Stop Chasing the HIIT High: Why Your Body Needs More Than Just 'Maximum Effort'
By Remi — You don't need a meal plan. You need someone who actually explains why. ·
The HIIT Obsession
It’s July 2026. The humidity in Toronto is sitting at a solid 85%, and my DMs are flooded with the same question: “Remi, I have 20 minutes before work, should I just crank out a HIIT session to get it over with?”
I get it. We live in a world that sells efficiency like a commodity. We want the biggest bang for our buck, and HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is marketed as the ultimate "hack." You know the drill: 30 seconds of all-out, heart-exploding effort followed by 30 seconds of gasping for air, repeated until you’re a puddle on the gym floor.
But here’s the thing: I’m not anti-HIIT. I’m anti-misuse. My Haitian grandmother didn’t cook a pot of griot by turning the stove to the highest setting and hoping for the best; she understood the balance of heat and time. Your training should be no different.
The Physiology of 'Maximum Effort'
When you push yourself to that 90-100% heart rate zone, you are tapping into your anaerobic system. You’re relying on stored glycogen because your body doesn’t have the time to convert oxygen into energy fast enough. This creates a metabolic demand that feels great in the moment—the “burn,” the endorphin rush, the feeling that you’ve finally "earned" your day.
But let’s talk about the cost. HIIT is a massive stressor. It spikes your cortisol, taxes your central nervous system (CNS), and requires a level of recovery that most of us, working desk jobs and dealing with the chaos of life, aren’t actually providing. If you’re already stressed, sleeping six hours a night, and skipping meals, HIIT isn't a shortcut to fitness. It’s adding fuel to a fire that’s already burning your house down.
The 'Why' Behind the Intervals
If you want to use HIIT, you need to understand why you’re doing it. Are you training for a sport that requires explosive bursts? Are you trying to improve your VO2 max? If the answer is “I just want to burn calories,” we need to reframe your entire relationship with movement.
Your metabolic health isn't built on a foundation of constant intensity. It’s built on aerobic capacity—that “boring” zone where you can still hold a conversation. If you spend all your time in the red zone, you’re never teaching your heart to pump efficiently at lower intensities. You’re just teaching it to panic.
How to HIIT (Without Losing Your Mind)
If you love that feeling of intensity, keep it. But let’s do it with intention. Here is how I program HIIT for my clients who actually want results that last:
1. The 80/20 Rule: Your training week should be 80% lower intensity (steady-state cardio, strength training, walking) and 20% high intensity. If you’re training four times a week, that’s one HIIT session, max. 2. The Warm-Up is Sacred: You cannot go from sitting at a desk to a 100% sprint. Your joints and CNS need a runway. Spend at least 10 minutes priming your tissues. If you don't have time to warm up, you don't have time to HIIT. 3. Quality Over Quantity: If your form breaks down during the intervals, the session is over. Period. Once your mechanics fail, you aren't training your heart anymore; you’re just training your body to move poorly under fatigue. 4. Listen to the 'Why': Ask yourself before you start: "Am I doing this because I enjoy the challenge, or because I feel like I'm not doing enough if I don't suffer?" If it’s the latter, go for a long walk. Seriously. The metabolic benefits are profound, and you’ll actually recover.
Food as Fuel, Not a Reward
This is where my Master’s degree meets my Haitian roots. If you’re going to push your body with HIIT, you need to support it. Don't punish yourself with a restrictive meal plan after a high-intensity session. Your body just burned through a significant amount of glycogen—it needs carbohydrates to replenish those stores and protein to repair the muscle fibers you just challenged.
Food is the fuel that allows you to show up for your next session. Treat it like a tool, not a math problem. If you’re properly fueled, you won't need to “burn off” your lunch with a HIIT session. You’ll just move because it feels good to be alive.
The Bottom Line
Fitness isn't about how much you can punish yourself; it’s about longevity. I want you to be moving well when you’re 70, not just looking shredded for a July beach day. HIIT is a potent spice in the kitchen—it makes the meal exciting, but you can’t make a whole dish out of it.
What’s your current routine looking like? Are you stuck in the “more is better” cycle, or have you found a flow that actually feels sustainable? I’d love to hear what’s working for you—drop a comment below and let’s talk it through.