Welcome to Straight Talk on Health. I’m your host Dr. Chet Zelasko. Straight Talk on Health is a joint production with WGVU in Grand Rapids MI. With a PhD in exercise physiology, I’ve been teaching people how to improve their health through diet, exercise, and supplementation for over 30 years. I look at the science behind all the headlines and social media and let you know whether it’s something to consider or not. You can check out other things that I do on my website Drchet.com and sign up for my free emails.
I recently talked about taking inventory of where your body is now, primarily in your ability to move your limbs. The reason was that regardless of age as well as physical limitations, you can improve your fitness level. You can potentially accelerate the process using high-intensity interval training AKA HIIT. It may take ingenuity if your physical limitations are significant and you should be guided by your healthcare professional to get started. Let’s take a look at a recent study.
Researchers in Australia recruited a group of apparently healthy subjects 65-85 years old to participate in a HIIT study. The focus was changes in body composition. The subjects, mean age 72 years, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group who focused on stretching and balance exercises, a moderate intensity group who walked on a treadmill for 45 minutes at a specified target heart rate range (HR), and a group that walked 40 minutes including a 10 minute warm-up, four 4 minute intervals at a specified HR range interspersed with 3 minutes of active recovery, and a cool down.
There were significant changes in BC between the control group and both the HIIT and the moderate intensity group with a specific change in the visceral fat. Were they fitter? The HIIT group demonstrated a greater use of O2 than the moderate intensity group but it was not significant. The important point was that even people over 80 could perform HIIT based on their specific fitness level. What about people who recently had heart attacks?
Before I get into this next study on HIIT, I want to be sure you understand that unless you’re under 30 years and very fit, you need guidance and advisement from your physician before you attempt any HIIT program, especially if you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or are on medications for these conditions. I’ve been doing interval training for over 40 years but the intervals I do today are within the limitations of the body I have today, not the ones when I was in my 30s. With that in mind, let’s proceed.
Researchers in China recruited over 200 subjects with a specific cardiac profile: the subjects all had myocardial infarctions (MI) that was resolved by a percutaneous coronary intervention such as a stent. This group requires special attention in that they are at serious risk for another event within the next year.
Researchers divided the subjects into three groups: a moderate continuous intensity training group (MCIT), a HIIT group, and a group that did a combined MCIT and HIIT program as part of a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program. The advantage is that every exercise session was under the supervision of professionals trained in cardiac rehab and with the knowledge how to respond if something were to go wrong.
All groups improved their fitness levels. What the researchers found that the combined training program of MCIT and HIIT provided the best results than either of the approaches done separately. From a fitness perspective, those in the combined group increased the amount of oxygen they could use more, and pumped significantly more blood per beat (Ejection Fraction), than either group alone. Most important, there were no differences in major adverse events. I specifically chose this study because these subjects were most at risk. With a doctor’s approval and under the right supervision, they were able to do HIIT safely. For most of the rest of us, those are obstacles we don’t face.
I have a confession: I married a woman who doesn’t like to exercise. I know—it’s not what you’d expect from guy committed to a career in making people fitter and healthier, but she was and is irresistible. Since we met, I’ve been on the lookout for fun ways to exercise, especially since HIIT (high-intensity interval training) has become popular. One could argue that HIIT should not be fun but maybe more interesting?
We’ve worked out that distraction helps, so Paula usually is reading or watching TV while biking or doing other exercises. How can we work HIIT competition into that formula? The simplest way is just to see whether she can increase the RPMs for 30 seconds by peddling as fast as possible. Maybe she only makes it 15 sec. Then peddle easy for 3:30 of easy cycling. Then repeat 4-6 times. The goal is to last for 30 seconds for all 4-5 intervals. Another approach would be to bump up the resistance for 30 seconds followed by the same rest approach of easy cycling at a reduced resistance.
The same logic could be used for walking, elliptical trainers, and stair climbers. What about other forms of exercise or exercise equipment? The approach remains the same no matter what mode of exercise we choose: increase speed or resistance for a specific amount of time ranging from 15-90 seconds, and then actively rest for 3—4 minutes, repeating the cycle 4-6 times. Here are some ideas.
Friends- there is probably no better piece of exercise equipment for doing HIIT than getting a group of people together and doing it as a group. Someone can be the designated timer to keep track of the intervals and rest times. Walking is the logical choice but it can be done in the pool, indoor bikes, calisthenics, or some other group activity or a class. It may bring about a little competition which can be motivating. It especially helps on those days when you really don’t want to work harder. Obligation to someone else can keep you on track.
Trampoline Rebounders – these are available at moderate costs at big box stores or online. They come with a variety of aerobic workouts. The simplest thing is to increase the foot speed as you bounce. The nice thing is that some come with a bar to hang on while working out. You can also bounce higher but if you do that, you have to remember your ceiling height. Also, hit the rebounder straight down dead center or you could bounce yourself off the equipment onto the floor or whatever else is in the way.
Pools – If you have access to a pool, you can always use pool walking as your mode of exercise. There are a number of ways to increase the intensity. You could walk faster. Or you can increase the resistance by using your arms to push the water to propel you faster as you walk. If you want to have some more fun, skip across the pool.
One more thing, you could hang onto the side of the pool and practice your freestyle leg stroke. Same idea, go faster for a specified time and then chill by walking for the rest interval. Be cautious if you have a large hot tub. That adds another stressor: heat. One stress at a time, done in the correct fashion, is a better idea.
If you have difficulty moving without assistance, you can still do some interval training. Using your walker for balance, depending on how much room you have in your home, your driveway, of a local park, you can simply walk faster for 15 seconds to start. If you have a wheel chair, the same approach applies. I know from observation that some people like to use their wheelchairs to scoot along using their legs. As long as you’re always under control, that would be acceptable—just not down a hill!
They also have rollers designed for wheel chairs for people who want to exercise indoors. That’s another way to train your arms as well. If you really want to try HIIT, you might have to be creative. Just remember that the basic time of interval is 30-90 seconds. The rest interval is 3-4 minutes, and don’t do it more than 2-3 times per week with a rest day between each session.
One more time: we should be prudent and check with physicians first. We should also get some guidance as how to begin a HIIT program using what I’ve stated here as a guideline. It must be within your fitness level right now, not 20 years ago. It can be as simple as walking faster for 30 seconds at a time during the walk you already take. But the gains can be significant to improving your health span. I think it’s worth checking out.
That’s all the time I have for this episode. If you like this podcast, hit the share button and tell your friends and colleagues about it. Until next time, this is Dr. Chet Zelasko saying health is a choice. Choose wisely today and every day.
Reference: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108763
Reference: Aging and Disease. 2025. http://dx.doi.org/10.14336/AD.2024.0642
