In the field of Strength & Conditioning, coaches are always striving to help their athletes display their skills at the highest level with as little drop-off as possible throughout a contest. From the outside looking in, the solution to getting an athlete “in shape” may seem simple. However, this has been one of the most contentious problems in athletics for some time. Mladen Javonavic provides practical, scientific solutions for this issue his new manual for high intensity interval training.

The HIIT Manual is organized in two main sections: HIIT basics and HIIT planning.

HIIT basics covers the following major points:

–       Understanding the “Endurance Map” and terminology

–       Equipment that is needed to test and prescribe HIIT conditioning

–       Understanding the “Velocity Profile”

–       Estimations of key HIIT parameters, that are needed for prescription and profiling

–       Prescription of the HIIT conditioning, corrections using start loss and COD loss, as well as grouping of athletes

–       Different HIIT drills – long intervals, short intervals and tempo, sprint interval training, repeat sprint training, and intermittent recovery

The planning part of the HIIT manual outlines the basis of Agile Periodization, which is a framework of approaching planning from an uncertainty perspective. HIIT planning covers:

–       Understanding uncertainties involved in training planning and realization

–       Three levels and types of analysis: phenomenological, mechanistical, and physiological

–        Answering “what should be done” and “when should it be done” using simple heuristics

–       Top-up approach to planning HIIT conditioning

Understanding the above will empower you in selecting, designing and planning HIIT conditioning for both individual and team sports.