You see, today, you are going to learn something by doing it. This is going to be educational through personal experience. So, prepare yourself to get out of your chair and move around for a few minutes.

You can do a lot of pushups in 4 minutes. Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reidgilman/

Instructions:

Step 1) Select one exercise from the list below, preferably one you’re familiar with and comfortable doing for several repetitions:

• bodyweight squat
• pushup
• spinal rock
• front or reverse lunge
• bird dog
• another comparable exercise of your choice

There, that was the easy part.

Step 2) Now, I also want you to get either a timer, or a clock/watch with a second hand and place it somewhere you can easily see it while practicing that exercise.

We’re going to do a mini-workout that lasts for only four minutes – just enough to get your heart rate going and break a sweat without utterly exhausting you.

Step 3) So, let’s say you picked the bodyweight squat exercise. Here is what I want you to do…

After a brief warmup, repeat the following 8 times in a row: 20 seconds of bodyweight squats, followed by 10 seconds of rest (then immediately into the next 20 second round of bodyweight squats). The total duration should equal four minutes.

Warning: do not attempt if you are injured, unfit, or otherwise wimpy. Only attempt with clearance from your doctor and if you want to enjoy exponential fat burning benefits from a ridiculously short time investment.

Performance tips:

-Use the first 3 rounds as gradually escalating warmup rounds. Focus on your technique and try to make each repetition perfect – even if you must go very slowly to dial in the correct movement pattern. For rounds 4-6, gradually start to build intensity, but maintain good technique as your highest priority. At this stage, the challenge should be moderate, but not extreme (rating of perceived exertion should be between 60-80% of your max). The last two rounds should be an all-out effort (80-100% of your max exertion), and you should be striving to maximize the amount of good repetitions you can score during those short, 20 second windows.

-This should not be four minutes of all-out effort. It’s not a 4 minute “set.” Instead, pace yourself and only push hard for the last 2 rounds. You don’t want to go over-kill in the beginning and burn out before the end. Think of the 8 successive rounds as a formula for peaking at the very end. Round 8 should be your highest scoring round.

Step 4) Go for it!

Step 5) Once you’re finished: catch your breath, drink some water, and shake it out.

What you just did

You just combined a simple bodyweight exercise with a powerful training method called the 20/10×8 protocol, which is based on the Tabata high intensity interval training method (HIIT). This is an example of an intermittent, anaerobic, high intensity workout, which can be used to increase your conditioning level, and also help you burn fat via the EPOC effect, among other things. EPOC stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (aka the “afterburn”), and essentially means that your body goes into oxygen debt after strenuous exercise, and that causes the release of fat stores for energy post-workout. In other words, you keep burning fat AFTER you’re done exercising.

Researchers have found that EPOC can last for several hours after the conclusion of training, one study concluding that EPOC lasted for 38 hours following a strenuous session. We can use this to our advantage by modeling the method in our own training programs. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to keep burning fat for hours, and possibly even days, after my training session is over.

How to Use This in Your Program

1) As a workout finisher – If you feel like you’ve got a little extra juice in the tank when your regular workout is over, consider adding a single 4 minute session to the end as a finisher. Take the opportunity to go all-out and make sure you’re putting in as much work as you possibly can before cooling down. Still got more energy? Go for two finisher rounds.

2) As a separate mini-workout - The great thing about these 4 minute sessions is that they only take four minutes. You could squeeze one of these in at the beginning of the day, during your lunch break, or just before dinner, etc. I’d caution against doing this type of training before bed though. You’ll probably be wired for a few hours afterward.

3) Create a whole workout based on this protocol – Pick 4-6 exercises, and then do a 4-minute round for each one. Give yourself 1-2 minutes in-between each round to rest up and then start the next one. If you choose this route, make sure you have a more than sufficient warmup and a targeted cooldown routine. Some rest and recovery strategies will come in handy during and in-between rounds, too (vibration training, breathing exercises, mobility drills, etc.). This one will take a lot out of you, which is why I recommend you only choose up to 6 exercises. Keep the volume on the low side so that you can really crank up the intensity. And also be sure to liberally use the performance tips posted above.

If you’re interested in a complete training program that uses this exact protocol to help you burn fat, build muscle, and develop functional fitness, then click here to check out TACFIT Commando, which contains 9 months worth of training programs specifically using this same exact 4 minute formula.

Or, if you’ve never heard of TACFIT before, click here for an interview with Scott Sonnon about TACFIT to learn more.

So, for those who actually did this… which exercise did you choose, how many reps did you score during the final round, and what did you learn?

