HIIT Advice

kapoorpk

In recomposition routine, performing HIIT 4 times a week. Two times on off days and twice coupled with the lightest of my lifting days. The question I have is about the interval duration. When I was focused on losing weight I did 3 minute higher speed, 2 minutes moderate. Well, I am afraid of losing muscle if I did that now when I am trying to gain muscle.

So, I have been trying 30 seconds spring, 60 second moderate intensity rest intervals for a total of 20 minutes.

My goal is to maintain cardiac health while burning fat as I gain muscle. Is this 30 interval ideal? I could just observe the co-relation between different duration and what happens to my fat and muscle, but this would be quicker.

As such, I wonder if an ideal interval exists for fat burn with minimal to no muscle loss that one knows is likely to be most effective.

Please advise.

Thanks

MapleFlavouredMaiden

I would do 30 seconds all out, balls-to-walls-gonna-puke. Then walk/stop until your heart rate comes back down all the way. Then repeat. Do this for only 15-20 mins. Make your intervals so intense you feel like you're gonna die the last couple seconds. During your rest, rest completely allowing your heart rate to return to normal so that you can put all your work into your sprints.

JeffseekingV

I'd like to know too. But IMHO, if you are trying to gain muscle, that will be more determined by being able to get over your calorie maintenance by x% consistently.

kapoorpk

I would do 30 seconds all out, balls-to-walls-gonna-puke. Then walk/stop until your heart rate comes back down all the way. Then repeat. Do this for only 15-20 mins. Make your intervals so intense you feel like you're gonna die the last couple seconds. During your rest, rest completely allowing your heart rate to return to normal so that you can put all your work into your sprints.

I agree with the 30 seconds and the total duration, but find the sudden full stop to be too risky. Sudden stops mess with your blood pressure and your heart leading to potentially fainting or dizziness. Not a good idea. You should gradually slow down, thus switch to low or moderate intensity during resting interval periods. But, 30 second intervals is making sense to me, just wondered about any other durations used to a greater effectiveness.

Check out the middle paragraph in this article:

http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/collapse.html

kapoorpk

I'd like to know too. But IMHO, if you are trying to gain muscle, that will be more determined by being able to get over your calorie maintenance by x% consistently.

Not exactly. x% in excess of maintenance is a sure way to gain weight, not necessarily muscle. That comes from a lot of heavy lifting at the gym with each exercise getting 10-12 reps of at least 3 sets enticing hypertrophy, i.e. muscle mass gain. HIIT has to be included so when the muscle is gained fat doesn't grow with the increased nutrition necessary for muscle recovery.

Still hoping to hear if someone using larger intervals and didn't burn off muscle with it.

kapoorpk

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SideSteel

HIIT has to be included so when the muscle is gained fat doesn't grow with the increased nutrition necessary for muscle recovery.

I disagree with this assertion, but if you have anything to support it I'm all ears.

Sarauk2sf

HIIT has to be included so when the muscle is gained fat doesn't grow with the increased nutrition necessary for muscle recovery.

I disagree with this assertion, but if you have anything to support it I'm all ears.

I am confused by this also - especially as HIIT (performed properly) is effectively the same as a decent lifting session re muscle recovery (not muscle growth though).

kapoorpk

May be your read it too literally and exclusively an assertion for HIIT. I have been so focused on sharpening my chosen cardio format of HIIT trying to burn more of the fat calories to further reduce body fat percentage while I gain muscle via workout regimen and appropriate macros. The broader point I was making was that beyond lifting, some cardio needs to be done where one can burn less of carbs/glycogen and more of the fat cells. The less strenuous and slower process I understood to exist to burn fat is the lower pace cardio for longer periods but its so time consuming and inefficient.

With that understanding, any advice on whether the intervals I am using are optimal for burning some fat calories? What do you think?

Sarauk2sf

You do not need to do cardio to lose weight.

However, if you chose to do it, a mix of LISS, with or without some HIIT (with appropriate recovery), depending on how it is done, is usually best for muscle preservation.

This is a great video from Eric Helms:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmEJGR1_sZc

I cannot answer the 'optimal' question as there are too many variables (i.e. what happens in the workout in total). However, what you are describing is not really true HIIT. That being said, it does not really matter what the definition is - it will burn calories - just do it judiciously.

kapoorpk

Ok, to try to clarify, I am trying to gain muscle and continue to shed BF%. So, to do so, I am supplementing lifting with HIIT as my chosen cardio. Lifting would help grow muscle, wouldn't it, if I am focused on muscle mass gain. HIIT, I thought, could be a form of cardio that can not only help me maintain/improve my cardiac health but also burn more of the fat calories.

