This case study explores an advanced HIIT training plan (High-Intensity Interval Training) tailored for cricketers.
This is an advanced HIIT program designed for cricketers, but it also offers valuable insight into our approach for creating similar workouts to enhance your game.
Good luck—and don’t blame us when you try it. Trust us, it’s for your own good.
Table of Contents
- The Secret to Crafting an Advanced HIIT Training Plan
- The Case Study: John Stevens
- HIIT Training Plan Phase 1: Aerobic Threshold Development
- Phase 2: Alactic Anaerobic Development
- HIIT Training for Cricketers: Lessons from John
- John’s Thoughts/Comments
To meet the intense physical demands of cricket, players need a well-structured strength and conditioning program that builds power, speed, and endurance.
One training method that’s gained traction in recent years is High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
HIIT consists of short, explosive bursts of exercise followed by brief recovery periods.
While HIIT is highly effective for boosting cardiovascular fitness, designing a program that addresses the unique needs of cricketers can be tricky.
In this case study, we’ll break down an advanced HIIT plan specifically for cricketers, focusing on strength, agility, and speed.
The Secret to Creating an Advanced HIIT Training Plan
Modern cricketers often prioritize strength and power to hit harder—but we can’t overlook cardiovascular fitness.
What’s the point of a powerful chassis if the engine can’t keep up?
It’s like fitting a Toyota Prius engine into a Ferrari. To perform at your peak, you need a strong heart, ox-like strength, and cheetah-like agility.
For cardiovascular training, we follow one golden rule:
If you don’t fully develop your aerobic system first and build sufficient strength, you’ll never maximize your anaerobic threshold.
From an endurance standpoint, one of the most crucial adaptations for a cricketer is the ability to use lactate as fuel.
That’s why a well-conditioned anaerobic system is key to unlocking your full cardiovascular potential.
Once you maximize your aerobic threshold (which slows lactate production) and build enough strength, you can then focus on improving lactate clearance by training your anaerobic threshold.
Think of your cardiovascular system like a vacuum that sucks up lactate. The higher your aerobic threshold, the bigger the vacuum.
A larger vacuum means your anaerobic system can contribute more to overall energy production.
The more trained your anaerobic system, the more powerful the vacuum becomes—pulling lactate out faster and letting you perform at higher intensities for longer.
This is why you’ll never reach your full cardiovascular potential, no matter how hard you train, if you don’t first develop your aerobic threshold.
Your vacuum just won’t be big enough to handle all the lactate your body produces.
The key to peak cardiovascular performance? Combining aerobic and anaerobic threshold development.
Which brings us to our case study: John Stevens.
John was already a skilled cricketer and personal trainer, but he came to us with a specific goal—batting longer on match days.
To help him reach his potential, we played detective to pinpoint his weaknesses. Here’s what we found—and how he progressed.
The Case Study: John Stevens
Name: John Stevens
Age: 36
Occupation: Personal Trainer
Position: Opening Batsman
20-Second Row Test (Before): 12 Calories x 8 Rounds
20-Second Row Test (After): 14 Calories x 10 Rounds
Time to Achieve: 8 Weeks
To put this into perspective, let me explain just how tough this 20-second row test is.
Next time you’re at the gym, hop on a Concept 2 rower. Set the timer for 20 seconds of work and 2 minutes of rest.
Row as hard as you can for those 20 seconds, note the calories burned, rest for 2 minutes, and repeat.
Keep going until you can’t match your initial calorie count. Remember, you only get 2 minutes of rest.
If you hit close to 14 calories in the first 20 seconds, well done. But if you can hit 14 calories ten times in a row, you’re a machine.
Some might try this and find it easy, hitting far fewer calories. If that’s you, it means you lack the strength or aerobic power for anaerobic threshold work.
This kind of training will leave you gasping on the floor, curled up in the fetal position by the end.
You’ll dread those 2-minute rest periods, not stand around waiting impatiently.
On paper, going from 12 to 14 calories might not seem huge—but for someone at John’s level, it’s a massive leap in alactic anaerobic endurance.
To get the right response from anaerobic training (HIIT), you must push your central nervous system to its limits.
This only works if you already have solid strength and aerobic capacity, which we assess before starting any program.
Here’s what John could do before we began his anaerobic threshold training:
Baseline Strength Standards
- 1.5 x bodyweight deadlift x 5 reps
- ½ bodyweight kettlebell front squat x 25 reps
- 5 x pull-ups
- 5 x dips
- 75% bodyweight farmers carry – 90 seconds
Cardio Assessment Results
- 1-mile run: 5:31
- 2km row: 6:56
HIIT Training Plan Phase 1: Aerobic Threshold Development
Let’s be clear: Building your aerobic threshold comes down to one thing—volume.
Lots and lots of sub-threshold training improves aerobic speed, movement efficiency, and metabolic conditioning.
We need to teach the body to use fat as its primary fuel source for endurance sports like cricket—and that means spending hours training below your aerobic threshold.
A strong aerobic foundation is non-negotiable before moving on to anaerobic development.
If you skip this step, you might as well pick a random HIIT workout from YouTube.
When we talk about volume, the big question is: How much is enough?
To build a truly robust aerobic threshold, you must embrace volume and consistency.
Looking at it annually:
- Novice: Aim for at least 300 hours of cardio training per year (excluding strength/mobility work). That’s 5–6 hours per week.
