thing is...I don't know if the way it worked on that particular treadmill is the "right" way.

I have to add a note here: The Y in my hometown is the only one. And it's *busy* there. So you have to sign up for machines, and there are only 20-minute time slots. Now, if you're on treadmill A for 20 minutes, then you can sign up for treadmill B for the next 20 minutes....but you can't spend more than 20 minutes on any one machine. Which, as you can imagine, can put a bit of a snarl in your workout. (Now, mind you, I'm sure that if you were, like, the only one in the gym, it wouldn't be a problem. *L*)

ANYWAY.

Tonight I got on the treadmill, set it to the "interval" setting. It asked me for my workout time (20 minutes), the minimum and maximum speeds and inclines I wanted (I chose 2.0 mph for my minimum speed, 4.0 mph for my maximum; 5% for my minimum incline and 10% for my maximum.)

Let me tell you, I worked HARD during those twenty minutes! But what I noticed was that the workout was split into 20 one-minute intervals. Now from what I've read about HIIT, it seems as though the work/rest intervals should be different than that (for example, I've read that your work interval should be 1-3 minutes and your rest interval should be 2-3 times that -- so anywhere from 2-9 minutes, depending on the length of your work interval.)

Am I overthinking this? Is my HIIT workout of 20 one-minute intervals going to work me the same way if the intervals are "off"? ARE they off? I need some tips from any HIIT pros out there!

from what i've read about HIIT, it needs to be MAX effort for 30 seconds followed by a rest, slower speed etc of 1 minute or 30 seconds, i'm not sure....when i was doing my version of HIIT i would run at 6.3 speed for 30 seconds, run 7.3 speed for 30 seconds (which is my MAX speed right now) and then walk for 1 minute at a reasonable pace like 3.6 or so...and repeat that for maybe 10 times

i think true HIIT is even harder than what i was doing because i think with true HIIT you shouldnt even be physically capable of doing it 10 times...more like 4 times tops before you collapse

I was told the same thing about HIIT. If I do HIIT, I usually do it on the elliptical or a bike, which makes it easier because I don't have to fiddle with settings like I do on the treadmill. I do 30 seconds of super high intensity, followed by 60-90 seconds at a slower pace, and repeat until I can't! I also read somewhere that 10 mins of HIIT is the same as a regular workout in terms of calories burned.

I have just started HIIT, I do it on the bike because of knee problems. Wow it's tough but I read an article that it burns fat 9x faster than steady state cardio, and the intervals break down glycogen stores which uses fat for fuel.

From what I know of true HIIT workouts... Most people who think that they are doing a HIIT workout aren't unfortunately... Apparently a true HIIT workout wouldn't be able to be maintained for the amount of time most people are doing their intervals for and they don't reach the necessary level of intensity either...

I do speed workouts on a track once a week with the running club that I race for with a coach... and these workouts are intense... intervals run reaching near maximal HR... But it turns out what I thought was a HIIT workout wasn't... It's just a speed workout with intervals... Don't get me wrong interval workouts are great... But apparently true HIIT workouts are on a completely different level....

Do you know what a true HIIT workout is? There is so much conflicting information and opinions out there....even amongst trainers. The workout is tough but I am going to try it in the pool swimming laps, I used to compete so I know how tough racing laps will be. But it will be tough keeping an eye on timing.

what is max HR? i'm hitting heartrate in the 180s during my sprints....and i'm hitting top speeds of 8.1mph on the treadmill right now....i can sustain that for a max of about 30 seconds at that speed...

HIIT stands for high intensity interval training, so let the name be your guide. From what I have read (and practiced), you are alternating from a high intensity level to a moderate or low intensity level for the duration of your workout. High intensity means you are pushing yourself into your ANaerobic state, which you cannot sustain for longer than 1 minute. An easy way to see if you are in this state is to do the "talk test" - talking would be extremely uncomfortable/impossible in this state.

Follow this by a 1-3 minute moderate or low intensity interval. The talk test for this level would be you can hold a conversation, but you would be pausing every sentence to take a breath. This level is to bring your heart rate back down but to keep you active.

To answer your question, I think 1:1 intervals are okay but not true HIIT. In my experience, if you are really reaching your anaerobic state in that high intensity interval, you would need longer than a 1 minute recovery interval.

The old stand-by is is 220 - Your Age = Max HR.... but there are some other formulas that are used... I think if you do a google search it should come up with a few different formulas and online calculators for it... and of course these are estimates, since you would to have an exercise treadmill stress test or something along those line to find your true max HR... I've had mine tested and it's higher than the 220 - Your Age formula... but for simplicity I just set my training HR zones based on the that formula for the most part...

cool! that puts my max HR at 185 and i know i'm hitting in the low 180s at my highest sprint intervals...i can sustain those for about 30 seconds so perhaps i'm doing true HIIT or close to it

Makes sense, my max HR would be 172 and I'm hitting about 168 during intervals, have to push a little harder. It's going to be almost impossible to measure in the water though.

I don't like doing HIIT or cardio in general on machines if I don't have to. There are a lot of good answers here so I thought I'd throw in an alternative instead:

If you don't have any knee problems you should try finding a decent steep hill outside. Sprint up the hill as fast as you can, then walk or jog back down. Repeat that for 15-30 minutes max and you'll be good.

If your knees can't handle it, find a nice field and sprint to one end, then walk or jog back (or sprint half way around a track and walk or jog the other half and repeat.)

Yes... Thank you...I couldn't agree more... But as like to tell people doing intervals... That's AWESOME!!! and keep doing whatever it is that you're doing.... Intervals in and of them selves are INCREDIBLE!!! Will make a BIG DIFFERENCE !!!

according to the formula, my max HR is 185...at the end of a sprint interval my HR can hit 190 and is always above 180...does this make it true HIIT?

Is it even possible to do "true" HIIT on a treadmill? I usually do 30-45 seconds at 9.5 mph and walk at 4.0 for a minute and a half but I don't know if my heart rate rises enough to "count."

Stair stepper and elliptical are good for HIIT - it's torture!