HIIT Me One More Time...

[FrusWeighted]

Whew! Just finished an intense 10 minutes of HIIT on my HealthRider. Probably not as effective as sprinting, but it's gotta be better than doing nothing. And I sure like it better than 35 minutes of low-intensity aerobics on tape. After a while, you start saying what the instructor is about to say because you've learned it over time through repetition from regular use. You get stir crazy. Now all I have to look at is the second hand on my clock ticking away ten golden, delicious minutes... Man, I'm still breathin' heavy... I'm almost ready for a cigarette!

So I'm not supposed to eat for an hour after my HIIT? I'm gonna drink a protein shake soon. Low Carb Lean Body. I'm so glad that it's blessedly free of taste, but it's got a good amount of protein in it.

[NotSoBig]

I am going to start my HIIT today. Anything has to be better than jogging on a treadmill for 20-30 mins.

Everything I have read/heard says no eating for an hour after HIIT.

[Bryan]

Why no eating until an hour after HIIT?

[_-_v_-_]

Treat HIIT just as you would an intense weight-training session. That is, both are glycogen fueled; therefore after both one ought to replenish spent glycogen stores in the same manner.

Edit: The above is to the best of my knowledge; I may be incorrect.

[LouFerrignosEar]

But why would you want to replenish anything after a HIIT workout? Wouldn't you just be putting back what you burnt? What's the point of burning such and such calories only to drink 'em back in right afterwards?

[Miss Rezza]

Originally posted by FrusWeighted
Man, I'm still breathin' heavy... I'm almost ready for a cigarette!

[_-_v_-_]

Why do you replenish muscle glyocgen following weight training? To prevent catabolism. The same logic applies to HIIT. Do you want smaller muscles?

I think Powerman said it best when he said:

I'm not so sure that its the overall metabolic rate that has the effect, but rather that HIIT adapts your body to oxidize fat more efficiently.

[PowerManDL]

Ya, that's pretty much it.

If I were cutting, I would watch the total cals taken in, for sure.....but I'd make sure I ate *something* to replenish the glycogen levels.

[_-_v_-_]

Glad to know I didn't completely f*ck it up

[LouFerrignosEar]

So a protein based type of food would be best? Wouldn't ingesting anything sugary bring fat burning to a halt?

[thehawk]

THe point of hiit training is to increase epoc (excess-post exercise oxygen consumption) to a very significant degree which is highly correlated with a higher metabolic rate. In contrast, the lower intensity training brings o2 consumption levels and thus metabolism to pre-training levels rather quickly. When you do this type of training glycogen is depleted to a similar degree as after weight training and protein catabolism is also elevated - similar to weight training as well. SO you would want to ingest some quickly aborbing carbs and protein post excerise. THe quicker you do the better, b/c the dietary aminos - especially via liquid sources - will be used to reverse the muscle catabolism induced throuhg hiit. DOn't worry about the excess glucose being converted to bodyfat as your body will use most if not all dietary glucose to restore muscle glycogen. Also this refilling of muscle glycogen requires atp and b/c glucose levels are lower than normal fatty acids are the primary fuel used to accomplish this. Relative to the epoc, your metabolism WILL stay elevated for much higher levels post-exericse in order to replace degraded proteins with new ones and to replenish glycogen. Low-intensity cardio does not offer these benefits or physiological implications.

[LouFerrignosEar]

Okay.

[Reinier]

I still think you should change the avatar