Will doing HIIT effect my MAF Traning

by Robert
(Cape Town, South Africa)

Hi, I have just started doing MAF training. I run about 3 - 4 times a week and then do about 35 minutes HIIT twice a week on the non-running days. I have seen that they say you must try and do all your training at the MAF rate, but if I do my HIIT training it will go way beyond this, may I still continue doing the HIIT on my off running days?

Nicole's Reply:
Hi Robert, thanks for the great question. You are not alone is asking this as doing cross training besides just running is often a good thing.

Ideally and to see the quickest improvement in your aerobic base, you should do ALL your training at your MAF heart rate. However that doesn't mean that you can't do some form of HIIT.

Phil Maffetone recommends to do no more than 2 sessions a week and to keep the sessions short so that you do not spend too much time in your anaerobic zone. You also need to factor in extra rest and recovery time as opposed to if you were just doing MAF training.

HIIT can help and improve health and fitness but it can also have a negative effect if not done correctly. Have a look at this article as I think it may answer your question more clearly. How HIIT helps and Hurts