Weights and cardio

pspetralia

I'm thinking of doing a mix of HIIT and weights. I'm wondering if it is OK to do HIIT workouts on my weight rest days. Would this be a feasible schedule and be effective? (My goal is to retain LBM while dropping weight and fat)
Mon: HIIT
Tues: weights
Wed: HIIT
Thur:weights
Fri: Rest
Sat: HIIT
Sun: rest

Thoughts? Has anyone done something similar?

pspetralia

I should also add I like doing cardio! :happy:

Edited spelling mistake

heybales

I'm going to write a topic on this with studies showing what's going on.

HIIT, if done correctly, is an all out full exertion for short duration anaerobically, and then a rest, and then do it again. Purpose is strength training for a sport.

Sound familiar? Like lifting? Because it is.

Results in the same great fat-burning EPOC.

It's the common advice given to those that only want to do cardio, as a means of getting something like lifting into their workout, and give better performance gains - because it makes you stronger.

But, it's only recommended to have 20% of your cardio as HIIT - and that's with cardio as your focus, training for an event or such.

But would you lift the same muscle day after day? Why not?

Because it neither allows full recovery, nor does it allow you to lift well the next day. Eventually you won't actually be doing HIIT, nor will you be lifting as well as you could.
Because you are providing no rest, recovery, and repair.

Stick with the lifting, skip the HIIT unless training for something. Then confirm you replace lifting with the same muscles instead of adding it to the routine. Treat it like it is - lifting.

babyblake11

I'm going to write a topic on this with studies showing what's going on.

HIIT, if done correctly, is an all out full exertion for short duration anaerobically, and then a rest, and then do it again. Purpose is strength training for a sport.

Sound familiar? Like lifting? Because it is.

Results in the same great fat-burning EPOC.

It's the common advice given to those that only want to do cardio, as a means of getting something like lifting into their workout, and give better performance gains - because it makes you stronger.

But, it's only recommended to have 20% of your cardio as HIIT - and that's with cardio as your focus, training for an event or such.

But would you lift the same muscle day after day? Why not?

Because it neither allows full recovery, nor does it allow you to lift well the next day. Eventually you won't actually be doing HIIT, nor will you be lifting as well as you could.
Because you are providing no rest, recovery, and repair.

Stick with the lifting, skip the HIIT unless training for something. Then confirm you replace lifting with the same muscles instead of adding it to the routine. Treat it like it is - lifting.

this is very confusing.

i would lift 3-4 times per week and do 10-15mins HIIT 2-3 times per week. with at least one full rest day.

AntWrig

I'm going to write a topic on this with studies showing what's going on.

HIIT, if done correctly, is an all out full exertion for short duration anaerobically, and then a rest, and then do it again. Purpose is strength training for a sport.

Sound familiar? Like lifting? Because it is.

Results in the same great fat-burning EPOC.

It's the common advice given to those that only want to do cardio, as a means of getting something like lifting into their workout, and give better performance gains - because it makes you stronger.

But, it's only recommended to have 20% of your cardio as HIIT - and that's with cardio as your focus, training for an event or such.

But would you lift the same muscle day after day? Why not?

Because it neither allows full recovery, nor does it allow you to lift well the next day. Eventually you won't actually be doing HIIT, nor will you be lifting as well as you could.
Because you are providing no rest, recovery, and repair.

Stick with the lifting, skip the HIIT unless training for something. Then confirm you replace lifting with the same muscles instead of adding it to the routine. Treat it like it is - lifting.

this is very confusing.

i would lift 3-4 times per week and do 10-15mins HIIT 2-3 times per week. with at least one full rest day.

Depending on the intensity of her weight workouts, that may be very hard. I would start off with 1 session of HIIT.

taso42

Yes it's ok, except I would flip it: 3x lifting, 2x cardio

tyraun_b

Yeah i would start with at least once a week. primarily on a lower body workout day seeing that you lift twice a week.

