Try SIT training: a smart cardio strategy!
When it comes to fitness advice for women in mid-life, there is unanimous agreement about the benefits of lifting heavier weights. However, when it comes to cardio, the recommendations vary wildly! Here’s what most experts agree upon:
👍 Walking is always beneficial. It’s great for stress management, burning fat, and is low impact so it makes a great daily activity, even on recovery days in between more intense workouts.
🤔 Steady state cardio has certain benefits, such as improving cardiorespiratory fitness, but for those who are looking to lose fat and maintain/build muscle mass, activities like jogging may create an imbalance of stress hormones that impedes those results.
👍👍 High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is highly recommended for most populations as it has the ability to improve cardiorespiratory fitness while also maintaining muscle mass. Remember: muscle mass is essential to our health and fitness, and it’s a powerful tool for fat burning and helping metabolism. As we age we naturally lose muscle mass at an accelerated rate unless we are actively working at building and maintaining it, so this makes HIIT a smart choice!
There are dozens of ways to do HIIT training, but lately I’ve been experimenting with a strategy described in a recently published book, Next Level, Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond, by Stacy Sims PhD. In the book, she cites several studies that demonstrated the benefits of sprint interval training (SIT) for middle aged and older women. These benefits include:
Increased lean muscle mass
Reduced fat mass - specifically belly fat and the more dangerous visceral fat
Reduced visceral fat = lower inflammation
Improved aerobic fitness
Improved insulin sensitivity
Increased fat burning
Improved function and increased number of energy -producing mitochondria
Increased production of human growth hormone
Improved ability to manage cortisol / this training counteracts cortisol (stress hormone)
These are all such exciting benefits that I had to test drive this style of HIIT for myself. I’m not going to lie, it’s tough! But it’s gratifying and doesn’t take long to complete. If you’re curious to give Sprint Interval Training a go, here is a detailed how - to guide! Have fun!
How to do Sprint Interval Training (SIT):
There are many formats that work for HIIT, but the format that was cited in the two studies described in the book is to sprint for 8 seconds, and recover for 12 seconds, repeating for 20 minutes. That equates to 60 sets of 8 second sprints / 12 second recoveries. Please note that if you’re new to this, and developing your cardio fitness level, you may start with a shorter block of time, and over the course of weeks build yourself up to the full 20 minutes of sprints.
Step 1: Choose what mode of exercise you’ll do. Since these are short sprints it needs to be something that gets your heart rate up FAST. Running or indoor cycling both work really well.
Notes: Sprinting should get you to or above about 85% of your max heart rate. (To calculate your estimated max heart rate subtract your age from 220. If you’re 45, that would give you a max heart rate of 175. 85% of that is 148.75.) Don’t overthink this part. If you’re wearing a heart rate monitor you do not need to check your heart rate every interval; just do “spot checks” as you go to see if you’re pushing yourself consistently into this higher heart rate zone. A good indicator that you’re pushing into the sprint zone is if you cannot talk during the effort.
During your recovery periods in between sprints, you can slow down as much as you need to in order to catch your breath.
Step 2: Open your interval timer app.
Set up a program with:
5 minute warm up
8 second work intervals + 12 second recovery intervals for 60 total sets (20 minutes)
5 minute cool down
Step 3: Get ready
Do some light stretching and mobility work, be sure you’re hydrated and have water near by, get your play list cued up, and get ready to go!
Step 4: Do your intervals!!!
Start with the light 5 minute warm up. Walk / jog, or do an easy pedal on your stationary bike.
Once your 20 minute block of intervals begins, go as hard as you can during your work efforts, and back off as much as you need to during your recovery. Go by feel. Not all intervals will feel identical, but work toward that max effort as often as possible in your work efforts.
Following the 8:12 sprint intervals for 60 total sets will feel very repetitive and your brain and body will likely start to get a little bored after about 10-15 sets. That’s normal. Push through. If you’re new to this, and your aerobic fitness is still developing, set a goal to at least finish 10 minutes (30 sets) of these short sprints (or whatever feels like an approachable starting place). Then, set a goal to do 1 more minute each week until you are able to complete 20 minutes of sprint intervals.
Of course listen to your body, and if you’re experiencing any signs of distress beyond muscle fatigue and appropriate breathlessness, by all means stop.
In my experience, the first ⅓ of the workout is the hardest. After that you’ll find a rhythm. By the time you’ve hit 45 or 50 sets, you’re so close so see it through to the end!!
Step 5: Cool Down
Once you’ve finished your sprint intervals, let your body cool down again with an easy jog, walk, or pedal. Let your heart and respiratory rate slow down. Once you’ve stopped moving, take time to stretch and re-hydrate. You may want to consider an electrolyte drink and or some BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids) to help your body recover more efficiently. This is a huge effort!!
Start with 1x/week and work up to doing this routine 2-3x/week.
Remember this is very intense exercise, and the more intense your training, the more recovery and balance you will need with your other activities. Please let me know if you’re trying to figure out how to include this alongside other very intense training.
Tips if using a peloton bike:
Explore the “more rides” option on the Home Screen. There are basic “just ride” options, as well as scenic rides that you can either select for time or distance. I have used a 10k ride to make sure I don’t “run out” of road before I’m done. A 30 minute ride works perfectly. If you enjoy listening to the class / music go with that, just knowing that you’ll ignore the instructor’s cues and instead follow your interval timer. If you just want to enjoy the scenery but not be distracted, you can mute the class and use your own upbeat play list. I do find it’s helpful to have something to look at while I’m pedaling.
Leave your resistance the same for the whole 20 minute interval workout .Find a resistance that, when you’re pedaling as hard as you can, you get to that “can’t talk” heart rate zone. It will take a bit of trial and error.
The peloton works great because rather than focusing on heart rate, you can look at your output number during your sprints. Once you’ve found a good resistance for your work intervals and get into your groove, look at the output when you’re pushing as hard as you can. Strive to hit that output on each sprint (or at least most of them!).
If running:
This works best on a track or flat road. Treadmill makes it simple. It’s hard to sprint downhill, so areas with lots of ups and downs don’t work as well. One exception: if you begin at the bottom of a very long hill, you can do your sprinting UP the hill, and your recovery turning and going back down the hill.
Have FUN trying this new challenge!!!
Elizabeth