H.I.I.T. program outside...

[pavermama]

I did hiit outside for the first time ever and I have to say holy crap!! It was HARD!! I have a slightly unlevel acre and a half of just yard so I have a little hill to run up and across and down etc. I did a trial run to come up with a path to get through the one minute sprint of the hiit phase. After the second round I had to shorten it up because I couldn't make it through the minute at full speed. I only made it to 10 minutes of this because I was so out of breath. I knew it would be harder but didn't realize I couldn't go 15 minutes of doing this. What I'm wondering is, if anyone else has done this outside, what are your interval times. For example, do you run for 45 seconds with 15 second rest? 30 seconds with 20 seconds rest? I just couldn't do the one minute then rest. I couldn't make it for the whole minute. I would like to do it again but would like to see what the ratio is as far as a work/rest for this type of workout with continued benefit. What I want to know is if it would be beneficial to do a 30/30 regimen or would that not work because the rest time is too long? Hope this makes sense!!! LOL!!

[Sohee]

I think you're overcomplicating things. There are many ways to do HIIT... some combinations I've had include 15/45, 30/60, 60/60, 45/90, 120/120... the list goes on....

You could also do HIIT in terms of distance covered, not necessarily time. So you could sprint one length, then jog back. Then sprint again, etc.

[Erik]

I did hiit outside for the first time ever and I have to say holy crap!! It was HARD!!

There has to be little more bad ass than OUTDOOR sprint intervals. Treadmill sprints are a walk in the park comparatively speaking.


After the second round I had to shorten it up because I couldn't make it through the minute at full speed.

When you're doing longer duration intervals, you have to, by default, scale back your running intensity accordingly. You can be pushing 20s sprint pace and expect to hold it for 60s.


I only made it to 10 minutes of this because I was so out of breath. I knew it would be harder but didn't realize I couldn't go 15 minutes of doing this. What I'm wondering is, if anyone else has done this outside, what are your interval times. For example, do you run for 45 seconds with 15 second rest? 30 seconds with 20 seconds rest? I just couldn't do the one minute then rest. I couldn't make it for the whole minute. I would like to do it again but would like to see what the ratio is as far as a work/rest for this type of workout with continued benefit. What I want to know is if it would be beneficial to do a 30/30 regimen or would that not work because the rest time is too long? Hope this makes sense!!! LOL!!

Like Sohee said, mix it up basically. There are so many ways to hit it. The key is, killing it.

[pavermama]

Thank you!! So does it makes a difference how long you do the intervals total? I did 10 minutes outside and couldn't do any more so I finished up on the treadmill for a total of just 15 minutes. I usually do a total of 20 minutes on the treadmill. Does it make a difference if it was only 10 minutes total since it about killed me??

[Erik]

Well, to a point yes, but if you can't do more than 10, you can't do more than 10.

General rule of thumb, the higher the intensity the shorter the duration and vice versa.

Simply set a goal to maybe get 12 minutes next time. It's all about progression.

[pavermama]

Gotcha! Thanks again!!

[TigerEyes]

The way that I look at it, if I'm doing longer intervals, is the hardest I can push for that given length or time. For example, if my goal is to run a certain number of 400m's (outdoors), of course I'm not "sprinting them," but I run the hardest I can for the 400m (usually comes out to about 90s), and then active recover (walk) for an equal length of time.
OR
If I'm doing hill intervals on the treadmill (60s), I will usually put the pace at about 7.2-7.5mph, with an incline of 10. This is obviously not the fastest I can run, but its about the highest level I can keep it at and still make the full minute.
If the interval is shorter (i.e. 20s), then the speed would be faster.
Not sure if this is the exact/proper way to do it, but it seems to work for me.

[Erik]

The way that I look at it, if I'm doing longer intervals, is the hardest I can push for that given length or time. For example, if my goal is to run a certain number of 400m's (outdoors), of course I'm not "sprinting them," but I run the hardest I can for the 400m (usually comes out to about 90s), and then active recover (walk) for an equal length of time.
OR
If I'm doing hill intervals on the treadmill (60s), I will usually put the pace at about 7.2-7.5mph, with an incline of 10. This is obviously not the fastest I can run, but its about the highest level I can keep it at and still make the full minute.
If the interval is shorter (i.e. 20s), then the speed would be faster.
Not sure if this is the exact/proper way to do it, but it seems to work for me.

Good explanation Erin.

[pavermama]

The way that I look at it, if I'm doing longer intervals, is the hardest I can push for that given length or time. For example, if my goal is to run a certain number of 400m's (outdoors), of course I'm not "sprinting them," but I run the hardest I can for the 400m (usually comes out to about 90s), and then active recover (walk) for an equal length of time.
OR
If I'm doing hill intervals on the treadmill (60s), I will usually put the pace at about 7.2-7.5mph, with an incline of 10. This is obviously not the fastest I can run, but its about the highest level I can keep it at and still make the full minute.
If the interval is shorter (i.e. 20s), then the speed would be faster.
Not sure if this is the exact/proper way to do it, but it seems to work for me.

I have a very generic, simple treadmill that just dials faster or slower, no incline. This is why I decided to take it outside because I can actually run faster then the treadmill can go at full speed. I'm going to have to do things a few times to see what 'speed' to actually set myself at because I've never done these intervals anywhere else but on the treadmill. I like the idea of going to a track and doing the 400 m's. Thanks for the ideas!!!

[rainy]

I prefer to do my HIIT outside, but if I have to do them inside on a treadmill I always set the incline to 1-1,5° in a vague attempt to mimic the uneven surface of outside. If the grade is 0° I feel like running downhill :treadmill: