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I've been doing the HIIT program from: http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp


Good news: I lost ~4.5lbs in 5 weeks

Bad news: I am now up to 9 minutes doing my HIIT and I have this pain in my chin that seems to be building up, anyone else have this problem? What should I do?

Also all the power to the person who can do HIIT for 45mins, I don't know how you do it but 9 minutes is killing me. I can no longer jog 30secs after my 5th-6th sprint, it turns into walking for 30 sec to even 1 minute. Should I force myself to jog to fully get the effect?

Above is me.

Sorry for my typo: chin == shin

Pain in the chin and neck area could be due to angina. How old are you? Have you ever had a stress test if you are over 35?

Sorry stephen, but it's my shin that's hurting. I'm 25.

Sorry. not enough coffee! I missed that. ;-)

Sounds like a shin splint. They're common when people up their running activity over a brief time. You might want to try some cross-training activity (eg cardio machines, bike) to avoid extending the (possible) injury

Hey Faisal. I know the program you're doing. 9 minutes of that is great. If you have to go to a walk, then fine, do it. It won't hurt a bit. The idea is to keep some movement going on during the interval. Walking is fine.
Stephen already covered it, but a shift to a non-impact move will work fine. Get on a cycle (stationary or real) and do sprints and jogs. Just about ay machine will work. If you have access to a pool, sprints and treading water will work. Point is, the program listed in your link is a useful GUIDE, but isn't written in stone.
Tim

Thank you Stephen and Tim for your prompt response. Saved my butt from another injury and there I thought being able to run for 90minutes on the treadmill twice a week for 3 months have prepared me for doing HIIT, guess I was wrong. But according to the article, I am definitely heading towards a shin splint injury, so I will rest up for awhile then start with cycling.

I have never done any sprinting since I was a kid, for those of you that are doing HIIT, what kind of surface do you run on? I've been running on asphalt, and according to the shin splint article it's not such a good idea.

Just out of curiousity, how do you guys do your HIIT program?

I only worked up to 7, 30 second max effort sprints. My rests start at 30 seconds and build to 90 seconds, I always keep a jogging pace though. I do mine on an eliptical 99% of the time. I usually jog on level 6, then do max effort on level 18. By the end of a sprint I am starting to feel myself slow down a little. By number 7 I get slower and slower and am almost ready to collapse at the end. after the last interval, I do the jog pace for 3 minutes or so and then cool down another 3 minutes. I also start with 3 minute warm up, working up to jogging pace, then a 1 minute jog before the first interval. My whole program from beginning to end including warm ups and cool downs is about 20 minutes.

I feel like I am going to die at the end of the last interval, but after I am all cooled down and everything I feel pretty good. My lungs feel kind of nice like a muscle does after a good stretch.

I'm not sure that the interval training that I do qualifies as HIIT. But I use, primarily, the Stairmaster Stepmill and the Cybex Arc Trainer. My third choice was Life Fitness treadmills, but I've dropped iit from interval training in recent weeks. Curiously enough, it was because I was having some soreness in my shins. ;-)

I still use it for LSD cardio, though, as well as biking and walking in the park

BTW, how are your running shoes? If you were able to log two 90-minute running sessions for three months without distress, you have a good enough base. Your current shoes might be adequate for LSD, but you might need additional cushioning from the shock of sprinting

How I do my HIIT:

I use a constant 2:1 rest to work ratio. Usually rest for 2 minutes, work for 1 minute. I believe this is better for fat loss, but hey, I may be wrong.

I constantly rotate to machines/exercises between: treadmil, rowing machine, eliptical, stair master, jumping rope, riding a real bicycle, spritining, soccer (soccer is 90 minutes of HIIT), etc

I believe constantly rotating between different machines is more effective for fat loss because you don't get too efficient on any one machine.

I have been playing soccer my entire life and possibly as a result I find HIIT easier than steady pace cardio. HIIT is more difficult physiologically, but I find it easier psychologically because there is something to look forward to (the rest interval).

