Tabata and/or other HiiT - need real life experiences

SRP

SRP

Cathlete
Well, the good old menopausal weight gain has begun. And I'm not going down without a fight. I know all the literature and research says HIIT and heavy lifting are the way to go, and I'm willing to give it a shot - sort of.

I'm lifting about as heavy as I can due to physical limitations, and high impact cardio is out for the same reason. But I have an elliptical and want to try some HIIT on it. I'm also limited on time. So my question is:

Does Tabata really work? A 4-minute workout that blasts fat sounds like the next miracle diet, if you know what I mean. But the shorter the workout, the better chance I have of fitting it in.

So can you all please tell me your experiences with Tabata and other HIIT?

I figure that if I try Tabata, I'll actually be at about 15 minutes with warm-up and cool down. Other HIIT seems to average about a half hour. Saturday I tried a Tabata style workout, based on 20:10 work to rest ratio. I really pushed on the elliptical, but felt I could go longer, so I actually spent 10 minutes working (I got a little slower at the end!), for a total of 19 minutes with warm-up and cool down.

Other info, in case you're interested:
Monday: Upper body. Tuesday: Low impact cardio (Afterburn, etc.). Wednesday: Lower Body. Thursday: elliptical cardio. Friday: Total body weights (Super Cuts, Flex Train, etc.). I figure I can do a quick HIIT on Saturday, or maybe after a weight workout.

Diet: I'm a vegetarian and eat pretty clean. I'm going to make a few tweaks, but nothing major, because I want to enjoy what I eat. :)

Thanks so much for any advice you can give.
 
Hi there,
I'm in the same menopause boat as you and in my experience it's been the diet that's had more impact - mainly cutting out sugar as much as possible in order to drop a few pounds. Having said that, I do focus on heavy weights and mainly Hiit for cardio and really enjoy this type of exercise. Tabata is really difficult to get the desired effect on your own - ie, most people don't actually push themselves to the limit in those 20 seconds. I find it mentally draining but empowering once I finish - but cannot do it without a DVD with someone verbally encouraging me to continue. If you have Cathe's Tabatacize you could try doing one or two of those on a Saturday or one after your weight workout? You just may not have much stamina left after heavy lifting. I really like using my spinning bike for tabata drills and Mindy Mylrea has some very tough Hiit/ Tabata DVD's.
Good luck!
Jamie
 
Hi Jamie - thanks so much for your input. You're right - I don't think I can push myself as hard as is required by a true Tabata. So I guess I'll be trying the standard HIIT. I've already cut sugar out of my diet - it's made a huge difference in other health-related aspects. I'll check out Mindy Mylrea's stuff.
 
Amy Dixon has some really good Tabata/HiiT workouts in her Breathless Body series. In the two I have, she does the moderate version of a move, and then she has one modifier doing an easier version and one doing a more advanced version. So depending on how you feel that day, you can follow whichever one you like. The workouts are each about an hour long, but you can just do a couple of the tabatas/HiiTs and call it a day.
 
I hate to say it but short HIIT training never really helped me to lose weight. I just didn't burn enough calories. So, I'd second Jodi's recommendation of Amy Dixon since her workouts are longer and they have a lower impact/easier modifier. And they are a lot of fun!
Lorrie
 
I agree about the sugar! Get rid (except for red wine. cmon, ya gotta live a little).

Have you looked at Craig Ballantyne's workouts? He has quite a few on youtube that you can try. I find him pretty effective. Doing standing weighted ab work with 25's in my hand also helps my waistline. I am post menopausal (menopaused at 45) so am enjoying the same challenges :)
 
Well, I'm headed in another direction now. I've really, really thought about this, and worried about it, came close to obsessing about it, and prayed. My gut is telling me to avoid HIIT. In the past when I've tried super high intensity work (high or low impact), I always get some sort of injury - like hip bursitis once from overworking on the elliptical. That was a tough one to heal.

So I'm going to add in an outdoor fitness walk on Saturday and pick up the pace according to what I feel is right. I do a lot of walking with my dog, but that involves stopping while she sniffs things, plays in a mud puddle, etc. So I'll leave her at home for an hour or so and see how this works. I've done this before, but had to cut it out a while back due to feet problems (unrelated to the walking). I enjoy walking, and the mental health benefits for me are HUGE. I'll also focus on diet - not cutting calories, but really watching the quality of what I eat - more leafy greens, and that sort of thing. If I don't see changes in my weight or measurements, oh well. I'll know I'm as healthy as I can be.

Let's just hope I can keep a healthy mindset!
 
Well I'm the same pre menopause problem, I was in the same weight for more than 4 years and now I gain 15 lbs, for 3 months I been try it hard to lose weight and nathing is so sad all my clothes are very tight, and don't fit any more. I don't know wath to do

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
 
SRP, I just felt compelled to add my two cents from my own experience. Please know everything within this post is to be helpful. Everyone is different so if it does not resonate with you feel free to discard.

Even though menopause is a natural process many women have hormone imbalances prior to menopause so when they go into menopause things can get even worse. I do not believe we need to accept the negative side effects of menopause.

I don't know if weight is the only thing that has changed for you; however, please know you do not have to succumb to the thinking, "well, I hit menopause so I guess I have to just accept the weight gain."

Working with a practitioner, typically a functional medicine practitioner such as a naturopath, can help you balance your hormones. Many women are dealing with adrenal fatigue and a sluggish thyroid. These issues need to be addressed to feel your best, especially during/after menopause.

I hope this helps and I love that you are going in the direction of doing exercise that feeds your spirit. I very much believe that when we do something we do not want to do, but we think we "should" do it, it hinders our health, it doesn't help it. You are so right about the mindset. Good luck to you!
 
Just chiming in to say that eliminating sugar is key. And that means all sugar, most especially alcohol (wine)!!! That is one of the worst offenders. I have eliminated sugar just to feel better and see better definition with my workouts, but I have many menopausal friends who have come off years of sugar and their results are astounding.

One friend in particular has lost about 15 pounds and come off all her medication, including high blood pressure meds and Claritin that she was taking for her sinuses. She has combined the no sugar rule with daily bootcamps (HIIT, Tabata, etc) and weight training. She looks and FEELS amazing. Oh, and she just turned 60.
 
I agree with JeanneMarie! Menopause was brutal for me - weight gains for no apparent reason, mood swings, lack of sleep...the list goes on. Cutting out sugar (including alcohol) was the best thing I did! Not easy but well worth it. This enabled me to sleep better which was also very helpful. I also increased the intensity and frequency of my workouts - heavier weights, metabolic workouts as well as a couple of Hiit workouts per week. These things did the trick! Don't give up hope. It takes some time but the journey of rediscovering your body and what it needs now can be a rewarding one.
 
So when you talk about eliminating ALL sugar, are you including natural sugars found in such things as fruit and dairy products? I just hit menopause so no weight issues (actually lost weight coming off birth control), but I'm curious. I'm working hard at avoiding added sugars, but I still love fruit and dairy, in moderation of course.
 
Like Jane, I eat some fruit and dairy, but I'm not trying to lose weight. My friend who lost the weight and changed her body so drastically stopped ALL sugar, including fruit. There is sugar in fruit. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that since eating fruit is healthy, the sugar in it doesn't count. It most certainly does. If losing weight is your goal... then no fruit!
 
I don't agree that you have to give up all fruit in order to lose weight; there are fruits that are lower in sugar like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, even eating a green banana(not too green) are lower in sugar. I don't believe you should eliminate a food group, like fruit that has so many good vitamins, minerals and fiber to lose weight. Fruit can certainly be included in a sensible weight loss plan.
 
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