The question this time is the following: “for what shall I need to practice High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) which is so trendy, if I already run for hours on the tapis roulant at low intensity (burn fat zone)?”
The so called “burn fat zone” which is usually at heartbeat between 60 and 70% of the maximum pulse rate, is bullshit! Some studies demonstrated that at the above mentioned heartbeat, during a low intensity and prolonged training like it could be running, for instance, the body utilizes a big amount of fat to produce energy. Till now everything matches, right? The problem is that those studies have been conducted evaluating endurance athletes, like marathon runners. A serious marathon runner develops during the time the ability to utilize more fat to preserve glycogen (sugar stocked in liver and muscles) . We are talking about athletes and not about the housewife who decided after years of inactivity, to start running on the tapis roulant. So forget the fat burn zone and focus on something else. In order to be fit, you need to work harder and to put some serious effort. Coming back to HIIT, it is a training method based on intervals between high intensity and low intensity activity. If for many years, I have been training, running for example, 45 minutes at very low speed with the intention of increasing kcal burnt every session, I did something wrong and I should review my training plan. What I did, indeed, is to slow down till involuntarily ending training my body. Human body gets used quite quickly to stimulation and therefore it stops training, stops improving and even it starts to get worst. If i try to run always few minutes more, my aerobic capacity is increasing but what about aerobic power? in few words, if I would like to run from 8 km/h to 10 km/h, how long will I resist? If I am used for years at my slow and comfortable speed, than I won't resist so long. HIIT develops instead your aerobic power! I can read the question in your eyes: but for what I do need aerobic power?? I just want to burn calories!
The answer is, if I train the aerobic power, progressively I also increase the VO2 max which is the maximum capacity or volume of oxygen I can utilize during my training. Together with sugars and fats, it allows me to burn calories. It is actually necessary for it and for the chemical reaction! This is also the reason why we are burning calories in different ways: certain people are absolutely not accumulating fats despite eating anything, because the VO2 max is higher than others.
Finally, HIIT can be practiced during running, biking, swimming or weights lifting, body weight workout etc… it is a versatile way of training which is requiring less time. Obviously, for a correct application of the method, please refer to a qualified personal trainer!
Enjoy your HIIT session!
Personal Trainer Andrea Nolli
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