HIIT vs Weight Training on Fat Loss?

psuLemon

So I have google'd the crap out of this but have been curious if HIIT or WT is more effective for fat loss. We know both are effective for muscle retention during weight loss (assuming adequate protein and a moderate deficit).


The reason I ask, I have decided post holidays, I am taking a break from weight training (tendinitis in both my wrist) for a few months. I plan on doing a program called Les Mills Combat (beach body) which is an hour of HIIT a day. I understand I will definitely lose strength but wasn't sure if I am hurting my fat loss journey.

BTW, once I am done this program, I will be doing body beast, so I will be lifting heavy to make up the strength losses.

Lemon

mustgetmuscles1

Bump to follow

heybales

I vote the same, perhaps tad more to the HIIT just because there is aerobic recovery in there plus warmup/cooldown, where as lifting more prone to just recovery lower level so you can still lift strong, with maybe no aerobic warmup/cooldown

But both are anaerobic pushes.
Doing hill HIIT sprints I've gotten the same and worse DOMS in glutes as deadlift has caused.
Just localized to that muscle though, compared to few more on deadlifts.

This is my bump to follow too.

mmapags

I have the same question in my mind. As I'm into a cut for a couple of weeks now, I'm doing something different once a week and cutting back one day on lifting. I did HIIT last week and I did Bear Complex this week. I think I'm going to try various complexes and plyo workout for functionality and, while I don't have proof in the way of any study on comparative burns, I think they are likely comparable. I can tell you that, when doing the Bear Complex yesterday, I was every bit as winded as a HIIT interval and today I am sore all over. it got my whole body and I was only using the 45 lb bar and a ten on each side.

Whether that would work with your wrist issues, I can't say. But if that workout, based on intenstity and fatigue afterwards doesn't burn a substantial amount of calories and increase EPOC like HIIT, then somethings wrong!! I think they do though as most that I've read about Metabolic Weight Training says it provides good burns but I've never seen a straight up comparison with HIIT. cng

It's a good change of pace from heavy lifting too. (To be clear, I'm still doing a heavy strength training program 2x per week with 1 day of this and a day or 2 of LISS like walking.)

cedarghost

I started with HIIT and Metabolic Resistance Training for a few months then went to 5x5s a few months ago. I definitely saw more fat loss with HIIT/Metabolic Training. But I have been able to put on weight while maintaining bf% doing 5x5s.
I am getting ready to switch back to HIIT/Metabolic at the end of the month to start cutting again and give my elbow joints a chance to heal.
Hope this helps.

n0ob

may be a little old, but it links to some good references:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_hierarchy_of_fat_loss

ironanimal

Bump to follow.

SideSteel

I have nothing productive to add but will be watching this thread.

yecatsml

Watching and waiting....I've actually been doing both - Stronglifts 3 days/week, then HIIT sprints (9.5mph on the treadmill, 30 sec on, 30 sec off) on my off days, then 1 full day of rest.

RachelX04

bump

mustgetmuscles1

I can do an hour weightlifting no problems. An hour of HIIT? Would kill me. LOL

HIIT is going to burn more calories than WT. As for burning more fat? I think that is still going to come down to deficit. Will HIIT provide the same LBM sparing benefit as WT? Im not sure but if it does then that is great. Any strength losses should be easier to regain as long as muscle is preserved.

psuLemon

may be a little old, but it links to some good references:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_hierarchy_of_fat_loss

Thanks.. it was a good read.

psuLemon

I can do an hour weightlifting no problems. An hour of HIIT? Would kill me. LOL

HIIT is going to burn more calories than WT. As for burning more fat? I think that is still going to come down to deficit. Will HIIT provide the same LBM sparing benefit as WT? Im not sure but if it does then that is great. Any strength losses should be easier to regain as long as muscle is preserved.

Well i have seen a study from the NIH that HIIT can provide enough resistance to maintain lbm. I still experience hypertrophy doing HIIT. Additionally the program I am using does include a day or two or resistance type training... but more endurance type. I will definitely record my weight and body fat % to calc lbm and see if any lbm is lost.


Personally i just need some time off from weight training. And this is a martial arts program so it will be fun.


Wish me luck and i will post results.

mustgetmuscles1

I can do an hour weightlifting no problems. An hour of HIIT? Would kill me. LOL

HIIT is going to burn more calories than WT. As for burning more fat? I think that is still going to come down to deficit. Will HIIT provide the same LBM sparing benefit as WT? Im not sure but if it does then that is great. Any strength losses should be easier to regain as long as muscle is preserved.

Well i have seen a study from the NIH that HIIT can provide enough resistance to maintain lbm. I still experience hypertrophy doing HIIT. Additionally the program I am using does include a day or two or resistance type training... but more endurance type. I will definitely record my weight and body fat % to calc lbm and see if any lbm is lost.


Personally i just need some time off from weight training. And this is a martial arts program so it will be fun.


Wish me luck and i will post results.

Good luck. I cant wait for the results.

Sarauk2sf

I can do an hour weightlifting no problems. An hour of HIIT? Would kill me. LOL

HIIT is going to burn more calories than WT. As for burning more fat? I think that is still going to come down to deficit. Will HIIT provide the same LBM sparing benefit as WT? Im not sure but if it does then that is great. Any strength losses should be easier to regain as long as muscle is preserved.

