After reading much about training to failure, HIT, and all that jazz, I was wondering: is HIIT too intensive on the CNS when incorporated with all the sessions in the week? Mike Boyle made a good point: http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1501501&cr=.
So although it is king for fat loss, would it be too taxing on our system?
I do HIIT 3 days a week, alternated with 3 days of lifting. I’ve been doing it for the past six months, and as far as I can tell, my CNS is fine and dandy.
Well, HIIT is CNS intensive, but as long as you train without going to failure too much and/or lifting in very high intensities, you’re safe. Make sure you also get enough sleep and nutrition to aid in recovery.
It depends on what you are doing. How hard you are doing the intervals, are you getting adequate nutrition and rest, what are you accustomed to doing?
It is very possible this is how most people approach interval training. They lift 5 times a week and do say 3 sessions of regular cardio. Now they learn about interval training and maybe cut out one or two of their regular cardio sessions and exchange it for 400meter intervals done 2 days a week. Now if you jump into the 400 meter intervals balls to the wall, you probably will not do very well and most likely will feel like stopping after a few weeks.
Poliquin had a good point you should know within a workout or two whether what you are doing is going to work for your body at the time you are doing it. If you are dead to the world after doing your HIT session, I hate to tell you but you probably have jumped into the deep end way too soon. Your body can really work hard but you have to let it adjust to increases in intensity. You should be doing intervals at a moderately difficult but manageable level.
It will take awhile to get your body to the point where your fitness level can accommodate your will power, and you definitely do get to that point. Anyone who has ever gotten really strong with their abdominals then slacked on them knows what I mean. At first your body really cant handle that much and it is almost a waste of time to do too much because you just cant do it well.
But after awhile you can handle alot more than you want to be able to if you know what I mean. Same thing with HIT you have to build your ability to do it.