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CST Coach, CST-KS
Health-First Fitness Coach

References:

Baker, E. J., and T. T. Gleeson. EPOC and the energetics of brief locomotor activity in Mus domesticus. J. Exp. Zool. 280: 114–120, 1998.

Schmidt, Wilfred Daniel (1992). The effects of aerobic and anaerobic exercise on resting metabolic rate, thermic effect of a meal, and excess postexercise oxygen consumption. Ph.D. dissertation, Purdue University, United States — Indiana. Retrieved March 30, 2011, from Dissertations & Theses: Full Text.(Publication No. AAT 9301378).

Schuenke MD, Mikat RP, McBride JM (March 2002). “Effect of an acute period of resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption: implications for body mass management”. European Journal of Applied Physiology 86 (5): 411–7.

Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, et al. (1996). “Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO₂max”. Med Sci Sports Exerc 28 (10): 1327–30.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) 5x Less Effective than Steady State Cardio???

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT for short, has been promoted as one of the most effective training methods ever to come down the pike, both for fat loss and for cardiovascular fitness. One of the most popular claims for HIIT is that it burns “9 times more fat” than conventional (steady state) cardio. This figure was extracted from a study performed by Angelo Tremblay at Laval University in 1994. But what if I told you that HIIT has never been proven to be 9 times more effective than regular cardio… What if I told you that the same study actually shows that HIIT is 5 times less effective than steady state cardio??? Read on and see the proof for yourself.

“There are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics.”

- Mark Twain

In 1994, a study was published in the scientific journal Metabolism by Angelo Tremblay and his team from the Physical Activity Sciences Laboratory at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. Based on the results of this study, you hear personal trainers across the globe claiming that “HIIT burns 9 times more fat than steady state cardio.”

This claim has often been interpreted by the not so scientifically literate public as meaning something like this: If you burned 3 pounds of fat in 15 weeks on steady state cardio, you would now burn 27 pounds of fat in 15 weeks (3 lbs X 9 times better = 27 lbs).

Although it’s usually not stated as such, frankly, I think this is what some trainers want you to believe, because the programs that some trainers promote are based on convincing you of the vast superiority of HIIT and the “uselessness” of low intensity exercise.

Indeed, higher intensity exercise is more effective and time efficient than lower intensity exercise. The question is, how much more effective? There’s no evidence that the “9 times more fat loss” claim is true outside the specific context in which it was mentioned in this study.

In order to get to the bottom of this, you have to read the full text of the research paper and you have to look very closely at the results.

13 men and 14 women age 18 to 32 started the study. They were broken into two groups, a high intensity intermittent training program (HIIT) and a steady state training program which they referred to as endurance training (ET).

The ET group completed a 20 week steady state aerobic training program on a cycle ergometer 4 times a week for 30 minutes, later progressing to 5 times per week for 45 minutes. The initial intensity was 60% of maximal heart rate reserve, later increasing to 85%.

The HIIT group performed 25-30 minutes of continuous exercise at 70% of maximal heart rate reserve and they also progressively added 35 long and short interval training sessions over a period of 15 weeks. Short work intervals started at 10 then 15 bouts of 15 seconds, increasing to 30 seconds. Long intervals started at 5 bouts of 60 seconds, increasing to 90 seconds. Intensity and duration were progressively increased over the 15 week period.

The results: 3 times greater fat loss in the HIIT group

Even though the energy cost of the exercise performed in the ET group was twice as high as the HIIT group, the sum of the skinfolds (which reflects subcutaneous body fat) in the HIIT group was three times lower than the ET group.

So where did the “9 times greater fat loss” claim come from?

Well, there was a difference in energy cost between groups, so in order to show a comparison of fat loss relative to energy cost, Tremblay wrote,

“It appeared reasonable to correct changes in subcutaneous fat for the total cost of training. This was performed by expressing changes in subcutaneous skinfolds per megajoule of energy expended in each program.”

Translation: The subjects did not lose 9 times more body fat, in absolute terms. But hey, 3 times more fat loss? You’ll gladly take that, right?

Well hold on, because there’s more. Did you know that in this oft-quoted study, neither group lost much weight? In fact, if you look at the charts, you can see that the HIIT group lost 0.1 kg (63.9 kg before, 63.8 kg after). Yes, the HIIT group lost a whopping 100 grams of weight in 15 weeks!

The ET group lost 0.5 kilograms (60.6 kg before, 60.1 kg after).

Naturally, lack of weight loss while skinfolds decrease could simply mean that body composition improved (lean mass increased), but I think it’s important to highlight the fact that the research study from which the “9 times more fat” claim was derived did not result in ANY significant weight loss after 15 weeks.

