Expert answers to your health and wellness questions

Note from Jay and Heidi: Always see your physician prior to beginning a new exercise routine.

Q: I recently read an article in a fitness magazine that talked about “HIIT training.” The benefits seemed to good to be true. Is it for real?

Jay’s answer: HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. We have a specific zone in our gym dedicated to HIIT training so I am very familiar with it. There is good research to support the claims that HIIT training offers many of the same benefits as traditional steady state cardio, but in a fraction of the time spent.

HIIT training also offers some additional benefits:

1.) Up to five times greater post exercise caloric burn (Petrofsky, Jerold, Journal of Applied Research–2011)

2.) Diabetes prevention: A study at the University of Birmingham (England) in 2013 showed a significant increase in whole body insulin sensitivity from just 90 minutes per week of HIIT training compared to similar results from six hours per week of traditional cardio.

3) De-aging hormone: HIIT training also showed a significant increase in HGH, a biochemical associated with cellular repair and replacement, a benefit not typically associated with traditional cardio. (Joseph Mercola, M.D.–2014)

There are several different protocols that have shown benefits including the TABATA protocol developed by a Japanese researcher that calls for 20 seconds of intense work, followed by 10 seconds of recovery, repeated eight times for a 4-minute workout.

I recommend getting help from a qualified fitness professional to safely implement this type of training selecting the correct low impact mode of activity along with the right protocol for your own individual fitness level. It can be used for all ages and fitness levels if done correctly.

Q. I used to do the no-weight circuit machines at a women-only facility. I loved them, but I can’t find them now. A friend told me they are no good anyway. Is that true?

Heidi’s answer: Sounds like you are referring to hydraulic or “fluid” resistance equipment for strength training. They are user-friendly and joint-friendly. They are ideal for those new to resistance training and people with arthritis or anyone who wants to get in a quick resistance workout safely with little adjustment of machines.

Similar machines at our facility recently were referred to as “push/pull chairs” in an article in the Sequim Gazette. The reason some call them that is that you work two different sets of muscle groups on each machine — your pulling muscles in one direction and your pushing muscles in the other. Your friend is wrong. Fluid resistance workouts are safe and effective — more effective than pool workouts for strength and bone density, but still with no impact.

Jay Bryan is an exercise physiologist and Heidi Bryan is a certified personal trainer. To ask Jay or Heidi a question, e-mail them at sequim@anytimefitness.com.