If I do HIIT, can I still gain weight?
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if you are just doing HIIT to gain muscle mass, then yes that is not at all optimal. However, if you are doing a structured lifting program, coupled with HIIT, and a calorie surplus then it should not be a problem...1
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The ultimate goal of HIIT is to maximize your aerobic capacity... which leads to overall performance gains in speed and distance... IF you are training for an endurance event then HIIT is very complimentary to your efforts... however if your training is "recreational" IE climbing a mountain just because it is there, then HIIT training more than 1x/week is probably not necessary... as in all training... set goals, and direct your efforts accordingly... If you are training for Mass and strength... decide what is more important... endurance ( mega reps) or mega strength... the happy medium is Cross fit... from what I have seen cross fit is pretty much all about HIIT with weights, and some functional activities thrown in for mass appeal.3
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TavistockToad wrote: »just means you have to eat more, the more cardio you do.
The thing is, my job is a physically demanding one too so i feel like I'm a have to take an insane amountof calories
"Insane"? I hit over 5000 some days. What does insane mean to you? If you need the calories then get them and you can do cardio for forever and still gain weight.0 -
RavenLibra wrote: »The ultimate goal of HIIT is to maximize your aerobic capacity... which leads to overall performance gains in speed and distance... IF you are training for an endurance event then HIIT is very complimentary to your efforts... however if your training is "recreational" IE climbing a mountain just because it is there, then HIIT training more than 1x/week is probably not necessary... as in all training... set goals, and direct your efforts accordingly... If you are training for Mass and strength... decide what is more important... endurance ( mega reps) or mega strength... the happy medium is Cross fit... from what I have seen cross fit is pretty much all about HIIT with weights, and some functional activities thrown in for mass appeal.
disagree 100% on cross fit being the "happy medium"....just follow a structured lifting program with progressive overload, hit micros and macros, and thrown in some cardio if one wants to ...1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »
Actually, I would like to compete in a tough mudder1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »just means you have to eat more, the more cardio you do.
The thing is, my job is a physically demanding one too so i feel like I'm a have to take an insane amountof calories
"Insane"? I hit over 5000 some days. What does insane mean to you? If you need the calories then get them and you can do cardio for forever and still gain weight.
How do you hit 5000 a day? 4k seems insane to me0 -
That's not every day. I think a typical day for me is 3500 - 4000 but some days I need 5000+. Honestly, once I'm up and over 1 gram of protein per pound I slack off the macro requirements and do stuff like peanut butter to fill in calorie holes.
If you have a really heavy workout day and can't get all the calories you can make up some of it the next day. Your body won't go into starvation mode or throw off tons of weight if you're short a bit one day and make it up the next.
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Are you on Instagram? If so, follow Hiitrainer. He's ripped, does HIIT and posts about his food intake so I think it will be good to look at some of what he does. He also posts videos of his workouts and is very easy on the eyes
( subtle insert for the ladies) haha! He's pretty motivational and I think he is worth checking out. Good luck! 2 -
To answer your original question I can do 50+ miles per week and still maintain weight. I could gain weight if I bumped the calories a bit more but I don't really need to do that. :laugh:0
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What the HIIT is has not been mentioned by the OP either.
While HIIT by most commenting here seems to be considered the normal intense interval method of doing some cardio workout that could also be done as LSS - the HIIT moniker has also been slapped on all manner of workouts that were never cardio in the first place.
Like merely doing resistance training with no rest periods, or shorter than normal, and the lighter weights that kind of goes along with that. Tabata in that case, not sure why that was ever called HIIT in the first place.
But ditto to why the HIIT for the type actually being done. Tough Mudder would do just as well with resistance training for strength - and short high level anaerobic workouts for intensity.
If longer TM, then normal cardio for endurance.0 -
That's not every day. I think a typical day for me is 3500 - 4000 but some days I need 5000+. Honestly, once I'm up and over 1 gram of protein per pound I slack off the macro requirements and do stuff like peanut butter to fill in calorie holes.
If you have a really heavy workout day and can't get all the calories you can make up some of it the next day. Your body won't go into starvation mode or throw off tons of weight if you're short a bit one day and make it up the next.
Thanks this is helpful0 -
AmberSpamber wrote: »Are you on Instagram? If so, follow Hiitrainer. He's ripped, does HIIT and posts about his food intake so I think it will be good to look at some of what he does. He also posts videos of his workouts and is very easy on the eyes ( subtle insert for the ladies) haha! He's pretty motivational and I think he is worth checking out. Good luck!
I don't have an instagram but if he has youtube videos then i could look him up. Not for the eyes of course lol0 -
Just to clarify, you still are going to be following a structured lifting program as means to gain muscle? So HIIT for cardio?0
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