I love High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Well, I love it when I’m not in the process of actually doing it! It is a fantastic way of improving sports performance in short periods of time.

I tried out a new protocol today, cribbed from ‘Referee Specific Training’, a presentation by Bryn Markham-Jones. You can find it on pages 17 and 18.

Here is my own summary, and I have put the timings differently to make it easier to follow when actually doing it.

WARNING: HIIT is, by definition, INTENSIVE! Be absolutely sure you are fit to do this. Check with your GP if required. It is also expected that you are fully warmed up before commencing this, as it STARTS with running fast.

Set treadmill inclination to suit your fitness.

00:00 – 18.5 km/h
00:30 – Jogging
01:30 – 16.5 – 17.5 km/h
02:30 – Jogging
03:30 – 16 – 17 km/h
05:00 – Jogging
06:00 – 15 – 16 km/h
08:00 – Jogging
09:00 – 16 – 17 km/h
10:30 – Jogging
11:30 – 16.5 – 17.5 km/h
12:30 – Jogging
13:30 – 18.5 km/h
14:00 – Jogging
15:00 – STOP.

REST 5 minutes. This is ONE SET. Repeat, to make a total exercise duration of 35 minutes.

Fun, huh? I made it through, although I went for a 0% incline and the ‘Jogging’ elements ended up mostly being ‘Walking recovery’ in all honesty. Need to step that up!

My own personal guideline for HIIT: “Do I feel like I might collapse if I do any more? Do I have a sense of euphoria for finishing?” Job done then!

Do you have any favourite interval training routines?

I recently rejoined the gym on my work campus as running outside was just not happening any more. The current weather in the UK has put paid to that. I was soaked through just walking back from the gym to the office (30 seconds!) due to the lashing shower that suddenly appeared.

The adage which applies is “Get fit to referee, don’t referee to get fit”. Absolutely true and my ‘judo fitness’ has very much helped me hit the field of play running. I have yet to struggle to keep up with play but of course most of my games are at ‘parks’ level until I climb the ladder a bit more.

However, my body has not adjusted to the style of exercise too well. Lots of changes in speed (walk..jog…SPRINT…walk…stop…SPRINT) and direction have put quite a stress on my hamstrings and achilles. The achilles in particular forced me to rest but is now mostly under control. My hamstrings are tight as anything as it is due to my years of computing so this needs resolving. Some Asics Gel Lethal 11 boots are helping there!

Firstly, I’m working on running in the gym, working towards the Cooper test. I have no need to take this test for a long time but it is a nice benchmark. Starting point is 2500 metres in 12 minutes which I can manage fine on a treadmill but of course that is easier than doing it outside (even with a 1% incline). It’s good to start teaching my body the pace though. I’ll be mixing that up with interval training.

Secondly, lots of stretching. I’ve been neglecting this FAR too much. Obviously this is concentrating on my problem areas as mentioned above but I’m making sure I do EVERYTHING so I don’t just transfer the problem somewhere else. Early days but so important.

There we have a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise and stretching. I haven’t thought about core strength much yet but it will need to feature to help keep things balanced… hmm…

Typical advice in training is to make sure you are keeping track of what you are actually doing. Why? It keeps the momentum going and ensures a sense of direction. However, it is very important that you are covering all the areas.

In Judo, you might want to be keeping a look at:

