Sprint Training – Make HIIT Work For You!

With the ever increasing popularity of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) over the last few years, there have been many positives and just as many negatives in terms of program design. Sprint training, more popularly known as HIIT (high intensity interval training) is being done in gyms and on vacant, grassy fields all over the world.

The problem I have encountered is that many either feel it’s the ultimate answer to fat loss, athleticism and increased performance and some just don’t really think of it as anything special or unique; it’s just another way to be active and challenge oneself. I am of the latter group.

The All or Nothing Crowd
The “all or nothing” crowd is a small group of HIIT elitists. They are grounded in their belief that HIIT is the ultimatum of training and improved performance. To them, there is nothing better and their way is superior. Now it’s perfectly okay if this is your belief; to each his own. My only concern is these people tend to get burned out rather quickly. Not everyone is an elite athlete – we tend to have lives outside of our training.

I find these are the folks who, after first discovering HIIT, begin experimenting with it successfully and then completely lose their mind and base all of their training around it. Their once sensible 3-4 day program becomes 6 or 7 days of intense, grueling workouts that would easily slay a silverback gorilla.

If you frequent the gym, they’re always there, doing some form of sprinting, tabata protocols or another fancy form of high intensity training. Over time, you notice no improvement in their performance or appearance and they likely end up injured or so burned out, they don’t return for months. They are the closest examples of true overtraining that most non-athlete folk will likely encounter.

Having an “all or nothing” mentality can certainly be a recipe for disaster.

The Indifferent Crowd
Then you have people like myself; I couldn’t give 2 hoots about sprint training, HIIT or any other popular training methods for that matter. It’s not that I don’t believe they’re effective; I just view them as tools to accomplish my goals. I am simply indifferent about most training methods as just about anything will work given the right circumstances. I’ve been down the road of excessive training, injuries and have experienced burn out to a point that I couldn’t stick to any amount of consistent exercise for months. I’ve been there and it’s not my favorite cup o’ joe.

I simply look at HIIT training, just like I look at all the strength training and bodybuilding programs out there. They’re all just a means to an end. As long as I get from point A to point B, I don’t care if I have to dance around in a leotard and lift pink dumbbells; as long as I reach my goals, I am indifferent about which training program gets me there.

Making it Work, Sensibly
So how can we incorporate sprints into our training in a sensible and practical matter? First we must treat sprints for what they are. If you are truly sprinting, you are giving an all-out, max effort. Depending on your level of athleticism, you typically only have about a handful of these in you before the dry heaving process begins. Sprint work is without a doubt a high intensity form of exercise. So why do so many treat it as traditional cardio and believe they can do it on their off days while strength training on the alternate days the week? I am yet to find that answer.

The truth is, HIIT should be treated like a strength training workout and planned accordingly. No one in their right mind would be doing 4+ days of high intensity work in the form of full body strength training each week, so why would someone believe they can do sprints in addition to everything else?

How To Incorporate Sprints Into Your Training
It’s time for some examples. Let’s assume that you lead a fairly normal life with a regular job, family, significant other, and your normal daily stressors and obligations. You are likely unable to train 6+ days a week like an athlete would. You do not have the time and you’re likely dealing with a lot more stress than they are on a daily basis. Because of the cards we are dealt, we must play our best hand. If that means only training 2 or 3 times per week, then great. If you can afford to train 4 times per week, that’s excellent. First, you must find what works for you.

It’s time for an example.

Let’s say Joe Schmoe has time to train 4 times per week. He is a big fan of strength training, so he opts for the upper/lower split. He has 2 days of maximum effort work and 2 days of light work in which he focuses on form and lighter weights rather than maximal loads. Joe just read his first article on HIIT and is ready to include some sprint work into his training. He knows he can only train 4 times per week; otherwise he will lose his mind. So how might he set it up?

Upper Body – Heavy Compounds
Lower Body – 6-8 HIIT Sprints followed by light compound movements
Rest Day
Upper Body – Light Weight/volume day
Lower Body – Heavy Compounds
Rest Day
Rest Day

In the above example, Joe will have plenty of time to recover as there is enough downtime between training sessions. By the time he is recovered from his heavy lower body day, it will be time for another solid sprint workout. Nothing is set in stone, so feel free to move the days around a bit to fit your schedule, just ensure at least 2 days are in between bouts of lower body work.

So the next time you begin to throw some HIIT into the mix, maintain some sanity and remember to make room for ample amounts of rest and recovery.

JC is the author of JCDFitness where he writes about building muscle, losing fat and his No-BS Approach to Looking Great Naked.

While I don’t agree with his dietary advice from a longevity perspective (and probably neither does he), JC offers BS FREE sensible advice in other areas. Download and check out his new free ebook.