LI cardio vs HITT on a low carb diet

[RomanianNatural]

Most people now days swear by HITT to max out more fat burning, Than regular LI. From what i read from the forums.
here is what i think,
While on a low carb calorie deficiency diet, Where your glycogen levels are almost depleted, Where you got just enough Glycogen to take you through your heavy weights session,
Whats the point doing HIIT?
As HITT beinga high intesity above 80% of your max, which=glycogen as fuel, That will just waste hard earnd muscle im i wrong?
I think LI is still the most muscle friendly way of doing it,

Just wanna know what you lot think?........cus im getting mixt opinions on this big time,
What im thinking here is that,
HITT is not apropriate on a low carb diet if you wanna maintain as much muscle as you can.

[HeavyMetalLover]

Not sure about how it affects muscle, but HIIT affects your energy drastically. I used to be lifeless for 2 days due to doing HIIT and (very) low-carb.

[Electricheadd]

Do the one you like doing.... any small advantage of one over the other is quickly erased when you skip even one workout due to not liking it.

[RomanianNatural]

Do the one you like doing.... any small advantage of one over the other is quickly erased when you skip even one workout due to not liking it.

i love doing both, But i rather do the one thats most affective towards burning the flab.....and keeping the muscle, I feel very anabolic after the lLI, But if i do HITT i feel very catabolic due to the lowe carbs.....and when i lift the next day, Dont feel that Anabolic state as much as when doing LI.
So LI cardio it is than,

[RomanianNatural]

Not sure about how it affects muscle, but HIIT affects your energy drastically. I used to be lifeless for 2 days due to doing HIIT and (very) low-carb.

Where you trying to kill your self mate, Thats no way of maintaining muscle.

[HeavyMetalLover]

Where you trying to kill your self mate, Thats no way of maintaining muscle.

I hardly have any muscle lose (mostly because I don't have much muscle to lose anyway )

You never know if you never try . I thought it won't have any drawbacks.

[Spanishdream]

HIIT is great for cardiovascular fitness. If you're worried about muscle loss, take some BCAA's.

[jon1995]

depends on carb intake
what is your intake

[RomanianNatural]

HIIT is great for cardiovascular fitness. If you're worried about muscle loss, take some BCAA's.

i take that anyway. and my main goal is max muscle mass and min BF. So i think ill stick to LI on cutting and HITT when im bulking.

[RomanianNatural]

depends on carb intake
what is your intake

I carb cycle but avrage 100 off days to 150gr training days such as legs and back.
50 for breakfast and about 50 post workout, I have a very physiqual job to lifting e.t.c

[jon1995]

HITT would be good if you can keep it up

[B-ryminD09]

do whatever u prefer, or if u like both u can use both. don't over think it and think one or the other has some magical advantage as far as fat burning.

i usually stick to low or medium intensity cardio just cuz it is easier to be consistnat w/ it. to hard to pump myself up to do true HIIT sessions.

[RomanianNatural]

HITT would be good if you can keep it up

explain why HITT? Cus my glycogen levels are depleted by the time im doing my cardio which is in the evening. Wouldnt it burn muscle? as HIIT is most anaerobic.....and anaerobic training uses glycogen as fuel mainly......dont it?
Please note my main goal is to maintain max muscle size, I strongly belive that HIIT burns muscle....in this case.

[Spanishdream]

I strongly belive that HIIT burns muscle....in this case.

Not if you're taking BCAA's before and after doing so and keeping the HIIT sessions to a 30 period max.

[RomanianNatural]

Not if you're taking BCAA's before and after doing so and keeping the HIIT sessions to a 30 period max.

Ok got what you saying....BCAAS fuel the muscle and saves it from breaking down ok, So what is the body using during that 30 min HITT session as fuel? Cus there is no carbs present. And its above 85% intensity so body is in a anaerobic state.

[Spanishdream]

Ok got what you saying....BCAAS fuel the muscle and saves it from breaking down ok, So what is the body using during that 30 min HITT session as fuel? Cus there is no carbs present. And its above 85% intensity so body is in a anaerobic state.

The glycogen stored (up to a point) and then fat. The BCAA's will prevent you from burning off your LBM, but I don't think anything is completely full proof and minimal amounts will be used.

[crazyman17]

HIIT is more effective for fat loss because it increases your resting metabolic rate (ie, you burn more calories sitting on the couch after doing HIIT when c/w low intensity cardio). Therefore, 15-20 mins of HIIT can prove more effective than 45-60mins 1 hour of low intensity cardio. I know what I would choose.

But then again, unless you're eating good carbs before and after HIIT, you risk much more muscle loss due to glyc stores. Thus, if you insist on doing a low carb diet and if you insist on consuming little or no carbs pre and post workout, I wouldn't recommended HIIT because even though will loss fat, you will also lose considerable muscle.

Hence, low intensity cardio would be preferred on a low carb diet.

But then again, I wouldn't recommend that. Rather, I say swap fats for carbs, have your carbs pre and post HIIT, that way you will be maximizing fat loss and minimizing muscle loss.

