How many days a week for HIIT?

I'm don't do much interval training (I'm just not crazy about it), but I've heard 2-3X a week. Also that you shouldn't do more than 3X a week b/c it's bad for the central nervous system.
 
Laura - Question

Not that I do a bunch of HIIT sessions a week - why do they say it's bad for the central nervous system? Just curious.
 
As a mother of 4 - 2 being very young - the 20 minute HIIT sessions appeal to me but that's definitely something worth knowing. I guess it's like everything else - too much of a good thing is never a good thing!!

Thanks for link Laura!
 
Waaahhh!! I'm more confused!

After reading information like the link from LauraMax, I wonder if what I am doing is wrong. I do HIIT for no more than the recommended number of days a week but I definitely do it for more than 20 minutes. Cardio Coaches are considered modified HIIT as I am sure iTrains are. The newer Cardio Coaches are about an hour. Even the older ones are close to 40 minutes. What is correct? It is all so confusing!

Carrie
 
1gruntgal said:
Hmmm...I've been doing CC 5x/week for the last 4 weeks or so...
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I hope one of our fello CC addicts will chime in with their thoughts. I don't want to damage my central nervous system while trying to improve my cardiovascular system:(.

Carrie
 
No disrespect intended, but if you want more information I wouldn't rely on a random forum post to answer all your questions.
 
When you do too much of anything without recovery, you are going to burn out (or what everyone calls overtraining). Since HIIT is high intensity and anaerobic, I think there are several variables here that should be looked at before making the assumption that HIIT performed more than 2 or 3 times a week will cause CNS damage. It also depends on the person's current fitness level, the intensity and duration of training, and subsequent rest and nutrition. I just think its way too simplified to say what this guy said.
 
dawnmh22 said:
is it 1-2 times a week or 2-3 days? and does it depend if you are a beginner and advanced.TY!
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One of the things I think you need to personally look into is what HIIT means to you.... Lets use Imax 2 as a general reference point: Some say that Imax 2 is HIIT...Approx 2 minutes "recovery step" followed by 1.5-2 min high intensity....From another perspective some say HIIT is so intense that your body wouldnt be able to take for longer than approximately 20 minutes (so Imax 2 is Interval Training)...If your body cant even go beyond a 20 minute mark to be considered HIIT hat means your range of recovery & Interval intensity must be pretty darn far apart. I think alot of us get confused at times (at least I do) by the differences between Interval Training & HIIT. In a training world its two entirely different things.

Since my body changes in how it feels day to day I gauge the # of times I do HIIT (by any definition) on how my body feels. Staying with the Imax 2 example:
On monday I do IMAX 2 & I am absolutely wiped out after a 30 minute session then I wouldnt choose to do a HIIT seession again for 3-4 days - If however I do IMAX 2 on Monday & get thru the entire thing with relatively no problem (other than sweat & general fatigue) then I'd do a non step form of HIIT in probably 2-3 days. I always go my body- the "rules" in fitness are constantly changing as is everything in life- I can't base decisions about my body on any "1 set of rules" and even if I "wanted to" my body is the ultimate decision maker about what I am capable of doing on any given day.

Because the human bodys response to HIIT (and exercise in general) varies due to many more variable than just fitness and tempo/speed/pace of exercise- (Humidity, air quality, ttom, sleep, hydration, nutrition, the type/intensity of lifting etc)....I think its hard & possibly detrimental to our overall fitness to find a hard # for "how many times per week". Interval training (varied activity & intensity) is pretty much all the cardio I do anymore which is usually just every other day. Those all arent considered HIIT - just 1 or 2 per week

Just my thoughts....Great question BTW!
 
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Beavs said:
No disrespect intended, but if you want more information I wouldn't rely on a random forum post to answer all your questions.
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Actually I was gonna say something similar (although I'm not sure I'd consider my post "random"). Most of the sites that popped up when I googled it said studies were scarce, so you have to take everything w/a grain of salt.
 
Hi teddy my HIIT is running

I start out with a 5 minute warm up and then sprint for 20-30 second to a 10.0 speed with a 4% incline and then I go down to a 3.5-3.6 slow walk for 40-60 seconds and keep rotating for about 20-25 minutes. Its intense! I wear a heart monitor to make sure im working hard enough at 90-95%. so 1-2 times would probably the max. and to find my target heartrate I go by my resting heartrate not just based on your age. I find the resting heartrate is more accurate Imo. TY!
 
Not your post Laura, that of the link which you provided. I think it's a good starting point for looking for more credible sources. That's all I meant ;)
 
Beavs said:
Not your post Laura, that of the link which you provided. I think it's a good starting point for looking for more credible sources. That's all I meant ;)
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Gotcha Beavs, thanks for clarifying. :)

Most of the links I found said almost exactly the same thing--that 3X a wk 20 minuts max was recommended in theory, but I think even the author in the link I posted said it wasn't a concrete fact. The reason I posted that particular link was b/c it gave the shortest, easiest to understand explanation.

Which kind of goes to what many of us keep saying about what's the most effective exercise: it's whatever YOU like to do best. ;)
 
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