HIIT Exercise
Have you ever tried HIIT as a form of cardio exercise? HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and can be done while running, biking or on the elliptical machine or treadmill. As the term HIIT describes, it is intense bursts of cardio exercise followed by recovery and then another intense burst. The number of intervals can vary depending on what method you are using, but it is not uncommon to do 4-6 intervals in a workout. A typical work out would start with a 2-3 minute warm up followed by intense effort for 20-30 seconds, then recovery for 2 minutes and another intense interval until you have done as many intervals as you have planned or reached a total time of 30 minutes with the last 2-3 minutes being your cool down. There are many variations of HIIT and I am describing a fairly typical series of intervals. One benefit of this kind of training is that you can get maximal benefits with less time expended. Other benefits are that you can burn calories quickly, increase your metabolic rate, help lose fat and gain muscle and increase cardiovascular fitness.
I recently read about a newer exercise bike that uses artificial intelligence and the bike adjusts to your fitness level as you train. It is called the CAR.O.L bike (cardiovascular optimization logic). It looks like a typical spin bike but because of the computer programs and the AI, you can do a HIIT program in 9 minutes! Research from Western Colorado University done by Lance Dalleck, PhD. has shown that only 2 intervals are needed to accomplish the maximum benefit. And the optimal number of workouts per week is three. I appreciate the idea of finding the minimal effective dose of exercise for the maximal effect! I have never been a fan of long hours in the gym, so was intrigued by the idea that I could achieve cardiovascular fitness in 9 minutes three times per week! Yay! That doesn’t mean that this workout is easy. The intervals are only 20 seconds, but maximal effort, so extremely intense!
The reason that the CAR.O.L bike workout is so effective is that it results in glycogen depletion in your muscles. As the glycogen is broken down during the sprints, there are signaling molecules, including AMPK, that are released and that result in increased aerobic capacity. The second sprint interval then activates PCG-1 alpha that stimulates a series of physiologic changes. After 8-10 weeks of this HIIT protocol, they have seen a 10-12% improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness.
A randomized controlled trial at Western Colorado University compared the CAR.O.L bike protocol three times per week with a government guideline protocol of 30 minutes of cardio per day done 5 times per week. After 8 weeks, the CAR.O.L bike group had a 12.6% improvement in fitness level and the Government protocol group had a 6% increase. Pretty significant difference!
Even though you can do a HIIT workout in multiple ways with typical gym equipment, it is not the same as what you can do on the CAR.O.L bike because the CAR.O.L bike automatically adjusts the resistance based on your individual level of fitness due to the artificial intelligence feature of the bike.
I decided I needed to try out a CAR.O.L bike to see for myself. The website for CAR.O.L, www.carolfitai.com, has a directory of businesses where you might be able to schedule a demo ride. I found one in my area at Fitness Prometheus in Hillsboro, OR and thanks to Rob, I plan to go check it out on Sunday! Let me know if you have experienced the CAR.O.L bike!
Resources:
1. CAR.O.L bike website: www.carolfitai.com
2. Bulletproof Radio podcast # 615 with CAR.O.L founders Ratna and Ulrich Dempfie
3. www.healthline.com HIIT information