HIIT Training for pet owners is also known as “High-Intensity Interval Training.” This method of exercise was origionally designed for human beings as a way of increasing strength and stamina by taking into consideration the heart-rate of the person exercising, as well as the specific types of exercise being done. What this means is that it is scientifically proven that short bursts of high-intensity activity cause a spike in heart-rate. When combined into a sequence that raises and lowers the heart-rate through bursts or activity followed by rest periods, your body will not only consume more calories than a typical exercise session, but will also develop the fast and slow twitch muscle fibers at the same time. This combination of sequence creates a more effective workout for those looking to build strength and stamina, and not simply focusing on aerobic activity or bulk building. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are able to endure longer periods of exertion, while also bearing increased loads. Fast-twitch muscle fibers fatigue more quickly, and are able to sustain lower loads while moving faster. Only through the development of both fast and slow-twitch muscle fibers can you develop a body that is strong as well as fast, eliminating the bulk and heaviness of muscle while also improving the stamina of muscles that typically fatigue faster.
HIIT for pet owners is a method of taking the principals of HIIT Training and applying it to dogs and cats, as a way of developing their bodies to be strong and fast in a natural distribution. In a natural setting, animals need to be both fast and also have long endurance capabilities, in order to find and chase food as well as overpower it. This combination of strength and stamina is the natural body composition of the animals who survive and thrive better in the wild, and as a result it is also the ideal composition that pet owners should strive for when developing their pet’s health and fitness. Developing bulky strength is not ideal for dogs and cats, as it would make them too slow to catch prey. Bodies that cannot sustain long periods of exertion will not thrive as much as those that can chase prey for longer periods, illustrating the necessity of both in order to thrive. Animals also should not endure extended periods of excitment so as not to impact them mentally, being more suited to short bursts of excitment and activity followed by rest periods. This is why HIIT is so appropriate for animals.
Canine HIIT at RUN DAWG is a specifically designed exercise program for dogs using slatmills (not motorized treadmills.) This provides the coach with the ability to cause immediate excitment and activity followed by rest periods as soon as the fast-twitch muscles activated during those periods fatigue. These programs were designed through years of careful observation and experience doing dog workouts, seeing how dogs react to high-exertion and immediate rest afterward. The sequences are specifically designed for your dog and their current condition, taking into consideration age, fitness, weight, stamina, injury and a variety of other factors. The programs start in a sequence that the dog has been conditioned to do, and are adjusted in real time as the coach observes the performance and fatique of the dog. The idea is to push the body to perform at the highest level possible on that specific day, not comparing it to other days or other dogs. The coach guides the sessions to create a high-intensity workout that is appropriate for that dog on that day, going only as far as the dog should go in order to recover within 4 days. This method of high-exertion followed by slowdown in a sequenced way, followed then by extensive rest and recovery periods is the best method to create the strongest body possible.
The machine is not the workout, and cannot see how the dog is acting during the session so as to adjust. Only through active participation from the coach is a Canine HIIT session valuable. Aside from these guided sessions, the dog will simply develop a pace on the machine that will conserve energy for the long-run, essentially developing endurance only. Through the active participation adn guidance of the RUN DAWG coach, the dog’s sessions become a way of not only tiring them out, but also developing appropriate and natural muscle functions within a short workout session, and only once or twice per week. These compact and effective workout sessions accomplish the goals of strength and stamina in an effecient way, leaving you with more time to do the rest of the fun stuff they love.
The following study on Canine HIIT from the National Library Of Medicine describes the science behind the workout https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8109980/