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So I decided to start HIIT today and I've got a few questions.

For the first sprint, I went balls out 100% effort. I went nearly 3/4 of the track. After that initial sprint, I was dead tired. To put it in perspective, I wasn't too far off from running a 400m. Anyone who does a 400m sprint knows that you'll be gasping for air after just 1 loop. As a result, by the final sprint, I was dead tired. In fact, I felt like puking and that probably prevented me from going all out again.

So, I don't believe it is possible to do that continuously for 15 minutes by the end of the HIIT program.

Should I be giving 100% max effort on each sprint? Or should I be going at 90% speed?

When I finally caught my breath, I just did 2 cycles of HIIT just to see how 90% sprinting would be. I think that if I did 90% speed, HIIT would be manageable and I could do it continuously.

So, should I go 100% or 90%?

You're supposed to go 90% at least for each sprint in your workout. Also, each sprint should be shorter, 30 seconds at most. If you're running 300m in 30 seconds then you're already in incredible shape, so I see that as unlikely. You're supposed to run (I think) between 60 and 220m for each sprint.

for my HIIT, I like to do my first 30 at 100%, double the rest time to 60 seconds (sometimes I have to walk a little), hit the second sprint at 85-90, restrict to 30 seconds rest. Then I do a series of 7-10 second intervals at 100% (number depends on my fatigue level), after the final short interval let rest go to 60 seconds and follow with a 90% sprint (30 sec rest) and then a max effort sprint to finish. I was trying to follow this http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp program but I think my effort level was too high on the sprints and I'd end up wrecked for several hours after just a 5 minute session, thats when I changed to what I currently do (when I have time).

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No, I cannot run 300m in 30 seconds.

However, I can run around 250m in 30 seconds. However, after that first "bustin ass" sprint, my distance dramatically decreases.

I figure 200m should be a good distance then. I figure some consistency would be better than shuffling along at the end with no energy.

BTW, is it okay to do a 1-2 mile jog after HIIT? it's 1-2 miles from my house to the track so I figure a light jog after my workout might prevent lactic acid buildup. Of course, I'll rest between finishing HIIT and jogging, but I'd just like to know if this would be advisable.

BTW (part 2). What do you guys think about a variation of HIIT with shorter intervals? As in 15 second sprints, and 15-20 second jogs? This would probably jack up the intensity as I think it's possible to go 100% for only 10 -15 seconds (one straightaway on the track). Plus, for sport specific training such as football, plays usually only last for 4-5 seconds, so it might be more sport specific.

Boy, I have a lot of questions/comments...

From the article:





Sounds like a normal warm-down.