balancing HIIT, strength training, and cardio
This is a question that comes up a lot! How often should you be doing HIIT, strength training, and steady state cardio each week?
Let’s start by breaking down each modality.
HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training
HIIT is a method of training that alternates short periods of all-out intensity with longer periods of recovery. Think :20-:30 of an all out sprint followed by :60-:90 of rest.
HIIT has wonderful benefits if done in proper doses. For most people, 1-2 HIIT sessions per week is plenty. If the volume gets much higher than that, joints won’t be happy and the body can actually start to have a negative response.
Somewhere along the line people got obsessed with HIIT and feel they need to do it all the time. In fact, many group fitness studios only offer HIIT and want their members to train there 5 days/week! Aye aye aye.
Do I hate HIIT? No. (actually yes, personally I have to force myself to do it HA but that’s beside the point) I do hate to see people waste their precious training time on it when they could be getting better results elsewhere though.
Strength Training
Properly loaded and well-executed weight baring exercises are the preferred foundation of physical fitness. Not just for body builders, athletes, or meat heads - for everyone. Weights and reps will vary depending on the movement and fitness level of the individual, but muscles should be challenged to near failure (sometimes to actual failure) with adequate rest between sets.
So that group fitness class that involves 700 reps of random weighted exercises for an hour straight is not strength training. That’s cardio with weights, it’s not NEARLY as beneficial as true strength training, and it’s mislabeled. I’m sorry I said it!
When completed with good technique and full range of motion, strength training:
Builds and maintains muscle, strength, and power
Improves bone density
Protects joints
Supports fat loss
Builds self confidence
The list goes on . . . . .
We recommend at least 2 solid strength training workouts per week, with 3 being optimal.
Steady State Cardio
“Steady state” cardio refers to low/moderate intensity cardio at longer durations. This could be a 20-60 minute incline walk or elliptical sesh; or 2-5 minute intervals on a rower or bike at a moderate intensity level followed by a shorter rest. The idea is to keep your heart rate around 60-70% of your max. You should finish a steady state cardio workout with a nice sweat, slightly elevated heart rate, and an energy boost.
When done in the appropriate volume for one’s goals and fitness, steady state cardio can improve heart health, recovery, and cognition. 1-2 sessions per week works well for most people.
There ya have it. Hope you find this rundown helpful!
Ready to get the best results from your training program? Grab our New Member Special - 2 Weeks of Classes for $25!
Our weekly class schedule is set up so that you can get everything I mentioned above without having to think about it. Just show up and we’ll take care of the rest!
Monday - Strength Training
Tuesday - Steady State Cardio
Wednesday - Strength Training
Thursday - HIIT
Friday - Strength Training
Saturday - HIIT
Sunday - Steady State Cardio
RANDOM WORKOUTS VS. A TRAINING PROGRAM
While popping into random, spontaneous workouts can be entertaining; there’s no substitute for an intelligent training program. If you want to see results in the gym, sticking to a training program is crucial.
Structured Progression:
A smart training program is designed to provide a clear path of progression. It ensures that you’re gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts in a way that’s sustainable and safe. You should know what you’re working on and see improvements from the first week of a program vs. the last week.
Avoid Overtraining and Injury:
Randomly increasing your workout intensity or volume can lead to overtraining, which increases the risk of injury. A well-designed program includes planned rest and recovery, allowing your body the time it needs to repair and build strength. This balance helps you stay healthy and continue progressing without throwing your back out (or worse!)
Tracking Your Progress:
Any solid training program will require you to track your progress along the way. How will you know you’ve improved by the end if you don’t know where you started? Ya won’t. Recording your weights, reps, and how you feel over time will also help your trainer make necessary adjustments as you go.
Consistency and Discipline:
If you’ve ever read anything I’ve written, then you already know how imperative consistency and discipline are to success in the gym. You gotta show up even when you don’t want to sometimes, and on some days that takes serious discipline. It’s a lot easier to skip a workout when there’s not one scheduled. If you’re on a smart program, you know exactly what you’re supposed to do and when you’re supposed to do it.
I’m not saying there’s no room for a spontaneous, random workout from time to time if you enjoy it. If you want to get your cardio in through a trampoline class, a choreographed dance routine on a spin bike, or anything else you like - have at it! But when it comes to your strength training, you need to stick to a program if you want to see results. And you deserve results!
Ready to get on a smart training program? Grab our New Member Special - 2 Weeks of Classes for $25! Let us do the programming for you, we’re pretty darn good at it :)
WHY FOLLOW A TRAINING PROGRAM?
In a world full of fitness opportunities, promises, and (mis)information, it's easy to see how people get confused and overwhelmed.
Do this exercise and you'll look like me! Follow this diet and you'll lose 30 pounds in 30 days! Purchase my online workout program and your problems and belly fat will melt away! Sound familiar? With so many claims and options to try, it's really tough to know which route to go.
Even though trying something new, flashy, and different every day sounds entertaining. . . . it's not the best route to results. In fact, it may never lead to results at all for some people.
The best way to see results in the gym is to stick to a training program that focuses on the basics. Have you ever read a more BORING sentence? I nodded off while typing it. But that my friend, is what works.
Think pull-ups, push-ups, deadlifts, squats, lunges. Focusing on good form and progressive overload - meaning that you're strategically increasing the intensity of the exercises through weight, reps, and tempo over the course of a program.
Getting to the gym consistently and following a program that makes sense is what gets results. And that's what you're here for, right?!