Cardio plateu

donhuzayfa

Hi guys, I've just started losing weight and it's been a week of going gym and so far I've lost 2kg.
At 17 stone the first week my heart rate was perfectly in the hiit workout range (175bpm) however after a week I'm struggling to get my heart rate up to get into hiit range. I feel like I'm doing as much as I can yet my heart rate has adjusted and hovers around 160bpm. I also feel like I have less energy during the workout even though I eat a banana as a post-workout. Are there any tips (without having unnatural pills to boost my workout energy) and hr?

I am a newbie so take it easy.

cwolfman13

What exactly are you doing? HR isn't really a good indicator of HIIT as it will lag on your working intervals coming from resting intervals. Your HR wouldn't remain remotely constant doing HIIT. Also, if you're new to fitness HIIT isn't really what you should be doing. True HIIT can really only be performed a couple of times per week, and that is for people with an already very solid aerobic base.

I know HIIT (or what is marketed as HIIT) is all trendy and whatnot...and it can have it's benefits in regards to cardiovascular fitness, but it is hardly the necessity that it's made out to be...particularly for non-trained athletes. HIIT was initially designed to increase the V02 max of elite athletes...it was never designed to be a weight loss tool.

Also, if you're concerned with calories expenditure, you burn fewer calories in a HIIT session than a longer duration cardio session. If you can do "HIIT" for the same amount of time you can do a steady state cardio session, you're not doing anything remotely close to HIIT.

NorthCascades

Sounds like cumulative fatigue. HIIT is a really bad choice for people who after New to exercise and for weight loss. It's a limited exercise protocol for refer preparedness.

DancingMoosie

Also, as your body gets better at the workout, your HR will not be as elevated. Eating a banana post workout has nothing to do with energy during the workout. Maybe eat it before? Or have a little caffeine?

Azdak

Heart rate response during the first workouts starting a new program is pretty meaningless. Your body is not yet capable of a normal physiological response to exercise. You can’t really use it as a reference point.

sijomial

Put away your HRM and do exercise suited to your fitness level would be my suggestion.
That would mean not attempting to do HIIT and not trying to attain any particular HR numbers.

Build up your fitness slowly and progressively, build your base before trying for peaks.....