IE, i would do LI cardio if I was on low carb, but I probably wouldn't find myself on low carb if I was doing cardio, because when I do cardio I do HIIT

...each to their own

[jon1995]

no need for BCAAS and hitt increases metabolism so id go with it either way. Do what cardio u can do but id do HITT

[BladeJrs]

For those of you saying "HITT" what exactly do you believe that stands for?...

[RamaDollars]

Rather, I say swap fats for carbs, have your carbs pre and post HIIT, that way you will be maximizing fat loss and minimizing muscle loss.

examples of good carbs for this...

[Ryanast]

For those of you saying "HITT" what exactly do you believe that stands for?...

high intensity teletubby training

[BradleyT74]

I'm confused. I thought the body burned FFA once glycogen was depleted and you're saying it burns muscle instead?

Sprint-induced AMPk activation triggers a lot of fat-burning; sprint-induced AMPk activation in glycogen depleted or semi glycogen depleted states triggers significantly more.

In fact, it has been conclusively demonstrated that systemic fat oxidation increases both at rest and during aerobic exercise when muscle glycogen stores (termed glucosyl units or GUs) dip below roughly 70 mmol/kg

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/par48.htm

[k9pit]

For the past few weeks, I've been doing low carb (100g or less) 5 days a week, a HIIT session and a couple of Mid Intensity Cardio sessions after lifting.

If you're gonna do HIIT, just center the bulk of your carbs for that day around the HIIT session and drink BCAAs during.
..also a couple of G2 Gatorades and a Casein Shake during the day will help as well. I would only suggest 1 to 2 max HIIT sessions a week on low carb however. Actually 1 is enough for me at this point, the other sessions are 20 minute MISS.

Here's a typical day (if I were to do HIIT)
1/2 Detour Oat Bar (31.5g C, 15g P, 3.5 F)
HIIT on stationary bike or Xtrainer (Scivation BCAAs and Water during)
1/2 Detour Oat Bar (31.5g C, 15g P, 3.5 F)
Gatorade G2 Low Cal (12g C)
2 eggs, 2 caspers hot dogs, .5oz cheese (0g C 41g P, 33g F)
Banana Muscle Milk Shake (9g C, 25g P, 9g F)
9oz top sirloin steak w/ mushrooms (10g P), and brocolli (5g C, 94g P, 20g F) -likely eat 3/4 early and the rest later on in the day.
1 oz almonds (6g C, 6g P, 14g F)
--> may or may not throw in another casein shake here before bed.

97g C, 196g P, 83g F = 1919 KCal

[Mikelawton]

From personal experience and opinion I wouldn't do HIIT if you have a low carb diet. I tried it and it completely sucked. Currently I just do some low intensity jogging for about 3 miles every second day. I just set a route, a pace, get my heart rate up and go. Been working well.

[crazyman17]

What I believe HIIT stands for is high intensity interval training. Although there are a number of ways to perform a HIIT session, I think it's implied in this post that HIIT refers to sprinting for a small period of time, then walking/jogging at low intensity, then repeating a number of times (I usually perfer 6).

Although HIIT can mean other things, such as lifting weights without resting or minimal rest, since this type of tranining is also interval and high intensity.

Good carbs for HIIT before and after would include oats and other wholegrain carbs (pasta, rice etc), maybe a banana, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, etc...good idea to mix with a protein source too (protein powder would do, but lean meat would be even better)

[crazyman17]

basically treat HIIT just like a normal weight lifting session...some dextrose p/wo would be good too

[RomanianNatural]

Here is what i really think, Why take more carbs in just so i can punish my self doing HIIT, When i can stay with a low carb and do LI and save my hard earned muscle, Cus like most of you say it is not that much diffrence between them, Apart from the fact that HIIT burns lots more calories and it does so even after you done it for many hours, As it is the equivelen to a weights session,
Well i dont have a problem with the calories that im taking in....cus im in a deficiency anyway, I only need to burn the fat, At min muscle mass wastage.
Here is the thing i train weights 4 times a week and doing HITT say 2 times that means im doing weights 6 times a week, Also when do my freaking legs rest?
Now thats overtraining right there........I dont juice like a mother funky.....I train natural and as we all know it takes much longer to recover,
Overtraining is just as bad as no training or freaking worse.

[B-ryminD09]

^^^that is pretty much my thinking. for me, there is no way i'm going to be able to pump myself up to lift 4 times a week and do HIIT 2-3 times a week.

plus i think the whole after burn of hiit isn't a huge factor. so doing LISS 5-7 times a week for 30 mins to an hour is going to net me more calories burned than doing 10 mins of HIIT 2-3 times a week.

[RomanianNatural]

^^^that is pretty much my thinking. for me, there is no way i'm going to be able to pump myself up to lift 4 times a week and do HIIT 2-3 times a week.

plus i think the whole after burn of hiit isn't a huge factor. so doing LISS 5-7 times a week for 30 mins to an hour is going to net me more calories burned than doing 10 mins of HIIT 2-3 times a week.

That and also think of the much more rest you getting for all body parts including legs which will=more muscle growth,
It makes all the sence in the world,

[RomanianNatural]

I hardly have any muscle lose (mostly because I don't have much muscle to lose anyway )

You never know if you never try . I thought it won't have any drawbacks.

LOL You need to stop doing cardio my friend, And lift+check your diet.