Hi there,
I have read several posts gushing about the benefits of HIIT. I pretty much hate working out and I am interested in trying HIIT as an alternative to my daily 30-60 minutes of cardio plus some stretching and resistance training exercise regime (very traditional gym based workout). My understanding of HIIT is that you do a circuit of intense resistance training/strengthening exercises followed by short intervals of intense cardio and repeat.
My problem is that I work out a crowded university gym, which I don't think is very condusice to HIIT. While it has very high quality equipment, its set up is not conducive to going from one machine to another quickly.
For example, cardio machines have to be reserved in advance and can only be reserved for 30 minutes. And even if the machine is reserved, if you are not on it during your time, another person will likely use it, so then when you come back you have to awkwardly kick them off and it usually takes a minute or two (of you just standing there) for them to stop and for you to be able to start.
Plus there is often a wait (albeit short) for the various weight resistance machines. People are good about letting you work in, but you could still have to wait a few minutes. If you leave to use another machine, chances are someone else will be on the first machine when you come back and you will still have to wait. The free weights are located on a different floor than the cardio and the weight resistance machines, which also further complicates a quick transition.
There is an indoor track that is pretty easily accessible, but due to a previous injury, my running ability is limited (I usually prefer an elliptical, strider, or arc trainer for cardio) and I probably would not be able to run even a short amount on consecutive days.
Does anyone have any suggestions? How can I try HIIT successfully at my gym? How quickly do the transitions from stregnth training intervals to cardio intervals need to be made to not lose the effects of the high-intensity part?
Thanks for any help/tips you can provide.