HIIT for Everyone

Before I get into this study on high-intensity interval training or HIIT, I want to be sure you understand that unless you’re under 30 and very fit, you need guidance and advice from your physician before you attempt a HIIT program, especially if you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or are on medications for these conditions. I’ve been doing interval training for over 40 years, but the intervals I do today are within the limitations of the body I have today, not the limitations I had in my 30s. With that in mind, let’s proceed.

HIIT After a Heart Attack

Researchers in China recruited over 200 subjects with a specific cardiac profile: the subjects all had myocardial infarctions (commonly known as heart attacks) that were resolved by a percutaneous coronary intervention (treatment used to open blockages in the coronary arteries) such as a stent. This group requires special attention in that they are at serious risk for another event within the next year.

As part of a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program, researchers divided the subjects into three groups:

A moderate-intensity continuous training group (MICT)
A HIIT group
A group that did a combined MICT and HIIT program.

The advantage is that every exercise session was under the supervision of professionals trained in cardiac rehab who knew how to respond if something went wrong.

All groups improved their fitness levels, but the combined training program of MCIT and HIIT provided better results than either of the approaches done separately. From a fitness perspective, those in the combined group increased the amount of oxygen they could use by more than the other groups and pumped significantly more blood per beat. Most important, there were no differences in major adverse events.

The Bottom Line

I specifically chose this study because these subjects were most at risk. With a doctor’s approval and under the right supervision, they were able to do HIIT safely. For most of the rest of us, those are obstacles and advantages we don’t face.

We should be prudent and check with our physicians first. We should also get some guidance on how to begin a HIIT program; if possible, get an appointment with a physical therapist to plan your workout program, because they’re trained to understand and work around everyone’s physical limitations and avoid injury. The workout plan must be within our fitness level right now, not 20 years ago. It can be as simple as walking faster for 30 seconds at a time during the walk you already take, but the gains can be significant toward improving our healthspan.

What are you prepared to do today?