Why Your HIIT Workout Shouldn't Feel Like Death (And How to Actually Do It Right)
By Tessa — Lifting heavy and lifting you up. Strength is the whole personality. ·
HIIT: The 'High Intensity' Misconception
Let’s be real: we’ve all been there. It’s 5:30 PM, the gym is packed, and you decide it’s time to ‘get shredded’ with a HIIT workout. You spend twenty minutes doing burpees until you’re seeing stars, your heart rate is redlining, and you spend the rest of the night lying on your kitchen floor, unable to decide if you’re dying or just really, really hungry.
As a powerlifter, I’ve had a complicated relationship with High-Intensity Interval Training. For a long time, I thought if I wasn't tasting iron in the back of my throat, it didn't count. But here’s the thing: intensity is a resource, and like any other resource, if you spend it all in one place, you’re going to be broke for the rest of your week.
Intensity Is Not Just 'Going Hard'
When we talk about HIIT, the 'High Intensity' part is the most misunderstood. People think it means 'do as many reps as you can until your form breaks and you collapse.' That’s not training; that’s just a recipe for a trip to the physical therapist.
True HIIT is about intentional spikes in effort followed by genuine, structured recovery. If your rest periods are just you gasping for air while leaning on a dumbbell rack, you’re not doing intervals—you’re doing a metabolic crisis. To make HIIT work for you, you need to treat those work intervals like a heavy single on the squat rack. It’s controlled, it’s focused, and it’s deliberate. If you can’t maintain your form during the work interval, the intensity is already too high, and the quality of the training just hit the floor.
Designing a HIIT Workout That Doesn't Suck
If you want to incorporate HIIT without ruining your recovery for your main lifts, you need to stop doing 'random acts of cardio.' Here is how I structure it for myself and my online clients who actually want to keep their gains:
1. Pick the Right Tool: Don’t do high-impact plyometrics if you’re already doing heavy deadlifts twice a week. Use low-impact, high-output movements. Think assault bikes, rowing machines, or even sled pushes. These allow you to reach that high heart rate without jarring your joints.
2. The 1:2 Ratio: Stop the 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off nonsense. Unless you’re an elite athlete, you aren’t recovering in ten seconds. Try a 1:2 work-to-rest ratio. If you sprint on the bike for 30 seconds, give yourself 60 seconds of easy, active recovery. This allows you to go harder during the work phase because your nervous system actually has a chance to reset.
3. Cap the Total Time: You do not need a 45-minute HIIT session. If you are doing it right, 15 to 20 minutes is more than enough. If you’re still going after 20 minutes, you’re likely just doing steady-state cardio at a moderate intensity, which is fine, but let’s call it what it is.
The 'Barbell' Test for Form
I’ve got this rule I call the 'Barbell Test.' If my dog, Barbell—who is currently asleep on my feet and snoring loud enough to rattle the windows—could look at my form and think, 'Yeah, that looks like a disaster,' then I need to stop.
When you’re doing high-intensity intervals, your core is the first thing to go. If your spine starts rounding on your kettlebell swings or your knees are caving in during your mountain climbers, you are done. Your 'intensity' is now just 'ego.' Stop the clock, take an extra minute of rest, and swallow your pride. You’ll get a better workout, and your lower back will thank you tomorrow when you’re trying to haul groceries up the stairs.
Integrating HIIT into a Strength Program
I get asked all the time: 'Tessa, where does this fit if I want to get stronger?' My answer is always the same: HIIT is the dessert, not the main course.
If you prioritize your heavy lifts first, you’re golden. Use HIIT as a finisher—maybe 10–12 minutes at the end of a session, or on a completely separate day if you have the recovery capacity. If you’re feeling fried, skip it. One missed HIIT session won’t kill your progress, but burnout will.
Remember, strength is the whole personality, but that includes being smart enough to know when to push and when to listen to your body. You’re not a machine. You’re a human being trying to get a little bit better, one rep at a time.
Keep the Momentum, Keep the Balance
At the end of the day, fitness is about longevity. I want to be under the bar when I’m 60, and I’m guessing you probably want to be moving well for a long time, too. Don't sacrifice your long-term health for a sweat-drenched, ego-boosting session today.
How do you handle cardio in your routine? Are you a HIIT fan, or do you prefer the steady-state grind? Let me know in the comments—I’m dying to hear how you balance the intensity without hitting the wall. And if you’re struggling to fit it into your current lifting split, shoot me a message! Let’s figure it out together.