Well i have seen a study from the NIH that HIIT can provide enough resistance to maintain lbm. I still experience hypertrophy doing HIIT. Additionally the program I am using does include a day or two or resistance type training... but more endurance type. I will definitely record my weight and body fat % to calc lbm and see if any lbm is lost.


Personally i just need some time off from weight training. And this is a martial arts program so it will be fun.


Wish me luck and i will post results.

Are you doing martial arts or just the HIIT training for it?

Good to have you as a guinea pig

MacInCali

Bumping as I'm interested in this subject as well.

funkycamper

Bump to see results!

psuLemon

I can do an hour weightlifting no problems. An hour of HIIT? Would kill me. LOL

HIIT is going to burn more calories than WT. As for burning more fat? I think that is still going to come down to deficit. Will HIIT provide the same LBM sparing benefit as WT? Im not sure but if it does then that is great. Any strength losses should be easier to regain as long as muscle is preserved.

Well i have seen a study from the NIH that HIIT can provide enough resistance to maintain lbm. I still experience hypertrophy doing HIIT. Additionally the program I am using does include a day or two or resistance type training... but more endurance type. I will definitely record my weight and body fat % to calc lbm and see if any lbm is lost.


Personally i just need some time off from weight training. And this is a martial arts program so it will be fun.


Wish me luck and i will post results.

Are you doing martial arts or just the HIIT training for it?

Good to have you as a guinea pig

Les Mills Combat is a hiit program designed around martial arts.. its both technically.

psuLemon

So as a six week update.

Program: Beach Body's Les Mills Combat
Calories: 2500 per day
Macro's c/p/f: 40/40/20
Starting weight: 197
Current weight: 191
NSV: I now fit into a size 34" pant


I will do all my measurements when I am done week 9. I can tell I have lost strength as predicted but my stamina has definitely improved and I am seeing much greater definition in my arms and chest. Should be interesting to see how many inches I have lost since I started.

Sarauk2sf

Very nice rate of loss there and grats on the new pant size!

mmapags

Sweet!! I haven't seen a 34 pants size since high school!

Polymorphist

Hello All -

I just found this board after doing a search on HIIT training. I just started doing HIIT with a combination of jump rope and elliptical. I lifted on a strength training program for the entire past year, mostly compound movements with the barbell and heavy weights. My body weight went up to 225 lbs, i'm 5' 9''. I'm also 41 years old. While I liked being strong, I have quite a bit of body fat which i'd like to get rid of so I put the weights down for now to concentrate on burning fat off and getting leaner. I'll probably pick up the weights again after I do this and then continue to do cardio/HIIT along with the lifting. I also started krav maga training last summer but stopped for a bit because my cardiovascular fitness wasn't up to par and I was dying to get through the hour-long classes. My goal now is to increase my VO2 max and lung capacity so that I can go back into krav training.

Here's my more immediate question - how in the heck do I record my HIIT training metrics when I jump rope?

Just a note, I'm not wearing a heart rate monitor when I jump rope. Because of this, i'm not sure how I should be calculating my calorie burn. So, if I do 10 intervals of 30 seconds jumping/30 seconds rest for 10 total minutes, do I record 5 minutes of jumping as my actual calorie burn? There are fitness calculators I can use to calculate my calories, however if I enter 10 minutes of jumping rope I get a very large calorie result because I think the calculators are interpreting that I'm jumping rope for 10 straight minutes.

Are there are any particular formulas which any of you are using for calculating your HIIT calories?

Thanks!!

psuLemon

Hello All -

I just found this board after doing a search on HIIT training. I just started doing HIIT with a combination of jump rope and elliptical. I lifted on a strength training program for the entire past year, mostly compound movements with the barbell and heavy weights. My body weight went up to 225 lbs, i'm 5' 9''. I'm also 41 years old. While I liked being strong, I have quite a bit of body fat which i'd like to get rid of so I put the weights down for now to concentrate on burning fat off and getting leaner. I'll probably pick up the weights again after I do this and then continue to do cardio/HIIT along with the lifting. I also started krav maga training last summer but stopped for a bit because my cardiovascular fitness wasn't up to par and I was dying to get through the hour-long classes. My goal now is to increase my VO2 max and lung capacity so that I can go back into krav training.

Here's my more immediate question - how in the heck do I record my HIIT training metrics when I jump rope?

Just a note, I'm not wearing a heart rate monitor when I jump rope. Because of this, i'm not sure how I should be calculating my calorie burn. So, if I do 10 intervals of 30 seconds jumping/30 seconds rest for 10 total minutes, do I record 5 minutes of jumping as my actual calorie burn? There are fitness calculators I can use to calculate my calories, however if I enter 10 minutes of jumping rope I get a very large calorie result because I think the calculators are interpreting that I'm jumping rope for 10 straight minutes.

Are there are any particular formulas which any of you are using for calculating your HIIT calories?

Thanks!!

I would probably not stress it. It's only 5 minutes and at max you will probably burn 20 calories or something like that.