Based on these results, if I wanted to manipulate statistics to promote steady state cardio, I could go around telling people, “Research study says steady state cardio (endurance training) results in 5 times more weight loss than high intensity interval training!” Or the reverse, “Clinical trial proves that high intensity interval training is 5 times less effective than steady state cardio!”

Mind you, THIS IS THE SAME STUDY THAT IS MOST OFTEN QUOTED TO SUPPORT HIIT!

If I said 5 X greater weight loss with steady state, I would be telling the truth, wouldn’t I? (100 grams of weight loss vs 500 grams?) Of course, that would be misleading because the weight loss was hardly significant in either group and because interval training IS highly effective. I’m simply being a little facetious in order to make a point: Be careful with statistics. I have seen statistical manipulation used many times in other contexts to deceive unsuspecting consumers.

For example, advertisements for a popular fat burner claim that use of their supplement resulted in twice as much fat loss, based on scientific research. The claim was true. Of course, in the ad, they forget to tell you that after six months, the control group lost no weight, while the supplement group lost only 1.0 kilo. Whoop de doo! ONE KILO of weight loss after going through a six month supply of this “miracle fat burner!”

But I digress…

Back to the HIIT story – there’s even more to it.

In the ET group, there were some funky skinfold and circumference measurements. ALL of the skinfold measurements in the ET group either stayed the same or went down except the calf measurement, which went up.

The girths and skinfold measurements in the limbs went down in the HIIT group, but there wasn’t much difference between HIIT and ET in the trunk skinfolds. These facts are all very easy to miss. I didn’t even notice it myself until exercise physiologist Christian Finn pointed it out to me. Christian said,

“When you look at the changes in the three skinfold measurements taken from the trunk, there wasn’t that much difference between the steady state group (-6.3mm) and the HIIT group (-8.7 mm). So, much of the difference in subcutaneous fat loss between the groups wasn’t because the HIIT group lost more fat, but because the steady state group actually gained fat around the calf muscles. We shouldn’t discount simple measurement error as an explanation for these rather odd results.”

Christian also pointed out that the two test groups were not evenly matched for body composition at the beginning of the study. At the beginning of the study, the starting body fat based on skinfolds in the HIIT group was nearly 20% higher than the ET group. He concluded:

“So while this study is interesting, weaknesses in the methods used to track changes in body composition mean that we should treat the results and conclusions with some caution.”

One beneficial aspect of HIIT that most trainers forget to mention is that HIIT may actually suppress your appetite, while steady state cardio might increase appetite. In a study such as this, however, that can skew the results. If energy intake were not controlled, then some of the greater fat loss in the HIIT group could be due to lowered caloric intake.

Last but not least, I’d like to highlight the words of the researchers themselves in the conclusion of the paper, which confirms the effectiveness of HIIT, but also helps put it in perspective a bit:

“For a given level of energy expenditure, a high intensity training program induces a greater loss of subcutaneous fat compared with a training program of moderate intensity.”

“It is obvious that high intensity exercise cannot be prescribed for individuals at risk for health problems or for obese people who are not used to exercise. In these cases, the most prudent course remains a low intensity exercise program with a progressive increase in duration and frequency of sessions.”

In conclusion, my intention in writing this article wasn’t to be controversial, to be a smart-alec or to criticize HIIT. To the contrary, additional research has continued to support the efficacy of HIIT for fat loss and fitness, not to mention that it is one of the most time efficient ways to do cardiovascular training.

I have recommended HIIT for years in my Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program, using a 1:1 long interval approach, which, while only one of many ways to do HIIT, is probably my personal favorite method. However, I also recommend steady state cardio and even low intensity cardio like walking, when it is appropriate.

My intentions for writing this article were four-fold:

1. To encourage you to question where claims come from, especially if they sound too good to be true.
2. To alert you to how advertisers might use research such as this to exaggerate with statistics.
3. To encourage the fitness community to swing the pendulum back to center a bit, by not over-selling the benefits of HIIT beyond what can be supported by the scientific research.
4. To encourage the fitness community, that even as they praise HIIT, not to condemn lower and moderate intensity forms of cardio.

As the original author of the 1994 HIIT study himself pointed out, HIIT is not for everyone, and cardio should be prescribed with progression. Also, mountains of other research has proven that walking (GASP! – low intensity cardio!) has always been one of the most successful exercise methods for overweight men and women.

There is ample evidence which says that obesity may be the result of a very slight daily energy imbalance, which adds up over time. Therefore, even a small amount of casual exercise or activity, if done consistently, and not compensated for with increased food intake, could reverse the obesity trend. HIIT gets the job done fast, but that doesn’t mean low intensity cardio is useless or that you should abandon your walking program, if you have the time and if that is what you enjoy and if that is what’s working for you in your personal situation.

