The Kelsey Report

[INFOGRAPHIC] High Intensity Interval Training

Dr. Tabata initiated the concept in 1996 in a relatively small study. His work was based on “ultra-high intensity” which was 170% of max VO2. In other words, as hard as you can possibly go…and then some.

Tabata intervals – 20 seconds all out with only 10 seconds of rest – are, no joke, extremely demanding and were originally done on a bike (for safety reasons – if you felt sick or light headed, low risk of injury). But since then, the term “Tabata” has become the “kleenex” of fitness – a generic term applied to just about any kind of exercise that lasts 20 seconds with 10 seconds of rest.

But to get the benefits that Dr. Tabata discovered, you really need to get on a bike and follow his protocol – that is if you want to call it “Tabata”.

There are other forms of interval training though and in general, all are helpful. In the graphic, I’m not a big fan of the Turbulence Training model. It doesn’t drive VO2 max like the original Tabata concept and it takes too long. But, you might prefer it.

This infographic gives you a simple of overview of three protocols.

The Complete Guide to Interval Training

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Lacey Bloom says

Great graphic! I use the 1:3 ratio and it is HARD WORK. I don’t think I could sustain that level of work at the Tabata ratio, even for 4 minutes.
I like to use the eliptical for HIIT – I can crank up the resistance and angle and really bust it for 20 seconds or so. I feel like I use my whole body, unlike if I do HIIT on a bike. When the urge strikes, I’ll do sprints/hill runs for my HIIT sessions, but really I love running too much to “waste” a running day on HIIT 🙂

Frequently, right after HIIT on the eliptical (not during) (though sometimes I do feel a little sick during) I get a burning cramp feeling something going just below my belly button. Only lasts a few minutes. Any ideas of what that could be?

    DD Kelsey says

    Hard to say what the cramp is exactly..might look at what you’re eating and when prior to the HIIT sessions. Could be a GI irritation with resulting muscle spasms.

      Lacey Bloom says

      Interesting! I’ll start keeping track of that. Thanks DK!

Omarzia69 says

It takes a while to get HIIT “tuned” for each motion: warming up the right amount, choosing the right resistance….When I tried on a recumbant bike I wasn’t getting up to max HR even after 8 iterations…maybe I need to go less resistance and more speed on that one. I also do it on a elliptical….I think it’s easier for me to get my HR up on that.

    Jimtigerpt says

    Omar,

    I can get my heart rate up both ways. On the elliptical, going fast works as long as I do not “out run” the machine. If that’s the case, I then try to match that speed with a higher intensity level. I have been using the myTrek pulse monitor and both work to keep the rate up in the desired zone. I can kind of feel when I hit the zone with my breathing…..

Lauren Williams says

I’m a visual learner so this thing rocks! What I enjoy most of HIIT is how fast I break a sweat. Feels like proof that my body is really working the way I want it to. That rarely ever happened with my old “cardio” routine. Probably bc I was more focused on meeting my time goal instead of my intensity.

Jeff Taylor says

I am 58 and a lifelong runner – 3 miles/27 minutes/3 times/week. I have a resting pulse of 50, good blood pressure, good cholesterol. My knees are still pretty good for as long as I have been running. I started my own brand of HIIT – sprint/run hard for 20 seconds, jog for 40 seconds, repeat cycle for 20 minutes. Since I don’t see anything quite like this in the graphic above, is this doing me any good or am I wasting my effort?

    DD Kelsey says

    Jeff –

    I don’t believe you’re wasting your time. The interval studies cover a range of time splits. Th ekey is how hard you’re work interval is and with running the risk is the impact load to the joints. That’s one of the reasons a lot of these studies are done on bikes.

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