What to Do After A HIIT Workout

I love high-intensity cardio training. I also love triathlon training. While making sure you refuel after a workout is essential, I would suggest that what you eat before your exercise is vital, too.

A General Rule
When deciding what to do after a HIIT workout, a general rule would be to train for how you want your body to respond during "go-time." How do you want your training to show up during your day? Do you need more energy at certain times of the day? Are you looking for a mid-day blood sugar instability? Are you looking to improve physical performance like running or cycling? Are you mostly looking to gain muscle?

Another nuance to consider would be to think if you should eat for performance or recovery. While I trained for triathlons, my workouts varied depending on the day. Early in the week, my meal planning centered around exercise recovery, and the focus shifted towards performance during the second part of the week.

This outline of my fitness planning centers around getting gains from high-intensity-interval training:

HIIT Cardio has been the cornerstone of my fitness regimen for the past six years. I credit it with being the one thing that I do that has made the most significant impact on my health outcomes. Contrary to what the name implies, it is easy to do, and it requires no exercise equipment. It also offers another slick benefit--it helps the body retain muscle mass.

What Should My Heart Rate Be During the HIIT Workout
When I was training for triathlons, my HIIT cardio workouts consisted of quarter-mile repeats for the most part. I utilized this specific cardio exercise to get myself to the point where I could successfully run a six-minute mile. Exerting yourself to the point where you can still speak without having to catch your breath is an excellent place to start. You can record your pulse rate after 20-30 seconds of physical exertion. You can then use that time during future workouts and either increase or decrease the intensity according to how you feel.

My High-Intensity-Interval-Training Routine
For this exercise routine, I needed a treadmill, resistance training equipment, and a way to measure my pulse. My goal was to be able to run a six-minute mile. I found out that speed work on the treadmill was an excellent way to complement long-distance runs done at a slower pace. I would run between 10 and 30 miles per week while doing speed work on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. In one month, I was able to bring my mile time to precisely six minutes.

My speedwork exercise week: 

How Did My Speedwork Exercises Look?

So with the above workout plan, I concentrated on becoming faster and stronger during the beginning of the week. Towards the end of the week, I recorded my mile time, and I worked on endurance training. Hopefully, understanding your fuel requirements may help you to decide what to eat and when. Your meal choices may change over time due to trial-and-error. How you respond to certain foods should help to dictate what you eat and when?

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