Fadi
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Or the title could have read: Intensity vs. Sustainability/Consistency.
When I first put up my HIIT on here Let’s Lose Some Fat Mass… , some members suggested that Tabata was superior because it’s harder, more taxing if you like…more of a killer they told me. Upon reflecting on their claims, a question quickly formed inside of my head. The question was this: since when does harder equate with being more appropriate? When I designed my HIIT, I did it with two fundamental reasons behind it; sustainability and consistency.
It’s sometimes unfortunate that our zeal for intensity tends to drive others away, who perhaps have just gotten enough motivation to start up a training program. Furthermore, what is intensity, how do we define it? I’ve alluded to this exact subject before on this forum, that intensity is not confined to one and only one principle. Some (unfortunately most) would view or equate intensity with the lifting of heavier weights. Others who are more experienced and knowledgeable would include other factors to the mix, factors such as time; the number of reps, the amount of total sets, and the elimination of momentum and so on and so forth.
When it comes to either losing body fat or gaining some much needed cardio/respiratory fitness, most beginners and even seasoned weight lifters become disenchanted with what’s on offer. They become that way not so much because they’re perhaps impatient, lazy, or both, but instead they become disheartened because we (“the experts”) often expect them to run before they have mastered walking so to speak.
It takes a sustainable routine that is done with consistency to win the ultimate race, which is the realisation of your goals. In no way am I down grading the use of the Tabata method, however…
…the moral of the story is this: give someone a chance to walk before they can run, because failing to do so would only see them run…… away!
Fadi.
When I first put up my HIIT on here Let’s Lose Some Fat Mass… , some members suggested that Tabata was superior because it’s harder, more taxing if you like…more of a killer they told me. Upon reflecting on their claims, a question quickly formed inside of my head. The question was this: since when does harder equate with being more appropriate? When I designed my HIIT, I did it with two fundamental reasons behind it; sustainability and consistency.
It’s sometimes unfortunate that our zeal for intensity tends to drive others away, who perhaps have just gotten enough motivation to start up a training program. Furthermore, what is intensity, how do we define it? I’ve alluded to this exact subject before on this forum, that intensity is not confined to one and only one principle. Some (unfortunately most) would view or equate intensity with the lifting of heavier weights. Others who are more experienced and knowledgeable would include other factors to the mix, factors such as time; the number of reps, the amount of total sets, and the elimination of momentum and so on and so forth.
When it comes to either losing body fat or gaining some much needed cardio/respiratory fitness, most beginners and even seasoned weight lifters become disenchanted with what’s on offer. They become that way not so much because they’re perhaps impatient, lazy, or both, but instead they become disheartened because we (“the experts”) often expect them to run before they have mastered walking so to speak.
It takes a sustainable routine that is done with consistency to win the ultimate race, which is the realisation of your goals. In no way am I down grading the use of the Tabata method, however…
…the moral of the story is this: give someone a chance to walk before they can run, because failing to do so would only see them run…… away!
Fadi.
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