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I've been a marathon runner for years. However, in the past month or two I've been cutting back my running and doing HIIT uphill walking and it seems to be making a big difference physically (more than those 20 mile runs I used to do).
For example, I'll crank the treadmill up to 9% incline, walk for 2 minutes and then run at 7 MPH for a minute and repeat this cycle for 30 minutes.
My question is:
- Why am I noticing a bigger difference in my stomach "fat" doing this than other typical "long runs" that I used to do?
- Is this bad for my heart? (consistently changing tempos every minute)
- Does this essentially have the same effect as jogging for a minute and sprinting for a minute with no hills?
I don't know if I have the education level to properly answer your question, but I do find your results to be fascinating.
I am not sure what you are doing could be classified as true "high intensity interval training", because typically with HIIT, you would do max physical exertion for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of low intensity exertion, repeated 10 times. Done properly, you probably wouldn't be able to do more than about 10 minutes (or 10 intervals) of this. It sounds more like what you are doing could be classified as just interval training, which is still better than steady state cardio.
About how many miles a day (and for how many minutes) would you say you had been running before switching to interval training? Are you now doing interval training every day? How long have you been doing interval training instead of steady state cardio? Have you noticed a difference in your overall weight and/or body composition (body composition being the amount of muscle and fat you have)?
I do know that anaerobic exercise like HIIT is great for targeting those stubborn fat deposits around the stomach, chest, and love handles.
HIIT shouldn't be dangerous or damaging to the heart. In fact, marathon running may actually be damaging your heart, while interval training is a much safer option: New Study Shows Cardio Workout May Damage Your Heart
I don't know if I have the education level to properly answer your question, but I do find your results to be fascinating.
I am not sure what you are doing could be classified as true "high intensity interval training", because typically with HIIT, you would do max physical exertion for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of low intensity exertion, repeated 10 times. Done properly, you probably wouldn't be able to do more than about 10 minutes (or 10 intervals) of this. It sounds more like what you are doing could be classified as just interval training, which is still better than steady state cardio.
About how many miles a day (and for how many minutes) would you say you had been running before switching to interval training? Are you now doing interval training every day? How long have you been doing interval training instead of steady state cardio? Have you noticed a difference in your overall weight and/or body composition (body composition being the amount of muscle and fat you have)?
I do know that anaerobic exercise like HIIT is great for targeting those stubborn fat deposits around the stomach, chest, and love handles.
HIIT shouldn't be dangerous or damaging to the heart. In fact, marathon running may actually be damaging your heart, while interval training is a much safer option: New Study Shows Cardio Workout May Damage Your Heart
Yeah, probably just interval training not HIIT - regardless I can definately notice a difference. To answer your questions:
- I was running anywhere between 4 - 6 miles a day (30 - 45 minutes) and did a long run (10+ miles) on the weekends before I did interval training.
- I am now doing interval training 4 days a week (on average)
- Ive been doing this for about 6 weeks now instead of steady state cardio
- Weight is down, slightly - but I've also been eating better too. It's probably a combo. However, the body composition is much better.
HIIT is more taxing on the body, this produces better results. The difference comes from the higher oxygen demands your muscles (measured as VO2 max) require of your heart vs. a steady state workout. The body always strives to achieve homeostasis. HIIT basically "shocks" your body more effectively than endurance exercises.
Long distance cardio promotes muscle loss, which slows down your metabolism. If you carry a lot of muscle for long distances, your body burns a ton of calories. If you keep doing this repeatedly and nothing else changed, you would die. So your body makes you more efficient at running long distances to preserve itself; it adapts to the stresses placed upon it. Hence why most long distance runners are very skinny. This is also why many non-elite distance runners have pot belly's.
The reason the interval training is having more of an effect on your stomach fat is very interesting; research has shown that HIIT is much more effective at burning fat than standard cardio. It increases HGH, metabolism, number of mitochondria in your cells, and excess post exercise oxygen consumption. In short, it makes your body better at burning fat for energy rather than glucose and keeps you burning calories even after you've finished your workout.
It's actually great for your heart; it forces it to become stronger and more adaptable. The need for high output during intervals helps the heart pump more strongly and it also requires your body to adapt so it can slow down during rest periods. In short, it's good for your heart.
Finally, you're essentially doing intervals so you can sub in sprinting/walking, skipping rope/resting, rowing on the erg/resting or any other training modality that calls for short, high output and a short rest period.
I personally believe you need to mix up your workouts for maximum results. The problem is many people run the same speed whether they run 2 miles or 10 miles when in reality they should push themselves harder on those 2 mile runs. It doesn't surprise me you are seeing different results by mixing in high intensity cardio.
I find a mix of low intensity steady state cardio, HIIT, and strength training to be most effective at fat loss and a high lean body mass.
My workout schedule is like this:
Seven days a week in the morning, 1 hour of low intensity cardio. This can be done by walking outside or using an elliptical machine or treadmill (my favorite, because I can read or watch TV while I do this). Maybe get one of those standing desks so you can do this while working!