Does that make sense? Any thing I am misunderstanding? Takes me back to the original strategy questions around duration of intervals.

Please advise.

Thanks

JeffseekingV

If I understand him correctly, he wants to lose fat and gain muscle. Then the weight ends up where it ends up. Not sure how that is possible if he's not overweight or a newbie lifter

Sarauk2sf

Did you listen to the video?

Sarauk2sf

Ok, to try to clarify, I am trying to gain muscle and continue to shed BF%. So, to do so, I am supplementing lifting with HIIT as my chosen cardio. Lifting would help grow muscle, wouldn't it, if I am focused on muscle mass gain. HIIT, I thought, could be a form of cardio that can not only help me maintain/improve my cardiac health but also burn more of the fat calories.

Does that make sense? Any thing I am misunderstanding? Takes me back to the original strategy questions around duration of intervals.

Please advise.

Thanks

It is unlikely that you will be able to gain any appreciable muscle unless you are a newbie lifter. You can possibly gain some on a deficit even if not new to lifting, assuming everything is pretty much on point - but it is slow and a maybe.

HIIT burns calories. As it is more intensive, it burns more calories than LISS in a given time. However, you need recovery time if doing HIIT properly, which you do not with LISS.

kapoorpk

Listening to the video now. I have already lost the 70 pounds I needed to. And, no I am not a newbie lifter. Its been a couple of years lifting now. What does that make me, intermediate? Not sure. I don't want to lose any more weight, I am at my target weight. Focus is just building muscle, keep heart healthy and reduce BF% a bit. At 18% now, would like to get down to 15% if I could while gaining muscle...mission impossible is it? To do both together?

Sarauk2sf

Oh, so you are referring to recomping? Yes, its possible - its slow and the success depends on various factors - but its possible.

The same logic would apply to cutting and recomping re HIIT/cardio etc.

If you want to do it to eat more or for cardiovascular health, then it's fine to do - just do not over-do it.


Site note: ETA: sorry - I read that you were doing the 2 minute/3 minute rest now rather than you were doing that before - sorry. What you are doing now is more aligned with what HIIT is meant to be.

JeffseekingV

BTW. I was in Naperville, IL twice in the last year, Last time right before the Chicago marathon. I visited the YMCA near there quite often. My work visit was in Aurora, IL.

kapoorpk

Exactly, as I mentioned in my first comment, recomping is the goal.

Good video. Thanks for sharing.

I never thought of weight training similarities with HITT. But makes sense, It is essentially a HIIT, so should help reduce fat in the long run too.

No wonder, most accomplished bodybuilders at the gym do nothing but the LISS. I thought they did that as they have already reached their BF% and were in maintenance mode.

I have had decent muscle gains so far, most of which came about after reaching my weight loss goal and starting to eat at maintenance. Because my BF% increased by a 1% or so which is why this idea of restarting HIIT came to mind so I can keep gaining muscle but stop the fat growth.

I think, what's making sense is to may be reduce HIIT from 4 days to just 2 and just do LISS for the other 2 days. I will keep the intervals at 30/60 seconds between high/low intensity.

Diet: stay at maintenance.

Makes sense?

kapoorpk

Jeff - That's nice. Hope you enjoyed your visit to Naperville. Are you from Hawaii? Saw some reference to it on your profile.

JeffseekingV

Jeff - That's nice. Hope you enjoyed your visit to Naperville. Are you from Hawaii? Saw some reference to it on your profile.

ref

I go to Hawaii once a year usually. Ref to Hawaii was my old fat pic while I was in Hawaii in 2009.

Sarauk2sf

Exactly, as I mentioned in my first comment, recomping is the goal.

Good video. Thanks for sharing.

I never thought of weight training similarities with HITT. But makes sense, It is essentially a HIIT, so should help reduce fat in the long run too.

No wonder, most accomplished bodybuilders at the gym do nothing but the LISS. I thought they did that as they have already reached their BF% and were in maintenance mode.

I have had decent muscle gains so far, most of which came about after reaching my weight loss goal and starting to eat at maintenance. Because my BF% increased by a 1% or so which is why this idea of restarting HIIT came to mind so I can keep gaining muscle but stop the fat growth.

I think, what's making sense is to may be reduce HIIT from 4 days to just 2 and just do LISS for the other 2 days. I will keep the intervals at 30/60 seconds between high/low intensity.

Diet: stay at maintenance.

Makes sense?

Makes sense. Sorry for missing the recomp comment -not sure how I did as it was in the first line - good reminder not to try to read questions too quickly.

Treat the HIIT like a lifting session re recovery and use LISS at other times if you want to get the additional calorie burn - but don't overdo it re duration or intensity.