Expert: Ken Alan - 5/14/2010

Question
Ken
I keep reading about this as an effective way to burn fat. However, is it appropriate for a guy like me in his early 50's?
My regular runs and biking sessions are having no effective except for maintaning the staus quo. I would like to drop at mininumum ten pounds of visceral fat that my doctor is concerned about-I already have elevated blood pressure.
Getting back to the HIIT, I am thinking it is not unlike hockey where you go hard for a couple minutes then sit on the bench, repeating this about ten times. I played rec. up until last year and I always felt I had burned off fat and elevated my metabolism after a game.
Thanks for your thoughts!

Answer
I assume you are referring to high intensity interval training.  Whether or not it is appropriate depends on a number of factors.  Since I know little about you, it's not possible to determine the answer.  Factors include:  the type of high-intensity training, how "high" do you define high-intensity?, frequency, duration, previous injuries, orthopedic concerns, your high blood pressure issue, other cardiovascular risk factors, etc.  

It can be appropriate if it doesn't compromise any biomechanical issues or medical issues.  It's also dependent on if you're at risk for injury depending on your form and technique, depending upon what you're doing.

Glad you're motivated to become healthier.  You can also consider doing more running and biking [frequency or duration] to burn more calories.
Hope this helps a bit.