my cardio before weights

[ruthlessGravity]

hey everyone

i have been lifting for a couple weeks and managed to gain plenty of muscle. i recently started doing HIIT cardio and i want to know if this would cause muscle loss. i am not trying to get any bigger than i have gotten. i'm perfectly happy with what i have

wake up, don't eat yet
20 minutes HIIT
eat
....
(at least 8 hours passes)
....
lifting

this is what would fit into my schedule better...with more eating in between of course :p

[ryuage]

muscle loss = not having sufficient calories

I would not do HIIT first thing in the morning, that would probably cause muscle loss right there... you are in a catabolic state when you wake up, doing cardio especially high intensity cardio such as HIIT will probably be counter productive.

[Dedicated]

It's good that you seperate the activities. I would try and eat something before the HIIT though. If you prefer doing it in the morning, a shake with dextrose and whey 30 minutes prior to your session will help with intensity and will help prevent any muscle loss. The increased intensity will in turn result in a greater net fat loss for the day.

[Ebu]

Exactly what they are saying. I would never do HIIT without eating anything that day yet.