• JUDO: Well, duh. This isn’t so much “I went to training today”. It is making a personal note as to what was covered in the session and what you got out of it. What were your strengths? Weaknesses? How were you feeling? What do you think you need to work on next time? Anything you forgot to ask your coach but should bring up next time? What are your short-term and long-term goals? Did you rely on your tokui-waza too much? Same applies for competitions. What did you learn? Why did you lose? What would you do differently next time? Did you win but feel you won ‘cheaply’?
• SUPPLEMENTARY TRAINING: What weights did you lift? How far did you run? Was it easy? Hard? Is anything a bit more sore than it should be? Think you can push harder next time? By the way, I think we can put ‘Reading’ as a supplementary here, so have you read up on a few combinations that you would like to try next time in Randori?
• NUTRITION: You can lift all the weights in the world but if you are living on pizza you are not going to be getting all the benefits. Keep it logged, check you are within your limits. Are you getting enough protein? Not ODing on carbs? I recommend Gyminee for this (note you can also track your workouts!)
• REST: Yes, sometimes you need to log that you’re not actually doing anything. Rest days are important. Your cardio and your muscles do not improve at the instant you are training. It happens when you are asleep. Take appropriate days off, get plenty of sleep!

Here’s my own story to illustrate some of the above points.

When I started Judo, I lost over a stone just from Judo training itself. I hadn’t really exercised in the previous 10 years since leaving school, apart from occasionally getting motivated to go to the gym, then losing that motivation again. Going to the gym for its own sake eventually lost appeal.

Judo gave me the motivation. I love Judo. Going to the gym, or out for a run, to help improve my fitness for Judo was a purpose in its own right.

However, I did nothing about my nutrition. I was still knocking back pizza and my carb levels must have been through the route. So I’ve always remained overweight. Nicely at the top end of the U90s category but hardly looking like a ‘Judo athlete’.

Then, due to various factors (Getting my Dan grade, breaking a toe, Christmas, lazyness!) I stopped going to the gym and training so much. I put on a bit of weight again.

I’m now back at it, only this time tracking my nutrition as well. This sense of direction means I have not just cut back on intake, but I am eating the right things: Lots more protein, much less carbs! Keeping everything in balance. White bread is replaced with brown. No butter. No full-fat drinks…. all sensible changes in their own right.

It’s a start and I am only three weeks in. I am losing weight and my body fat is dropping. Controlled. Still hitting the weights to minimise muscle loss (and I’m still seeing gains right now, so I must have hit the sweet spot!)

Track all the factors. Missing just one of them will stunt your Judo development.

I’m not sure whether my neck is any better or worse, compared to how it was prior to the injection. It has certainly been better the last few days, but of course it was more sore after being poked, prodded and stabbed.

Tiger Balm has been working really well for me. Sticky warming ointment. Perfect. Plus I guess it forces me to give the neck a good massage, or it is just going to ruin all my shirts! There have been a few occasions when I’ve pressed on a point and the pain has mysteriously totally vanished for a while. So sudden it was to the degree that I was scared to move my neck for a bit in case I had done something serious. Acupressure? No idea. But I remember my consultant tried something similar in my first appointment as a test to see if it relieved the pain. Something to ask about…

As yesterday it was pretty good, I decided to go for a run outside at lunchtime. It was six degrees Centigrade outside. I only had my t-shirt and shorts. But, hey, that temperature seems to fall within safe limits. I did two miles and it was just fine. Although my shoulder did twinge a bit, mostly my fault for pretty much storming out the door at a rapid pace (no proper warm-up) and pounding up the road before settling into a more sensible stride. The whole thing was really invigorating.

So, training continues…

I’m back into the swing of weight training. Slow improvements, but they are there.

As previously posted, my stamina has been letting me down in competition. Aside from the attitude that I’ll have to push myself more in Judo sessions, I’m supplementing the weight training with two days of cardio a week.

I’m sticking with the Tabata system, although now using Rowing as an exercise. I feel this workout may be more Judo relevant, due to it using a wider range of muscles than just my legs!

It seems the Concept2 rower has a great reputation in general, and handily my gym has three of them!

A side effect of this routine adjustment is that my Squats suffered this morning (My body still recovering from the rowing movements the day before). I had to reduce the weight. But there was a significant gain in my Deadlift, and I have fixed my wrist issues with the Bench press (Although I was making sure my right hand was holding the bar correctly, I was then subconciously putting it back in to the wrong position when I looked away again! I made MORE of an effort today… problem solved!)