So HIIT cardio got a good rep there for a while. But then the “cool kids” decided they were too cool for school and started putting it down. The fact that it’s excellent training for most people got left in the dust.
So here’s a pic above from today’s workout. Now that right there is what 99% of the public want — they want to sweat a lot, they want to feel exhausted, and most of all they want to burn crazy amounts of calories because that’s how they judge a good workout. So we’re hearing all the time about how great Fitness Blender Youtube videos is because “OMG! I burn crazy calories!” Yawn.
Fitness Blender (if we’re gonna use a blender, I’d prefer a pina coloda) makes you better at nothing. It just makes you tired. They “blend” a bunch of random stuff together for no purpose. It’s nonsense exercise.
The picture above comes as a consequence of dedicated lifting like barbell squatting, barbell deadlifting, pressing, etc. and doing heavy kettlebells. I do NOT routinely do “cardio” especially on machines because I find it more boring than watching paint dry. I have no idea how people tolerate that kind of exercise and I totally understand why people quit doing it. I would, too. But I also get angry and frustrated at people that do that stuff and then quit because they won’t listen and understand that there is another way to exercise — it’s called training.
So what got me able to burn 730 calories in 20:00?
First, I train instead of doing random exercise. I’m always working the same basic lifts or variations of them in order to get stronger or to increase my work capacity. I don’t do anything at random since that would give me random results.
Second, I focus on leg training. Everyone loves to work their biceps but if i have to skip a day, it will be one of my upper body days. Leg training is a dying art. No one gives it enough priority but i feel it’s the bedrock of a solid program.
Third, when I rarely do machines (like today) I incorporate it into the workout so it doesn’t interfere with strength gains or whatever else I’m emphasizing. HIIT is where it’s at.
Fourth, training heavy increases your strength, meaning you can use more resistance in your conditioning/fat loss workouts. This leads to getting calories burned. How long would it take you to burn the above 730 calories by jogging? Do the math. I’ll give you a hint — it ain’t 20:00.
Realize this — every downstroke on the pedal is a percentage of your 1RM squat, just like Rippetoe says. So if your 1RM squat goes up, the amount of force you can apply to the pedals goes up, meaning you can a higher level on the cardio machines. Throw in some high rep work after squatting heavy and you get increased work capacity, lung capacity and added muscle mass. HIIT fits in nicely right after doing stuff like higher rep work.
The high calories burned is a CONSEQUENCE of doing all the above. It’s never the goal, but it is a result. Thing is, I also got stronger in total, my muscle % went up, my lifts went up, my core strength went up, etc. plus my ability to burn more calories went up. So you get the desired Fitness Blender effect as a side benefit. There is no side benefit from Fitness Blender other than boredom and exhaustion.
So how did I do today’s workout to get the above?
I warmed up and worked exclusively on deadlift. I warmed up to my work sets and then did 4×4 with the heaviest weight i could use. I then backed off by 40kg and did several sets of 6-8. That handled my hamstrings and glutes.
Then I got on my bike and set it so my leg was not fully extended on the downstroke. It stopped extending at around 160 degrees. Just think of keeping the knee bent at the bottom of the stroke and you’ll be fine.
Then I set it for the highest level I could go while keeping the RPM 55-60. It was level 21 today and I pedaled for 5:00. At the 5:00 mark and on every minute and every half minute after that, I sprinted for :10 and rested for :20. So I sprinted at the top of the minute for :10, pedaled at 55-60 RPM for :20, then at :30 I sprinted again for :10, then pedaled at 55-60 RPM again. I kept that up for 15:00 to get 20:00 total and the resistance level stayed high the whole time (I backed off to level 19 for the intervals).
At the end of 20:00 I had burned 730 calories. Not bad for an old man.
Doing the HIIT like this builds muscle and you will feel that when you’re done. I’ll be building muscle for the next day or two from that and calories used to build muscle don’t get added to your fat stores. Plus I get all the “cardio” benefit I need. As long as I keep up my running form via the rare run, I can use this HIIT method to sprint when I need to, run for mild distance if I need to, etc. And because I’m lifting barbells and kettlebells, I don’t have to do these cardio machine sessions a lot. 1-2 a week for 20:00 is enough (if i want to do them at all) and that beats the hell out of doing this stuff for 2-3 hours a day slowly like some people suggest.
So keep this HIIT stuff in addition to lifting regularly and doing HIIT-ish heavy kettlebell workouts and you’ll be burning crazy calories in no time.