HIIT and Weights in the Morning. Good Or Bad?

[traydemark03]

I'm not too sure on how to do cardio in the morning.

I've been using the treadmill and I find it difficult to NOT pass my target heart rate but I read in another post that if you work out past your target heart rate, you're burning muscle. Running slower would probably hurt my knees/ankles. Should I use a different exercise?

Is HIIT in the morning ineffective/bad? I can pull off running at 90-100% mhr in the intervals I intend to; however, when I set back the speed to what should have me going at 60-70%, I'm still in the 85-90% mhr range.
Should I slow down some more?

I read somewhere that Weight Training can burn fat because of EPOC, but will doing it in the morning burn muscle/counter fat loss?

When in comes to results, I'm losing some weight but don't know if it's fat or muscle. I don't take pictures so I can't really tell. My clothes don't feel dramatically looser.

[traydemark03]

Oh...and this is all in a fasted state.

[taffer]

rule #1 - HIIT should never be done in a fasted state
rule #2 - weight training should never be done in a fasted state
rule #3 - weight training and HIIT should never be done in the same session
rule #4 - weight training and HIIT should never be done in the same day
rule #5 - weight training and HIIT should have similar pre+post workout meals

if you hate your muscles, with a passion, do fasted HIIT/weight training

i dont know anyone that cant get a good heart rate (65-75%) from running, but if you cant try the eliptical or bike

[traydemark03]

i dont know anyone that cant get a good heart rate (65-75%) from running, but if you cant try the eliptical or bike

I said I CAN get a really good heart rate on the treadmill. I don't feel comfortable running slow enough to stay in my THR though.

[georgiacorn]

if you're losing weight, but know if it's fat or what. answer this. are u losing strength? if you're losing mostly fat your strength will stay up, maybe even improve a tiny bit.

and since this is the losing fat forum, i wouldn't necessarily agree with the guy above about NOT doing HIIT and Weights the same day. The best personal trainer I know when he is cutting down to 4% body fat, raises his metabolism two times a day for maximum impact and he stays huge.

if you can, on your off days from work, go to the gym and do HIIT early in the day and in the evening go work weights. if you're not trying to really burn fat, then don't do this because you certainly won't put on muscle in and of itself.

as for nutrition, taffer is right. treat HIIT and weights the same, eat well b4 and after. if you work out on an empty stomach your body has no option but to break down muscle to provide the large amounts of energy needed to work out. hope this helps.

[traydemark03]

This article says that morning HIIT in a fasted state is more effective.

Your HIIT program will likely be most effective if performed first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, but if you can't do it in the a.m., do it at noon, night, whenever!

http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp

[georgiacorn]

but look at it this way:

HIIT is so intense, that it taxes your phos****en system (anaerobic) to a great extent, draining your muscles of ATP and creatine. with you being on an empty stomach there is not as much stored glycogen in your muscles or liver because it was spent in your overnight fast while you were sleeping.

so if your body has no more ATP and creatine, it looks to use glycogen (which is stored carbohydrate). since u have reduced glycogen your muscle then prefers to use protein for energy. and if u haven't had a protein shake, source before your workout, u have none in your stomach or on the way to your muscles. SO, it looks for protein elsewhere: YOUR MUSCLE

now all this would be different for low intensity cardio. then yes, maybe an empty stomach would be good. as you are not using ATP and creatine to much extent at all in low int. cardio. so u can use glycogen and after a certain time the body preferentially chooses fat. so if u do low int. cardio for 45 minutes, after about 20 minutes or so, you do use a lot of fat. and u don't really lose muscle because of the intensity.