AnvilHead

this is very confusing.

i would lift 3-4 times per week and do 10-15mins HIIT 2-3 times per week. with at least one full rest day.

The point Heybales is making is that HIIT is very fatiguing to your CNS. Doing HIIT workouts 2-3x/wk is probably going to impair your recovery because you're keeping the intensity too high all the time. CNS fatigue is going to slow recovery and, most likely, gains.

I also don't see much wrong with Taso's suggestion to flip it and do 3x weights / 2x cardio. Strength training will have more influence on preservation of LBM than cardio.

heybales

this is very confusing.

i would lift 3-4 times per week and do 10-15mins HIIT 2-3 times per week. with at least one full rest day.

Not really, HIIT done properly is like weight lifting, merely sport specific.

How many lifting sessions of the same muscle can you fit into a week and expect good results for the time and effort spent?

Now, if everyone is calling any type of interval workout HIIT, then there is a misuse of terms here, and a misunderstanding of activity.

Good old intervals in cardio is to increase the VO2max, increase lactic acid clearing in the muscle, and doesn't give nearly the response HIIT does. It's focus is for anaerobic improvement in the muscles.
Short Interval Training (SIT) is shorter spurts but longer recovery, working anaerobic system better, but really allowing full recovery.
HIIT is 15-45 sec of all out, followed by recovery of about 3 x the time, so 45 - 135 sec recovery. Repeated 8 - 10 times, just like lifting. It's focus is strength building, just like lifting.

I challenge anyone to have a good proper lifting workout one day using the legs for instance, meaning to failure and really getting the max benefit from the lifting, and be able to push that 15 seconds as hard as it could be pushed, but when fully rested. If you can't, then you didn't really get the benefit from the HIIT. You merely pushed hard on tired legs.

And reverse it. After a rest day, do a really proper HIIT session, and challenge you to have a good lifting session the next day.
Oh, you'll go to failure, but that will come much earlier on tired legs trying to recover from previous day HIIT. Failure on tired muscles is not the same as failure on overloaded muscles. One asks the body to repair stronger. The other just got it's repair killed.

You aren't going to get the best, or probably on a diet not even good, from either routine.

Now, if talking about replacing the lower body lifting and doing HIIT run, don't do it the day after, do it the same day as lifting, that way everything can heal on a rest day.

If you aren't actually talking about HIIT, then fine, do intervals for increasing your VO2max and raising your LT/AT line. But don't think the response is going to be the same benefit.

lacurandera1

It's absolutely feasible but I'd agree with Taso. Give your lifting 3 days. I do a 3 day strength training regimen with 3-4 days of running and some other cardio (normally hiit) interspersed.

People say the CNS fatigue thing and I can't tell you its not true, but I can tell you that I have seen consistent gains in all of my performance over the last 6 months (running and lifting). I train hard in multiple facets and haven't seen any ill consequence from my efforts.

I will tell you, however, that about every 6 weeks I need a low to no mileage week and or a deload week, which is probably more often than I would nred a break if I didn't cross train so intensely. Pay attention to your body and give yourself a break if and when you need it.

Eta above advice to do your hiit on a lift day is a win if you have the energy for it.

sandradev1

When I first started doing Stronglifts I also did HIIT on treadmill on alternating days. At first it was fine as my weights were still low. After only a short time I found that I was struggling to increase weights and also my HIIT was also getting more difficult. Heybales explained the same to me as he has above, so I stopped doing HIIT and changed it to just light cardio at Active Recovery heart range. My weight lifting immediately started to progress again.

I believe therefore, that heavy lifting to almost failure and correct 'full out' HIIT as explained by Heybales is detrimental to the purpose you are trying to achieve.

_SABOTEUR_

At the moment I am doing Stronglifts and Insanity at the same time.

I was doing Stronglifts on its own for the first 8 weeks, but I find weightlifting kinda boring and not challenging in the way HIIT/Insanity is.

I'm not hugely fussed about whether this hampers my strength gains as long as I continue to lose inches around my middle.