When we perform any exercise, there are always dos and don’ts. So, when it comes to heart patients and HIIT(High-Intensity Interval Training), there are things to take into consideration.
It’s been well studied for many years and has been shown to have great benefits. However, there is some limited evidence on the safety and effectiveness of HIIT training in patients who have cardiovascular or heart conditions.
You have to keep in mind that if you do have certain heart conditions such as:
- Uncontrolled heart rhythm disorders,
- Very high blood pressure that’s not controlled,
- Uncontrolled diabetes,
- Had heart surgery within the last 12 weeks,
- If you’ve had a heart attack or an angioplasty in the last four weeks,
- If you’ve had a history of aortic dissection, aneurysms, vascular dissections, or certain devices like pacemakers and ICDs,
You may want to reconsider if HIIT training is appropriate for you and always speak with one of your healthcare providers or physicians to verify if this is a safe alternative for you.
If HIIT is something that is safe and you’re interested in doing, it is simply an exercise that has a mix of low-intensity and high-intensity exercises in a single exercise session. HIIT can be implemented between 1-3 times per week and balanced with regular activity or moderate-intensity exercise 2-3 times per week.
The other way to think about doing the HIIT training is that you need to include a certain amount of duration of doing it. The HIIT training can be between a total time of about 30-60 minutes with 10 minutes being warm-up time, 20-40 minutes being the interval times, and then another 10 minutes to cool down.
The type of activity you can do may include:
- Treadmill
- Walking or running outdoors
- Cycling
- Elliptical training
- Any type of aerobic exercise that gets the heart pumping and the muscles moving
- Sometimes strength training can be used for high-intensity interval training activities
Other things to keep in mind with the HIIT training are the benefit that may include:
- Improved weight management
- Improved cardiovascular conditioning
- Limited evidence suggesting improvement in heart function
However, risks may include:
- Increased risk of cardiovascular arrhythmias
- Heart attacks
- Muscle or joint injuries
- General muscle soreness
To sum it up, HIIT is a very nice alternative to break up your routine of doing moderate-intensity exercise but, if you suffer from heart problems you may want to reconsider if any kind of training is appropriate for you and always speak with your healthcare provider to make sure this is safe for you.