Thread: Hiit

For someone like me who hates cardio with a passion, it's a life saver.

Originally Posted by b_reed23

I did my first 20 minute session of HIIT today on the eliptical machine(plus a 5 min. warm up and cool down)..

Your first session and you did 20 mins? You must be very fit, else you didnt do it right. When i first did HIIT i was wiped out in 5 mins(+warmup+cool down)!

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

For someone like me who hates cardio with a passion, it's a life saver.

I second that

An article I wrote for www.atozfitness.com

My Approach To Doing Cardio For Optimal Results
by Tim Wescott


Most bodybuilder`s, fitness enthusiasts, and personal trainer`s, will tell you that the best time to do cardio is early in the morning, on an empy stomach. For some reason, which most of them don`t know the answer to, they will tell you this is the perfect time to facilitate fat burning. I`m here to say they are off base in this approach to losing bodyfat, and I will tell you why.

As bodybuilder`s, most of us endeavor to eat 5-6 meals a day, spaced out over three hour intervals.This helps to keep blood sugar levels stable, keeps us in an anabolic state, by maintaining a positive nitrogen balance, aids in better digestion and assimilation, and also helps to keep the waistline smaller, as most of the meals should not be big meals, per se`!
After sleeping all night for 6-8 hours, or whatever amount is required for you personally, the body, upon arising in the morning, is in a very catabolic state.

This means a state of negative nitrogen balance,something no bodybuilder wants. To perform cardio at this time, on an empty stomach, creates a further state of catabolism, thus resulting in muscle breakdown, and muscle tissue loss.The exact opposite of what bodybuilding is all about! It`s true that blood sugar levels are low in the morning, but so are amino acids,the building blocks of protein. If you must do cardio in the morning.... no big deal, just make sure to have a protein drink, or a light protein meal, 45-60 minutes before the aerobic session. Your first priority in the morning, after fasting all night during sleep, should be to feed the body protein and carbs, thus restoring the body to an anabolic state once again. You always want to remain in this anabolic state, if possible, thats why we eat every three hours or so.

In my opinion, the best time to do cardio is after you workout with the iron. Performing your cardio workout after training with the weights, is the most ideal time to burn fat. The reasoning behind this thinking is that during your weight training workout you are using glucose, and stored glycogen, as fuel for energy.

Glucose and glycogen are sugars, and sugars are carbs. You want to use carbs as fuel for your training ideally,to sustain you throughout the workout. After you are done training, your glucose and glycogen levels are obviously depleted, thus making this the perfect time to perform your cardio, and to use stored fat as fuel. At this time, if you are on a high protein diet, as most bodybuilder`s are, or should be, the body will burn fat as fuel, to help get you through the cardio session.

Keep the cardio intense and brief, or the body will once again go into a catabolic state and use protein for fuel literally eating your hard earned muscle tissue alive.Doing too much cardio is detrimental.


The type of cardio that you perform is up to you, but I would recommend doing 15-20 minutes of "High Intensity Interval Training". Hereafter known as HIIT ........ HIIT cardio involves an all out burst of effort for about a minute, followed by a cool down pace, also for a minute or so, or until the heartrate slows down substantionally. As I stated above, 15-20 minutes of HIIT is great and usually enough for most people. I personally wouldn`t go over 30 minutes tops.

One of the advantages of performing HIIT cardio is that it accomplishes more in a shorter time period. Another more important benefit, is that it raises the heart rate and the metabolism. Your metabolism stays elevated long after your cardio session is done.This enables the body to keep on burning more fat just by going through your normal daily routine! Kind of an "afterburning" effect so to speak !


I use an Eliptical Trainer most of the time, and I find by using this particular apparatus, I burn over twice as many calories using HIIT, over more traditional methods I have employed in the past.The Eliptical Trainer also has virtually no impact on the feet, hips, or knees. So there it is, my take on doing AM cardio, and why I think it should not be done on an empty stomach. Try it out and lose some of that excess bodyfat, while retaining your hard earned muscle, you`ll be glad you did !!

TRAIN HARD !!!

Originally Posted by BulkMeUp

Your first session and you did 20 mins? You must be very fit, else you didnt do it right. When i first did HIIT i was wiped out in 5 mins(+warmup+cool down)!

Not necessarely!! HIIT doesnt have a pre requisite rate/speed to start from, I remember going from 2.8 to 4.2 mph MAX on the threadmill during my first few weeks of HIIT a while back!! It was hard enough to almost kill me, but I pushed thru the 20 mins...Will power has a lot to do with it!

Edit: not saying that Billie isnt fit, just saying that even if she isnt in top shape and managed to get it done, doesnt mean she did it wrong! Go BILLIE!

Originally Posted by BulkMeUp

Your first session and you did 20 mins? You must be very fit, else you didnt do it right. When i first did HIIT i was wiped out in 5 mins(+warmup+cool down)!

i'm towards the end of my bulk, and have slacked a lot on my cardio lately, i had a HIIT session the other day and lasted barely 4 mins!!! after a couple of sprints i was spent, luckily i start cutting next week and i should be able to build it back up to around 15 mins/9 sprints over the 6 week cutting period, i loved it though, after 4 mins my workout was over!

Trust me on this.....I had to REALLY push to get that last few minutes...lol...

Originally Posted by crazy_enough

Not necessarely!! HIIT doesnt have a pre requisite rate/speed to start from,

I agree. There is no fixed point of speed from where to start from. But the 'high' part of HIIT is not simply a matter of increasing speed. It is actually a sprint. So you must go as fast as you can, like you are running for your life because you are being chased by a big guy with an even bigger knife! I increase the intensity AND sprint for the high.

For someone who is not very conditioned, it will be very intense after a few mins.

Originally Posted by young d

i'm towards the end of my bulk, and have slacked a lot on my cardio lately, i had a HIIT session the other day and lasted barely 4 mins!!! after a couple of sprints i was spent, luckily i start cutting next week and i should be able to build it back up to around 15 mins/9 sprints over the 6 week cutting period, i loved it though, after 4 mins my workout was over!

Same here. I didnt last 5 mins. But i liked it that it is sooo much of a time saver.

Originally Posted by b_reed23

Trust me on this.....I had to REALLY push to get that last few minutes...lol...

Then you must be in very good shape!

I suggest look through this thread as well as the links within. HIIT Cardio

I did HIIT on the ellipitical as well. Try it by increasing the intensity level and doing a sprint for the high. Let us know how it goes.

what is hiit as i allways do cardio

Originally Posted by sgtneo

what is hiit as i allways do cardio

It is a form of cardio exercise. See link in above post #11, as well as post from tjwes above.

Its THE only form of cardio that Ill do!!lolol I cant spend an hour or two /day doing cardio...

well i do a 1.5 mile run twice a week takes me about 8 mins to do and i sprint at the end on last stretch so dont know what that will come under

I was doing 30 sec intervals...sprinting/jogging, I was on level 4 on an incline (can't remember how much though...) I also did 20 min today...I'm not sure how "physically" fit I am...but I have a high tolerance to cardio...I could go all day on an eliptical machine and never really break a sweat...with HIIT I have to literally peel my gym clothes off afterword...ew...lmao...I can feel the differance, plus it's fun and the time goes by faster!

wud it be okay to do hit in a 1 minute (sprint)/ 30 sec off(jog) for however long you can endure... or should u just barrel through it going head on as long as you can..