My healthy client often feels nauseous and dizzy after high intensity intervals. Is there any way to help this?

Sounds like the intervals are too much. I would back off. Make sure he or she has a good fitness level first. Work on endurance and lower intensity exercise to get a good base. If he or she already has good strength and endurance I would check with the physician. Make sure you have the all clear.
Once all that is done I would start back with just 10 seconds of higher intensity (not as high as what you are doing now), give a good two minute rest period of very light intensity, and if that is tolerated do just one or two more intervals for that session. Make sure there are at least 1-2 rest days, and try again, very gradually lengthening the interval time and number of intervals, then reducing the rest intervals. High intensity has a lot of benefits, but also risks. Rest is very important during the session and in between sessions.

There are a lot of questions to be asked here:
1- Is your client staying hydrated between training sessions?
2- Is your client getting enough sleep? (a minimum of 7 hrs a night)
3- What type of fuel is your client consuming before and/or during the training session?
I hope this helps,
good luck!
#shlomotrained

HIIT is the newest of trends right now, however….
There is no one size fits all with personal training.
As a personal trainer we are hired to design a program that will fit the needs of our clientele.

I am assuming you did a very detailed intake on this person? No medical issues?

If you are training a client with these reactions, I suggest you lower the intensity and make sure you have proper liability insurance.

Hi Christine,

Yes – there is a way to help it – reduce the intensity. Nausea & dizziness are definitely red flags, telling you that something’s not right. High intensity interval training is not for everyone. You need to be in very good aerobic condition from the jump to use that method of training – most people aren’t. I know that HIIT training is “all the rage” these days and steady state aerobic exercise has been getting a bad rap. That’s another issue for another time. Don’t get me wrong – HIIT training is very effective – I include it in my own workouts. But as Janet pointed out, you need to build a good aerobic base before you start cranking up the intensity like that. If your client is still experiencing those symptoms with lower intensity (steady state) aerobic exercise, then it’s time they see a physician to see what’s going on. I hope everything works out well Christine.

Paul Thomas
www.homeworkoutguy.com

Hi Christine,

This could be an over-training issue. Try reducing the intensity and length of the workout and see if it helps.

Best,

Ron Benamor
www.motionsoft.net