How does HIIT training give you muscles?

iceey

I am doing TurboFire, and curious as to how all the people on there are all buff with muscles? I thought that cardio doesn't give muscles. Do I need to do something else on top of the program in order to build muscle? I don't think I have time to do more! The program is about an hour each day (depending on the day). I want to be lean and cut!

SpaceMarkus

It doesn't. I mean, not in the sense of gaining muscle mass. You will tone certain muscles just by doing the squats, jumps, lunges, etc. But you won't really gain anything.

Echo17121

The HIIT will def help you lean out so you can see muscles after it burns away the fat. There are strength training classes in Turbo Fire as well so if you are following the calendar you will begin developing muscle too. You need to do both cardio and strength. I love turbo, just finished it this week and trust me, towards the end you will get distracted during the workout looking at your jacked arms! I always do! Hahaha!

yanicka

Cardio made me lose muscle!!! in fact 50% of my weight loss was muscles. The only thing that made me gain muscle was to put my calories at maintenance and doing heavy strenght training 3 times a week. I am only 3 weeks in but I already lost 3 inches

koosdel

HITT is endurance training, aka cardio.

For muscles, you have no choice but to hit the weights and get out of the calorie deficit.

Wyoruby

Most of the people in the turbo fire videos were also in her Chalean Extreme videos too. So they didn't just get that way doing cardio they also did weight lifting. I love both sets and try to do a hybrid version that way I get the best of both worlds!!!

Rae6503

There are two strength DVDs included, like someone mentioned. Those will help you maintain and strengthen the muscles you already have. If you are on a calorie deficit it is hard to actually gain muscle or a lot of strength, and I don't think those videos using body weight and resistance bands will do it.

I did 12 weeks of the Turbo Fire and saw a lot of improvement in tone, my upper body muscles look great. But I probably had a lot of those muscles before, they were just covered by fat.

Rae6503

Most of the people in the turbo fire videos were also in her Chalean Extreme videos too. So they didn't just get that way doing cardio they also did weight lifting. I love both sets and try to do a hybrid version that way I get the best of both worlds!!!

Those people are probably fitness model and/or do a lot of extra work in a gym besides just Chalean's classes, and some have also probably had work done as well.

10fairywings

Hi there, as a lot of people have said HIIT does not build the sort of muscle you're talking about, it makes me cross when this happens. Lots of people do DVD and such and look totally ripped and indirectly say 'you too can look like this if you follow my do at home exercise programme!'

The only way to look that way is to do bodybuilding, lifting heavy weights for all muscle groups, and get your nutrition right. I have to say though that I would recommend bodybuilding to anyone who wants to look lean and super toned. It's so much easier than doing hours of cardio and with 100% better results as cardio doesn't have that effect on the body. It does take dedication but if you are dedicated enough to be doing this for an hour a gym programme would be a doddle. I go 5 days per week monday -friday for about 45 mins-1 hour and 15 mins of that is HIIT on a cross trainer or rowing machine for a warm up. Then I lift heavy heavy heavy!!!

What does this do? If you follow a good 12 week programme as a start point it lifts your bottom and boobs, tightens up wobbly under arm, gives you tiny tight little hips and bottom, lovely shaped legs and lovely flat ironing board stomach. It also makes you strong, and gives you good deportment, it is a body lift like a face lift but with no surgery. No more hanging over your jeans lol you can't even pinch and inch ha ha ha! I love it!