Hi Faisal. When I do it accordinging to Phillip's article, I use a stationary bike, or if the weather is good, I go on a real bike. However, these days, I prefer circuits done quickly with no rest (see crossfit.com for examples. They call it Metcon) and complexes (see http;//www.istvanjavorek.com) and similar variations. I also like something called HOC which more closely resembles HIIT, but the "sprints"are replaced with high DB or KB lifts done for high reps and a moderate weight. A example would be to take two DB's out on a football field, place them 40-60 yards apart. Do 1 arm snatches from the ground, 10 reps right, 10 reps left arm, jog over to the other DB and do 1 arm clean and jerks, 10 Left, 10 Right, repeat. Squat pushpresses (thrusters) cou.d be used. I can't take impact due to my right hip, so when I do this I have a stationary bike there and jup on it for the "jogs". I just prefer using weights for the sprints, but it's basically the same thing.
Tim

I am in a similar vein as TimD - prefering to alternate between strength movements with little to no rest between. Here is a sample from today's workout:

pyscho circuit plus some singles for giggles:

1s 10r 80lb power snatch - 2" barbell
1s 10r 80lb clean and press - 2" barbell
1s 3r 120lb pwr clean and push press
1s 3r 60lb shoulder sandbag each shoulder
1s 6r 20lb medicine ball thruster throws
1s 3r 120lb pwr clean and push press
1s 3r 60lb shoulder sandbag each shoulder
1s 10r 45lb kettlebell swings each hand
1s 3r 120lb pwr clean and push press
1s 3r 60lb shoulder sandbag each shoulder
1s 1min all out brawl on heavy bag
(total 9 minutes)

2 min rest / 1Litre of water

1s 1r 120lb pwr clean and push press
1s 1r 125lb pwr clean and push press
1s 1r 130lb pwr clean and push press
1s 1r 135lb pwr clean and push press
1s 1r 140lb pwr clean and push press
1s 1r 135lb pwr clean and push press
1s 1r 130lb pwr clean and push press
1s 1r 125lb pwr clean and push press
1s 1r 120lb pwr clean and push press
(total 3 minutes)

Lay on floor and curse myself.

GOOD fun.

This workout took me a total of 12 minutes or so, but kicked the hell out of me. What i try to do is keep moving, alternating movements/implements to keep me motivated and my body guessing. When i gass-out, i take a 2 minute rest and do something a little different, usually a pure strength movement to "warm-down".

Just another twist.

Faisal - most people who get shin splints aren't weigth lifters so solutions aren't geared towards them. You should be able to permanently get rid of them by doing toe raises (with weight on a leg press machine or standing on a block on a squat rack.) Also streatch your calves a whole, whole lot and take ibuproferin or some other anti-inflamatory drug whenever you run. Also, make sure your running shoes are adequate.

This is true - crosstraining in cardio is the best way to avoid overuse injuries, as well as improve all-around cardio capacity. You'd be amazed how many well-conditioned distance runners get winded climbing several flights of stairs.



Actually, the Tibialis Anterior is the muscle affected by shin splints. Adding exercises like these to your routine would be helpful in strengthening them. But no amount of strengthening can protect them from overuse. Be sure to vary your workout to minimize overuse injuries.

It's amazing how I went from this narrow/concrete view of doing HIIT to now seem like an infinite combination of possibilities.

Ironman: Wouldn't it be better if you keep the same level on the eliptical for both jog and sprint? I don't know if this makes sense, but when you jog/sprint on land, resistance isn't increasing that much, mostly just your body moving at different speed.

Tim and Hoister: your program would be something I would like to try out some day.

strathmeyer: I will do my best to strengthen my calves, because I would still love to run every now and then. On the treadmill is nice, but nothing beats a nice run in the park during a good day.

Stephen: Looks we both won't be running any time soon. Never knew getting healthy could also be such a 'pain'. But the running shoes I'm wearing is one of those Nike Shox? It feels pretty good, but I've never given into much thought with my shoes.