Fitness: Is high-intensity interval training worth the pain?

(An observational insight).

One of the most common mistakes I find working with driven professionals is that when it comes to conditioning work they feel they have to flog themselves in order to feel they are making progress.🤯

Training at 100% until they find themselves curled up in the corner looking for a bucket and not understanding where or who they are. 🤢

N.B. Before we go any further though i’m not saying there is anything seriously wrong.

Screen Shot 2019-03-13 at 13.25.18.png

By all means exercise in whatever form is a LOT more positive than no exercise.

But lets LEARN when or who should perform such strenuous training regimes.

Training to the point of absolute exhaustion on a regular (sometimes I’ve seen daily) basis is NOT smart training and is not always the way to go. Especially if you haven’t trained in a few months / years.

Do you have to train at 100% intensity? 🧐

Yes there is benefits to pushing hard and by all means if its working keep doing it.

However…

Since when is it all or nothing???

You see the body is made up of different energy systems.

To explain it simply it takes a different energy to lift a couch up while your other half reaches in for the remote control than it does say to mow the lawn.

Likewise it takes different energy to do 30 minutes on the cross trainer than it does to perform 60 seconds flat out sprint on the treadmill.

But why/when would we as a coaching service say avoid the sprints?

When is the right time to do them.

Who should be doing them?

Do Heavy / Fast interval training if:

  • You are sleeping 7+ hours a night

  • Your job isn’t extremely stressful

  • You’ve put down a good foundation of general fitness (aerobic steady state work)

  • You know how to recover and eat somewhat well

  • You know that you will recover and feel as if you’ve achieved something within an hour after the workout.

Don’t do Heavy / Fast interval training if:

  • Your very stressed (do steady state repeatable conditioning pieces instead.

  • Not sleeping well.

  • Under-eating (Do you know if you are actually eating ENOUGH of the good stuff?)

  • Haven’t exercised consistently in a few months / years.

  • If you have breathing issues.

  • Heart issues / general immune system problems / illness or flu’s 3+ times a year.

All in all it boils down to getting a exercise specialist to PROGRAMME and prescribe exercise that suits your INDIVIDUAL needs.

Don’ t grab a programme written off the internet if there has been no observation on that programme and individualisation towards your goals.

Sure hey you may even find you start enjoying exercise even more as your results start flowing in

😉

Larry Bradyunit 13 fitness