Three days a week is heavy strength training (Starting Strength program). These workouts take about two hours total for me, including warm ups, stretches and rest between sets.
Another three days a week is HIIT.
Then on Sundays, I let me body rest and just do the hour of low intensity cardio.
This is obviously time consuming, but has done wonders for my physical and mental well being.
I've been a marathon runner for years. However, in the past month or two I've been cutting back my running and doing HIIT uphill walking and it seems to be making a big difference physically (more than those 20 mile runs I used to do).
For example, I'll crank the treadmill up to 9% incline, walk for 2 minutes and then run at 7 MPH for a minute and repeat this cycle for 30 minutes.
My question is:
- Why am I noticing a bigger difference in my stomach "fat" doing this than other typical "long runs" that I used to do?
- Is this bad for my heart? (consistently changing tempos every minute)
- Does this essentially have the same effect as jogging for a minute and sprinting for a minute with no hills?
-Belly fat has more to do with eating rather than exercising. Did you change your diet lately?
-No, HIIT is very good for your heart. It quickly increase your heart rate.
-It burns more calories than jogging on a straight treadmill.
I've been a marathon runner for years. However, in the past month or two I've been cutting back my running and doing HIIT uphill walking and it seems to be making a big difference physically (more than those 20 mile runs I used to do).
For example, I'll crank the treadmill up to 9% incline, walk for 2 minutes and then run at 7 MPH for a minute and repeat this cycle for 30 minutes.
My question is:
- Why am I noticing a bigger difference in my stomach "fat" doing this than other typical "long runs" that I used to do?
- Is this bad for my heart? (consistently changing tempos every minute)
- Does this essentially have the same effect as jogging for a minute and sprinting for a minute with no hills?
Quote:
Originally Posted by iama30something
Yeah, probably just interval training not HIIT - regardless I can definately notice a difference. To answer your questions:
- I was running anywhere between 4 - 6 miles a day (30 - 45 minutes) and did a long run (10+ miles) on the weekends before I did interval training.
- I am now doing interval training 4 days a week (on average)
- Ive been doing this for about 6 weeks now instead of steady state cardio
- Weight is down, slightly - but I've also been eating better too. It's probably a combo. However, the body composition is much better.
Intervals have been around in running for at least 50 years. I have always used intervals when I'm training for races. I have run intervals based on research that I read that said the best approach to running intervals was for each interval to last between 2 and 6 minutes. I would ttypicallyjog/run slowly a lap on the track between intervals and gradually try to shorten that time as I got in better shape. A typical workout would be six 800 meters or four 1200 meters with a warm-up slow lap in between each interval and a cool down. Most experts don't recommend doing this more than once a week but you could probably do two a week for a while if you're not racing.
I've also done these intervals on a treadmill and the treadmill can force you to run faster than you think is possible.
HIIT training, OTOH, consists of 20 to 60 seconds of sprint type intervals. This seems to work best on a stationary bike. This type of running is the kind that is most likely to cause injuries such as muscle pulls and tears.
If you have been a marathon runner in the past, why are you cutting back on your running? Have you considered not running marathons but training to run 5Ks and 10Ks. You wouldn't need to do the 20 mile runs but incorporating intervals and tempo runs into your training might help with eliminating the stomach fat. The best type of exercise program is one that includes both aerobic training and weightlifting.
I've been a marathon runner for years. However, in the past month or two I've been cutting back my running and doing HIIT uphill walking and it seems to be making a big difference physically (more than those 20 mile runs I used to do).
For example, I'll crank the treadmill up to 9% incline, walk for 2 minutes and then run at 7 MPH for a minute and repeat this cycle for 30 minutes.
My question is:
- Why am I noticing a bigger difference in my stomach "fat" doing this than other typical "long runs" that I used to do?
- Is this bad for my heart? (consistently changing tempos every minute)
- Does this essentially have the same effect as jogging for a minute and sprinting for a minute with no hills?
What OP seems to be missing is that weight gain or loss mostly depends on whether your caloric total ends up in a surplus or a deficit at the end of the day - or weekly, which tends to be more accurate.
There are other reasons, such as hormones, that play a big role on where these calories go - the proof is evident on steroid users - and while HIIT does improve your caloric partitioning more than let's say, a brisk walk, we cannot really change our hormonal and genetic makeup SIGNIFICANTLY without external tinkering - if you know what I mean.
The rule of thumb is that you get better at what you consistently train. If you perform HIIT regularly, you will be better at doing HIIT. If you perform low intensity cardio, you will likewise get better at doing LISS cardio. These do carry-over, somewhat, but if you want to be elite at a specific thing, you need to train that thing specifically.
So it is a matter of what you WANT to accomplish. I, myself, am a big proponent of HIIT because I find being able to go intense is more beneficial to MY lifestyle. This is something you need to ask yourself, however. What is more valuable to you?
The biggest upside of HIIT, in my opinion, is that it saves you TiME - a non renewable resource. You get in, you murder youself for a few minutes and you're done. In my opinion, this alone makes HIIT better.
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Setting HIIT benefits straight
