Why HIIT Won’t Change Your Body
I’ve worked out consistently for the last 15 years, but I haven’t been nervous about a workout until this past Saturday.
One of Blakley’s NKOTB-loving friends of 30+ years invited us to do a class at her gym.
If you’re familiar with F45, the concept is similar.
Once the workout starts, it doesn’t stop for 60 minutes straight.
The gym was set up into 18 different stations with moves ranging from high knees into burpees, jumping lunges combined with a cable row, to barbell cleans into a forward lunge onto a step.
The idea was to hit your station with 50 seconds of intense work, rest 10 seconds, then repeat that 3 total times, before rotating to the next station.
I wasn’t nervous because I’m out of shape or weak, just because Blakley and I’s training looks a lot different these days than 60 minutes of heart-pounding intensity.
After a brief demo of each station, the live DJ hit the tunes (yes, really!), the bell rang, and off we went!
My first station was a train wreck.
4 plyo jumps, followed by a lateral hop into a plastic octagon, straight into a squat jump.
I’m a pretty coordinated guy, but I just couldn’t get it down.
For the next hour, we moved through the choreographed stations as my heart rate climbed.
It turns out, 10 seconds of rest feels a lot shorter when your ticker is going at 175 beats per minute.
The weights were light, the reps were many, and by the end, we were all a sweaty mess.
All in all, we did great. There wasn’t anything to be nervous about after all.
On the ride back, Blakley and I talked about the class.
We both agreed that even though some of the exercises were silly and pretty unproductive, everyone in class got a good workout.
And to be clear: something is always better than nothing.
If the alternative is doing nothing at all, a class like this is a win.
And if you’re already following a well-designed, productive training program, doing one or two of these classes per week on top of that can be totally fine.
BUT… Here’s what most people don’t understand…
These kinds of 45 - 60 minute high-intensity workouts that “give you a good workout” don’t deliver the results that a lot of people want.
I’m talking about results like:
Weight loss
Strength Gains
More lean muscle definition
The problem with these HIIT workouts isn’t effort, it’s direction.
That class was designed to make everyone tired. And it worked.
But being exhausted isn’t the same thing as getting results.
Those workouts are built around variety, speed, and sweat. Not around getting stronger, building muscle, or creating a clear signal for your body to change.
There’s no plan to progress.
No repeatable benchmark.
No way to know if this week actually made you better than last week.
You just sweat… then show up sore tomorrow and do a different version of the same thing.
The results that most people say they want don’t come from soreness and randomness.
They come from simple things done on purpose:
Planned workouts
Repeatable movements
Progressive strength training
Enough rest to actually adapt
That’s why Blakley and I train the way we do now.
Not because we can’t handle hard workouts.
But because we care about outcomes, not just exhaustion.
If your training leaves you drenched but not measurably stronger, fitter, and confident in your progress, it might be time to stop chasing sweat and start following a plan.
That’s where real change starts.
Until next time… Lift heavy, and be nice
Jonathan