The mechanisms and reasons why HIIT works so well are numerous. It goes way beyond more calories burned during the workout.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

Reference: Tremblay, Angelo, et al. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism. Vol 43. no 7 (July). Pp 814-818. 1994..

About the Author:

That might be sweat, but I think it's just water...

Here’s an exercise in stream-of-consciousness…

What do you think of when you read the term “high intensity?”

Do you think of gritting your teeth, repping out, squeezing your muscles as hard as possible, running as fast as you can, or sweating a lot?

Now, let me ask you another question. When was the last time you reached high intensity in your training program?

Maybe you train with high intensity every session, maybe it’s once or twice a week, or every now and then. Maybe the last time you reached high intensity was in high school or college athletics.

I’m astonished when I hear of people doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) 5-7 days a week, and still seeing very little progress towards their goals. It makes me wonder if most people really have a clear idea about what high intensity training entails.

First, let’s setup a structure to define what high intensity exercise is. I use a self-analyzed rating of perceived exertion/effort to objectify how hard I and my clients are working – this is based not only on heart rate and VO2 MAX, but also on fatigue, respiration, and emotional response to exercise. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest effort your body can possibly produce and sustain, anything at or above an 8 is considered high intensity exercise. If you only work at less than 80% of your training max, then you are not training in the high intensity “zone.”

So, what does an 8-10 range entail?

Well, I think that there are tremendous differences between an effort level of 8, and that of 10. I have only reached a 10 a few times in my life, and only with a coach right there making sure that I’m indeed performing at my maximum ability. It’s not a stretch to say that a 10 cannot be achieved solo, without some external motivator present to guide you.

My NSCA textbook says that “the numerical readings are associated with adjectives that describe the level of exertion. These ratings range from “No exertion at all” to “Maximal exertion.” Likewise, people have very specific ways of explaining their level of perceived exertion.

RPE 2 – “This isn’t so bad”

RPE 5 – “I can still speak, but I’m definitely working it”

RPE 7 – “This is challenging!”

RPE 8 – “Holy crap!”

RPE 9  – (heavy breathing, no speaking, pure concentration, fatigue setting in quickly)

RPE 10 – (no speaking, thinking “I can’t do this for long, I have to stop soon.”, “I don’t know why I’m doing this… etc. etc.”   :-)

I think the NSCA textbook correctly states that “To untrained, deconditioned clients, an exercise level that produces a heart rate of 60% HRR may seem maximal because they are unaccustomed to exercise and do not really know what a maximal effort is.”

I would add in, that anyone regardless of training or conditioning, that has not been coached through a high intensity session may not know what high intensity training really entails. I have very seldom witnessed someone who personally initiates true high intensity exercise (8+/10) during their training sessions. Most personal trainers I’ve encountered don’t even have an understanding of true high intensity exercise, nor do they require it of their clients (some, for good reason). However, that doesn’t mean that high intensity exercise is unachievable. Your potential is not limited to the presuppositions of those around you – only by the barriers you place on yourself.

We are living in a culture that is not accustomed to working very hard – at least physically. In fact, I’m a walking testimony to that almost every 4th day that I visit my local YMCA. Every 4 days, I employ a high intensity training session (8+/10). If I happen to be exercising at the gym, I draw stares all across the room as I exercise. The heavy breathing, the short rest breaks, the pool of sweat that puddles around me, and the unbroken focus on my activity grabs some attention from would-be high intensity trainees. I won’t lie, sometimes I think I convict other gym members because I work so hard and they don’t. But that’s not the point, and certainly not my goal. I know that in order to best reach my physical goals, I need to work very hard to get there.

We all know that hard work will pay off better than “almost” hard work. A good effort will pay off better than a half-hearted effort. If you aren’t sure if you’ve ever reached high intensity in your training program, find a way to test yourself. I prefer a little bit of competition. Putting my ability up against another trainee is the ultimate way to light a fire under my butt and help me access the confidence and drive necessary to reach peak performance levels. You may need something outside of yourself to gain that extra edge, to push into oblivion in your training.

You can do it. I know you can, and you know you can. And if you’re the type who does HIIT 7 days a week, and is still struggling to achieve your goals, then get out of your comfort zone. Your perception of what hard work entails could be wrong. Your own self-delusion may be replacing your confidence – and you won’t excel if you don’t change.

To your health and success,

Fitness Professional

P.S. To learn what high intensity exercise truly entails, I recommend the 4X7 Training Formula which offers specific instructions about differentiating no intensity, low intensity, moderate intensity, and high intensity training sessions to help you reach peak results in your training program.