On Wednesday, I had what seemed like the perfect workout. It was on my elliptical and lasted exactly 30min. Before the workout, I felt bloated and groggy; afterwards, a good portion of my stomach gas dissipated and I was much more awake. Normally my workouts aren’t super effective at combating sleep inertia, so what did I do differently that day?
The answer is HIIT.
For funzies, I downloaded Sergey Filippov’s Elliptical Workout app onto my iPhone and followed its Base routine. The routine had me alternate between 3min of 140–160 SPM and 1min of 180–200. While doing so, I played the “Cardio Gym Hits 2022” Spotify playlist in the background. By the time I was done, I was soaked in sweat.
During that elliptical workout, my heart rate was not as high as my typical outdoor runs (think ~140 vs ~165bpm). However, alternating between fast and slow seemed to pump my adrenaline more. As mentioned earlier, I felt much more energized by the time I was done. With that in mind, HIIT workouts seem the way to go moving forward.
Update: tried the HIIT elliptical again on Sunday. This time, it didn’t help with stomach gas as much, but it still gave me a good workout. As for sleep inertia, can’t say for certain; that day, I was already fully awake before turning to the elliptical (thanks to a long walk down De Anza and a large cup of Vietnamese iced coffee).
