HIIT - does it get easier to recover from in time?

[Gammmmo]

As most on here will know, I've tended towards the more aerobic efforts on the erg and over the last 20 years have been patiently trying to convert my fast twitch fibres into slow ones.
In my mid 20s I definitely had alot more fast twitch bias because I could get placings on road cycle races with ease i.e. it was just something I knew I could beat most people at. Not now though.
Since I've been doing HIIT on the erg in last 4-6 weeks I've noticed while I've been enjoying it I've had alot more fatigue. By this time of the week (Fri) I'd normally have amassed 40-50K with a view to bagging 60-70K by the end of the week. Not this week though, I'm on 20K after having done 2 HIIT sessions on the erg, one bit of "erg filler" as I call it (LSD) and one weights session. Does it get easier?

[blues_]

Not sure. I find two days of weight training and a couple of days of HIIT on the erg can be pretty taxing.

My progress (performance) on HIIT, in terms of time, has plateaued quite a bit as well...with a variance of a second or so either way being the norm.

Then again, I'm not sure how much easier things will get in my mid sixties. I'm no longer setting PR's with lifting but I'm still comfortable with where I am in that regard...and body composition shows improvement as well though I wasn't training to lose any weight.

Just trying to keep the demons from the door for as long as possible. (And continue the discipline I've maintained since my college days.)

[Dangerscouse]

As the old adage goes it doesn't get easier, you get better but in my experience, no it doesn't get notably easier in terms of recovery

I erg Monday morning and then do a dynamic hot Pilates class in the evening (which is circa 35c and really hard with many people missing out exercises / reps at some point) and in circa five years I have never been able to consider erging on a Tuesday morning. Also when I did a 45 mins spin class on a Friday morning, any session on a Saturday morning was a struggle even when I was training for my 12hr.

I think that it's too stressful for our central nervous system to cope with too much HIIT especially at our age. I guess it's like the rowing / weights dilemma.

Having said all that you have got a far better aerobic background than me so there's a chance that you might adapt given a bit more time. It's still early days in terms of your 1km sessions

[hjs]

For myself, no!
If I up my intensity and don,t watch out I dig myself in a hole.

[blues_]

Glad this question came up and to read the responses. I was hoping my experience wasn't an anomaly.

[bob01]

I don't think one can expect to cover same distance at a faster pace than a slower one

Look at TSS!

You know you will get better at what you train for.

I think intervals can maintain aerobic fitness over the short term

As one ages one needs to emphasise more power work .... Joe Friel ... Faster after 50!


I don't think many actually do HIIT.... Maybe the protocol ... But not effort....they would be unsustainable when repeated successive sessions

[mdpfirrman]

Paul (Gammo) - glad to see you are human! Was beginning to wonder...

When I started on here, I'd see James or Henry say things like, "most go too fast on their slow stuff and not fast enough on their hard stuff". I think over 40, and especially over 50, you really start to feel it more. Lindsay has always taken it pretty easy (for as fast as he is) on the SS stuff and it's worked great for him. Rod (I know) has recently backed off on his SS work a bit (and he's been improving his times after a long plateau). I just did a 55 minute session at 2K plus 25 pace and I have no issues about that at all. Yesterdays HIIT session took a huge toll on me (as it should). It's the SS days you need to recover right.

You're lifting on your hard days, aren't you? I find that helps too. Leaving the SS days for just rowing or cardio only. If I'm feeling really tired, I'll only do two hard rowing sessions in a week. You only really need two to keep the gains you've made -- one faster and one AT piece from what I understand. Could be wrong.

[H2O]

What HIIT are you doing (and what pace in relation to 2K)?

[Gammmmo]

Lately, 500m max efforts, 6x250r100, 1Km max, 750m at below 1K PB.

So generally, lots of strokes in the 1:30s.

@mike - haha, 40K total this week plus 2 weights sessions.

[H2O]

I rarely do 100% efforts in training. The last 1% is abusive. Some time ago I did an all out 1K
(because other rowers were watching). It left me empty and slightly unbalanced for about 3 days.
2 seconds slower and I recover very quickly.

I push the 98% percent envelope, the 100% envelope then moves with it.

[Gammmmo]

I rarely do 100% efforts in training. The last 1% is abusive. Some time ago I did an all out 1K
(because other rowers were watching). It left me empty and slightly unbalanced for about 3 days.
2 seconds slower and I recover very quickly.

I push the 98% percent envelope, the 100% envelope then moves with it.

Perhaps your max effort is a higher % than what I percieve mine to be? i.e. you tend to try harder! Certainly, I can't always muster a big effort and frequently talk myself out of it when there's actually nothing wrong with me. Case in point Saturday IIRC - I was going to do a hard 1K effort, HDd at 600m, rested a bit, then did 300m at the same pace before HDing again, rested a bit, then did 750m at a faster pace than the other two and my 1K PB because I'd only punched 750m onto the PM instead of 1000m thus somehow alleviating the "pressure". All hugely mental.

EDIT: still struggling re: recovery. Strained my lower back a little from the above, elbows/wrists a bit dodgy too - suspect that's overhead pressing and/or chinups with a straight bar as it twists my arms a little uncomfortably....never had this problem when I did pull/chin up work in my mid 20s!!

[blues_]

^^^^Listen to your body. Once the damage is done you'll have to spend (frustrating) time in recovery, even for minor stuff not requiring any kind of medical attention. (I should take my own advice more often as well. Sometimes I push more than I should just to prove a point to myself.)

When I feel epicondylitis coming on from sets of chins, I ease up as I know it can drag on for a while if I don't back off.

One thing that is helpful with that, in my experience is doing extensor work for your forearms by opening your fingers against resistance provided by rubber bands...such as these:

https://www.amazon.com/IronMind-Expand- ... B00083B79M

[lwtguy]

IMO, you should not go for a true Max effort more than once a week, if not less.

It takes your body 2-3 days to fully recover from a true max session. I've always felt that you get better results form 2-3 sub-max workouts, with the rest being steady state. Sub-max is dependent on what you are training for.

If you are training for a 5K at 1:50 pace, then sub max would be 3x2500 at 1:51-1:52. Save the actual 100% effort for when you need it.