- Elite endurance athletes: Target 800+ hours per year.
This is what top-tier athletes do—and it shows what it takes to reach that level.
You might think, “There’s no way I can hit 300 hours, let alone 800.”
I hate to break it to you, but this is what serious cricketers commit to.
Your results depend on the work you put in. Building an elite aerobic engine takes time, effort, and dedication—but it pays off in the long run.
Before John started his 8-week program, he spent six months in the off-season building strength and aerobic capacity with us.
Let me repeat: This was done in the off-season. Don’t attempt this during the season unless you love pain.
He trained six days a week with one rest day, balancing strength, mobility, and running.
John logged mile after mile—sometimes over 50 miles a week—alongside his strength work.
Since he was also marathon training, his running volume had to align with that goal.
In Phase 1, we focused on volume and faster recovery.
Our running philosophy is simple: Get comfortable with high mileage.
We piled on the miles, often on consecutive days, to prep him for his race.
Sample Training Week for John (Phase 1)
- Monday: Strength
- Tuesday: Mobility
- Wednesday: Strength
- Thursday: 12-Mile Run
- Friday: 18-Mile Run
- Saturday: 20-Mile Run
- Sunday: Rest
Phase 2: Alactic Anaerobic Development
The core principles of anaerobic threshold training:
- Push intervals to exhaustion
- Rest fully
- Repeat
One rule: Every interval must be identical. You keep going until you can’t match the previous effort.
The anaerobic system must fully recover between intervals so you can train at max intensity each time.
Work periods are short (sometimes just 8 seconds) with long rest periods.
Too little rest shifts the focus to endurance training. The system you’re targeting must recover completely.
Our general rest protocol? 10:1 (rest ten times longer than the work interval).
Anaerobic and endurance might seem contradictory—how can unsustainable efforts build endurance?
But they do go together. This training is brutal—it hurts.
Improving your anaerobic threshold means working at max intensity and extending the time you can sustain it.
For example: Progressing from 10-second sprints (10 sets) to 14-second sprints (10 sets).
Unlike aerobic training, anaerobic work floods the body with lactate, forcing it to adapt and clear it faster.
This is how you train your body to handle and remove lactate efficiently. It’s grueling—and why you need years of training before attempting it.
The key? Less volume, higher intensity, and progression from power to endurance.
No shortcuts. No easy way out.
For John, once we identified the need for anaerobic training, we started with his 20-second row test.
This was done on a rest day. His starting point? 12 calories.
Twice a week (with at least 48 hours between sessions), he did this workout:
Sample Workout
- Warmup
- Activation
- Light strength session (<70% max effort)
- Alactic Work:
- Set rower to 20 seconds work, 2 minutes rest (calories displayed).
- Row all-out, record calories, rest 2 minutes, repeat.
- Keep adding sets until you can’t match the previous calorie count.
Progressing the Workout
After two weeks, John hit 12 calories for all 10 rounds. We then increased work to 25 seconds, rest to 2:30, and he hit 15 calories.
Two weeks later, he completed all 10 rounds. We then upped it to 30 seconds work, 3 minutes rest—he hit 17 calories.
His first attempt at 30 seconds only lasted 4 rounds. It took four more weeks to reach 10 rounds.
After 8 weeks of alactic training (the max we recommend), John retested his 20-second row—14 calories.
That’s a huge improvement in power and recovery.
HIIT Training for Cricketers: Lessons from John
Before starting an advanced HIIT plan (alactic anaerobic training), you must have the strength and aerobic base.
Without it, you won’t benefit—and you might get injured.
Mobility, flexibility, strength, and aerobic fitness are non-negotiable.
After years of training cricketers, we’ve learned one thing: Take your time developing the aerobic system first.
Advanced HIIT plans are simple—what separates elites from the rest is their ability to embrace the grind.
It’s a straightforward progression, but it works. If you’re ready for the challenge, good luck—you’ll need it.
As for John? That season, he averaged 41+ with the bat and hit 5 centuries (up from 31 and just 1 the year before). It was his best-ever season.
Was it luck? Or was he just fitter and able to bat longer?
Who knows—but here’s what John had to say:
John’s Thoughts/Comments
*”I joined Cricket Matters in 2021 realizing I needed a coach to improve. My goal was to get fitter, score more runs, and hit more centuries.
As a PT, I struggled with self-accountability. I programmed workouts I liked over ones that pushed me—but progress happens outside comfort zones.
I had decent strength and cardio, but I needed more. Enter James and the Cricket Matters team.
For six months, my training shifted drastically—six sessions a week. My strength and aerobic capacity skyrocketed, which also helped my running.
I was robust, but I lacked strength endurance. That’s when the Concept 2 rower became a staple as we moved into anaerobic threshold training.
Even with my fitness base, these workouts were next-level. Comfort zones were shattered—a sure sign of progress.
Max-effort 20-second rows, multiple times a week, became routine. Nothing had ever pushed me this hard.
Having a training partner (shoutout to Jason) kept me going when things got tough—and they did get tough.
Nausea during/after workouts became normal, but the impact on my running and cricket was incredible.
Batting for long periods felt easier. Recovery was quicker, especially after 40+ overs. No more feeling wrecked for days.
This was the fittest, strongest, and most unstoppable I’ve ever felt on a cricket field. Best decision I ever made.”*