Welcome to the Get Fit Guys quick and dirty tips to get moving and shape up.

My name is Brock Armstrong. I'm the Get Fit Guy. And you know what? The allure of short,

intense workouts is, well, pretty obvious. But is high intensity interval training or hit really the only workout you need for good overall

fitness? Well, we're going to look at that today. I was recently investigating a fancy new stationary

bike that came on the market not that long ago. It uses a variation of the high intensity interval training that I was just talking about.

It's a slick looking bike, which appeals to my fashionista side.

It also includes some interesting machine learning, which appeals to my inner nerd, and it

boasts some pretty phenomenal health studies, which appeals to my inner

coach. But you know what? Despite all that, I still find myself scratching my head. Now, this is

where the stumbling block starts for me. The bike's website claims that this device is, and I quote, clinically proven to give you the same

cardio benefits of a 45-minute jog in under nine minutes with only 40 seconds of hard work.

Really? On a stationary bike, where you aren't using your arms at all, your skeleton is supported by a seat and your legs are only moving through a biomechanically repetitive and limited range of motion, well, I find that claim dubious at best.

Now, before we get into some of the other problems with HIT, let's clarify what exactly it is. High

intensity interval training, or HIT, involves alternating brief bouts of high intensity exercise

for 30 seconds to five minutes with shorter rest periods during a single exercise session.

Now, for most people, the allure of this type of training is that it promises

shorter workouts, which still provide results that are equal to, or greater than, more traditional,

moderate intensity training. Hit is actually versatile enough to be used in all types of settings.

It also packs a punch that can take some extra time to recover from.

Arguably, the most popular form of hit is the Tabata method.

I wrote about that in an article called How to Use Tabata Training for more than just hit workouts.

Now, although this podcast you're listening to right now may seem like it's putting hit down,

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