Читать книгу New Anatomy for Strength & Fitness Training - Mark Vella - Страница 19

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) consists of repeated, short bursts of exercise, completed at a high level of intensity, followed by a predetermined time of rest or low-intensity activity. It is usually done in repeated cycles: for example, do as many reps as you can in 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and repeat, repeat, repeat.

HIIT workouts are shorter and more challenging. The total duration of a HIIT workout can be 4 to 12 minutes, seldom 20. High-intensity workouts are generally considered to be 80% or more of your Predicted Maximum Heart Rate (PMHR) (see here). Recovery intervals are generally at 40% to 50% of PMHR to feel comfortable. HIIT protocols are widely applied to many kinds of exercise.

The recent popularity of HIIT stems from HIIT research protocols performed on a cycling ergometer by Japanese Olympic speed skaters using a format of eight cycles of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. This became known as the Tabata protocol. This, and other research since, showed better results than more moderate, longer-duration programs. Additionally, many millennials feel they don’t have the time for the longer, steady-state workouts. These workouts are therefore losing ground to HIIT-oriented workouts, such as Orangetheory, Zumba, SoulCycle, and CrossFit.

However, it’s sometimes overlooked that true HIIT training can more easily result in injury and overtraining, especially in those without a fitness base and when overused. The truth is that most people who think they are doing HIIT workouts are probably doing more HIVT (high-intensity variable training). This means that there is much greater variation in heart rate levels and rest periods, thereby reducing the injury and overtraining component of the workouts.