Ultimate HIIT Cardio Guide: Avoid This Major Mistake

Today, we're diving into the nitty-gritty of HIIT cardio – and trust me, it's not what most people think it is.

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This is the third installment of our "Truth About Cardio" series, and boy, do I have some truth bombs to drop!

But before we get into it, I gotta come clean – I used to be one of those guys doing HIIT cardio all wrong. Yup, I've mislabeled some of my workouts as HIIT when they were actually metabolic training sessions. My bad.

So, let's set the record straight. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, emphasis on the word "interval." See, most folks think HIIT means going all out with little to no rest. But here's the thing – that's not necessarily true.

Here are two common mistakes people make with HIIT cardio:

Not pushing hard enough to hit that high-intensity heart rate target zone.
Not allowing enough recovery time for the heart rate to drop back down.
Now, let's talk numbers. To do HIIT cardio correctly, you need to calculate your heart rate training zones. Here's how:

For the high-intensity interval:
Target 85-90% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).
To find your MHR: 220 - your age.
For example, I'm 38, so my high-intensity zone is around 155 bpm.

For the low-intensity interval:
Target 65-70% of your MHR.
For me, that's around 118 bpm.

Now, let's put theory into practice. My go-to HIIT protocol involves 20-second sprints on the treadmill, followed by a low-intensity interval until my heart rate drops back down. Simple, effective, and no-nonsense.

But here's the kicker – recovery time matters. Most folks don't take enough time to let their heart rate drop during the low-intensity intervals. Trust me, I've been there.

So, here's the deal. Start with a 3-5 minute warm-up to get your heart rate up. Then, hit those high-intensity intervals followed by low-intensity recovery periods. Rinse and repeat for 20 minutes.

Now, if you're new to HIIT, take it easy. Scale your workouts based on time rather than a set number of intervals. Listen to your body, and adjust accordingly.

So there you have it – the truth about HIIT cardio. Get out there, push yourself, and let's live lean together!

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Welcome to Live Lean TV. The online fitness and nutrition show, hosted by Brad and Jessica Gouthro, teaching you how to LIVE THE LEAN LIFESTYLE 365 days a year. Watch hundreds of fat blasting & muscle building workouts, easy and delicious recipes, as well as fitness and nutrition tips to get you your dream body (and maintain it 365 days a year). Make sure you click the SUBSCRIBE button for new fitness and nutrition episodes every week!

Ultimate HIIT Cardio Guide: Avoid This Major Mistake

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[LiveLeanTV]

For the first 250 people who purchase Sprint 2.0, I’m also hooking you up with a copy of our brand new TeamLiveLean.com 30 day Fat Melting Power Sets resistance training program.

[mariyears]

I've been doing everything "wrong" for over a year and the results are amazing. I'll just keep doing it "wrong", thanks.

[VibeWithVida]

The best explanation of HIIT on the web. Thomas De Lauer gave a great explanation but yours left me with no further questions.

Thanx

[jaclyncastro]

You always remind me of the fundamentals that I forget about with the years of experience and an exercise science degree. I needed this refresher course. This is such a great series, Brad. Keep it comin’!!

[joeyrucks]

Thanks for getting to the point in your videos

[anitahenderson]

Thank you. That was really helpful. I will definitely use this going forward.

[sweethallewis]

Thanks for the great video! That really helped me. I'm fine with getting my heart rate up, but I've been staying up there for 2 minutes sometimes 3 minutes and then I only recover for one minute then I go back up to high intensity. So thank you for this.

[robstalford]

Very helpful; thank you. Great tutorial.

[KimC-vkqp]

Great information!!! Thank you so much!

[chrislillico]

Great video and very helpful information on heart rates in the High interval and recovery areas.

[outofmyelement]

How did I miss this video? It is amazing!!

[TheJfjfjfjf]

Great video!
Question: During the high intensity portion of HIIT, is the 20 seconds meant to achieve the 85% max rate and then recover or is it to achieve and MAINTAIN the max rate for 20 seconds, then recover?

[zurageo]

Good info. You got a new subscriber.
Only concern, shouldn’t HIIT last no more than 5-10 min ?

[vivianabernal]

Hi, thank you for the info, can I do burpees or box jumps or man makers for instead of running?

[mnrsrf]

I lost about 13 kilos in 5 months doing it all wrong lol. Would I turn into a beast if I did it right? XD + I guess this method is very exhausting to my heart and I'm not sure if I'll handle it, but maybe I should give it a try and go with my own pace and listen to my body. Thanks for the useful information. *-*

[sibaroochi]

Anyone know what apps are compatible with the polar heart rate chest strap

[AdamGeest]

So the 4x4 HIT where you increase intensity for 4 minutes and relax for 4 minutes is not really HIT? Is it just me or does the information on the web seem to be all over the place regarding this hit protocol?

[artiqwa]

What about a morbid obese person...do they still think about the time and not the rounds? Thanks

[lauradecker]

Newbie to hiit and let me see if I have this right. 20 seconds all out and then recover for however long I need to? Like it might be 5minutesfor me to recover. Is this really exercise then? I need to lose weight to save my life. Dr's orders. Please reply. Thanks

[FashionLover]

Hi Brad - I've really been enjoying your recent videos on HIIT and LISS cardio workouts - thank you for helping us to understand the difference. I wondered if you could do a video that addresses using 'active recovery' during HIIT workouts. I'm not an expert in this at all, but I participate regularly in a class during which the instructor has us do 1 minute of active recovery between each of three rounds of Tabata. Do you think we should be aiming to bring our heart rate down to the .65 recovery rate during that recovery time (whether it's 'active' recovery or just recovery), assuming we're achieving the .85 high intensity rate? Feel free to reach out to me if you require clarification on this question if you decide to do a video addressing this. Thank you to both you and Jessica for sharing so much great fitness information and inspiration through your channel! I've learned so much from both of you.