The Benefits of High Intensity and Sprint Intensity Interval Training for Peri- and Post-Menopausal People
You likely already know how important cardio and strength training are for women in mid-life. Now, research is steadily growing in support of the many benefits for doing higher intensity work as women age. But what are these modalities? Are you already doing them if you take a class that features some blend of cardio and strength, like the Unstill Life Strength & Stamina workouts? This week we’re going to dive into it with a wee explainer and talk about why including 1-2 HIIT or SIT workouts a week has huge benefits.
Mid-life changes got you down? Perplexed by what to do for mid-life fitness? Rachel has a Menopause Fitness Coaching credential and is happy to explore what can help you now. Schedule a free consultation by emailing Rachel rachel@unstilllife.com.
What are HIIT and SIT? Are they the same thing?
Both modalities live on the far end of the spectrum of vigorous exercise. They could be done with full-body exercises like burpees, ball or rope slams, squat jumps or lunge jumps, or other explosive movements like kettle bell swings, or they could be done on a bike trainer, elliptical, or running, especially on a hill.
As the name suggests, the point of this work is intensity–and repeated bouts of it–with short periods of rest. On a scale from 1 to 10, HIIT is an 8-9, and SIT is a 10. The HIIT intervals will be slightly longer, from :30 to a few minutes. The SIT intervals, because of the even higher intensity, you can only maintain for less than :30, and could be just :10.
The other difference between HIIT and SIT is the rest interval. HIIT will have a shorter rest, usually the same or less time than the work interval such as :20 work /:10 rest repeated 8x. SIT will have a longer rest period, like 1-2 minutes, because you need to recover enough to go at that same full out level of effort.
The beauty of these higher intensity workouts is that they achieve their effects much faster than longer, steady state forms of exercise. You do a good warm up (important!) and the workout itself might be only 10-20 minutes. But that is packed with high level benefits. Let’s explore.
What Are the Benefits For Peri- and Post-Menopausal People?
As we lose hormones in menopause, a host of health challenges arise:
- cardiorespiratory fitness tends to decline
- vascular function and arterial elasticity can worsen
- insulin sensitivity often decreases
- muscle mass declines just as it becomes more important for resilience and longevity
- changes in body composition and increased abdominal/visceral fat
The great boon for HIIT/SIT as a fitness protocol is that it leads to notable improvements in ALL OF THE ABOVE, and it does it in a time efficient form.
Improving Cardiovascular Health and Fitness
We have talked about VO2 Max on this blog and how it is among the most telling markers of long-term health and functional capacity. Well, research on SIT shows it is effective in improving several aspects of cardio fitness including predictive VO2Max. This research also reported that the training led to greater vascular function and reduced arterial stiffness, an important marker of heart disease.
Improvements in Metabolic Health
Another great effect of higher intensity workouts for the post-menopausal set is what it does for metabolic health. It increases your insulin sensitivity, which lowers blood sugar levels and post-menopausal risk for Type 2 Diabetes. It doesn’t just burn calories, It makes your body better at managing glucose efficiently and putting it to use.
Improvements to Body Composition through Hormones
SIT workouts do a lot on the hormonal level. They stimulate human growth hormone (HGH) and testosterone, which is an important hormone in women. They also decrease estrone (the less desirable form of estrogen) and cortisol, the stress hormone. What this means overall – the HGH and testosterone allow you to improve muscle mass (not getting bulky!!!) while the lowering of estrone and cortisol allow you to shed body fat. If you want to improve body composition, SIT workouts do it.
And a Brain Bonus
In the parlance of those old ads… “but wait, there’s more!” SIT workouts pump up brain-derived neurotrophic factors and other chemical messengers that actually enhance brain tissue remodeling, improving cognition and working memory. So if brain fog is a symptom that dogs you, you can burn off the fog with some SIT.
HIIT/SIT are Part (not all) of Your Fitness Program
Okay, so these are amazing things for your tool box, and serious game-changers for post-meno folks. I highly encourage you to add them to your week. They do not replace the all-important role of resistance training, preferably with a progressive overload focus. Intensity workouts are meant to complement a focused strength program. But HIIT/SIT might replace some of your longer steady state cardio workouts.
The best way to include intensity workouts is 1-2 x a week, with a solid warm up before going hard, and a good cool down and easier effort (walking, yoga, Pilates) for recovery in the day following. Unstill Life workouts sometimes include the option for HIIT segments, but just because a class includes a :20/:10 format that doesn’t mean that participants are actually turning up the intensity to the 8-10 level. As always in our workouts, it’s up to you how hard you go. But know that the opportunities are there, and great benefits await. I’d be glad to help you dial it into your workout plan, or any workout we do together.
