So I came across a new book recently - http://www.penguin.com/book/8020-run.../9780451470881. Fitzgerald is a runner and a triathlon coach and shares a lot of research about the most efficient kinds of training. I've skimmed through it all and now am just going back and picking up on the details, but here are a few gems:
1) HIIT has never been shown to work outside of a laboratory setting, when used exclusively. Yes, it increases VO2 max, but this doesn't translate into faster 5k/10k/1/2M/marathon times. In fact, when you compare groups enrolled in exclusive HIIT vs 80% aerobic/20% high intensity training, the latter group does much better. We all knew this, as we fly pass the Crossfit T shirts at every race out there, but it's interesting to see studies demonstrate this.
2) Most people are attracted to these short HIIT style plans not because they don't have time (studies have shown that regular exercisers have no fewer activities going on in their lives than non-exercisers) but because they don't like to exercise. Guess what? They like intense exercise even less. So people fall off the wagon really easily. (I think crossfit does a nice job of overcoming this with the competition aspect. Also, the affairs probably help.)
3) HIIT programs are terrible for weight loss. Yes, your metabolism boosts a bit, but again, it's a lab effect that doesn't carry over into real results. Studies have shown that exercisers have to work to a level of three times the perceived exertion to burn the same number of calories when compared to slow running.
4) Running beats all other sports for weight loss goals. The reasons are a little more unclear here, but his theory is that runners measure their workouts in terms of miles, as opposed to other arenas, which usually measure in terms of time. You burn the same number of calories running a 6 minute mile as you do a 10 minute mile, but when you measure in terms of time, effort plays a huge role in determining how much you burn. So...people slack off.
5) Most people run (and cycle) too fast. I've seen this other places, but just echoed here. They end up running at a pace that is barely more beneficial in terms of fitness but much harder to recover from. Mentally, it's fatiguing as well--running is much more enjoyable when you make yourself slow down (I read somewhere that you know you're running the right pace if you'd be embarrassed for your friends to see you running).
There's a lot more running-specific stuff, most of which has been said somewhere before, but I found the research addressing HIIT the most interesting. It's a good read so far.
1) HIIT has never been shown to work outside of a laboratory setting, when used exclusively. Yes, it increases VO2 max, but this doesn't translate into faster 5k/10k/1/2M/marathon times. In fact, when you compare groups enrolled in exclusive HIIT vs 80% aerobic/20% high intensity training, the latter group does much better. We all knew this, as we fly pass the Crossfit T shirts at every race out there, but it's interesting to see studies demonstrate this.
2) Most people are attracted to these short HIIT style plans not because they don't have time (studies have shown that regular exercisers have no fewer activities going on in their lives than non-exercisers) but because they don't like to exercise. Guess what? They like intense exercise even less. So people fall off the wagon really easily. (I think crossfit does a nice job of overcoming this with the competition aspect. Also, the affairs probably help.)
3) HIIT programs are terrible for weight loss. Yes, your metabolism boosts a bit, but again, it's a lab effect that doesn't carry over into real results. Studies have shown that exercisers have to work to a level of three times the perceived exertion to burn the same number of calories when compared to slow running.
4) Running beats all other sports for weight loss goals. The reasons are a little more unclear here, but his theory is that runners measure their workouts in terms of miles, as opposed to other arenas, which usually measure in terms of time. You burn the same number of calories running a 6 minute mile as you do a 10 minute mile, but when you measure in terms of time, effort plays a huge role in determining how much you burn. So...people slack off.
5) Most people run (and cycle) too fast. I've seen this other places, but just echoed here. They end up running at a pace that is barely more beneficial in terms of fitness but much harder to recover from. Mentally, it's fatiguing as well--running is much more enjoyable when you make yourself slow down (I read somewhere that you know you're running the right pace if you'd be embarrassed for your friends to see you running).
There's a lot more running-specific stuff, most of which has been said somewhere before, but I found the research addressing HIIT the most interesting. It's a good read so far.
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