fat burn form HIIT vs steady state cardio

I've been telling myself that I'm going to start doing HIIT, and with all the talk about it around here recently I decided to start yesterday.  Man, what a change up from steady state cardio on the elliptical!  I felt like I was about to puke but I've grown to appreciate that feeling.

Over my entire exercise, my HRM read 180 max 158, avg, 508 calories burned, 35% from fat.  When I do steady state (hills actually) on the elliptical, I usually have about 550 calories burned and 45-50% fat.  Isn't HIIT supposed to burn more fat than steady state cardio?

I believe that the point of HIIT is not that you burn more calories during the exercise, but that you continue burning more calories after the exercise.

It upregulates the activity of your lipase enzymes, making your resting energy expenditure shift to relying more on fat and less on carbs/protein. There's some EPOC effects, but that's kinda a red herring it seems, the main effect comes from actually altering how your body uses available energy sources.

 Translating from Nerd-speak to colloquialism, when you use so much carb-based glycogen in such a short time that you deplete your muscle stores before the liver can replace it, your body appears to 'tag' carbs a protected resource and shift to burning fat even when there's carbs available. This is almost certainly simplified almost to the point of being laughable, but it's more or less in line with observed effects.

Thanks for the responses!  I really appreciate it.  I was figuring it had to do with the post workout effects on your body, but I thought it would be apparent during that type of exercise.  Live and learn.

As a side note melkor, I really do appreciate that you take the effort to talk about the chemical processes that take place.  I am an engineer and part of the excitement of learning about fitness for me is looking into the black box and figuring out how things are working behind the scene.  Thank you for helping us understand the scientific side.  You and other members doing the same are like Prometheus giving fire to us humans! 

While I can appreciate the science behind what is going on I really appreciate the explanations.  ;)

There is a great website that explains HIIT and has an 8 wk program for beginners.

http://www.losebellyfatworkout.com

the best part, it is free :)

Cycling and Elliptical HIIT training. I chose to use an elliptical for most of my training, I prefer the various settings and the reverse mode. 

I too come from the long and intense heart rate zone (80%-90%) elliptical workouts. At my size and weight the approximate burn was near 1k calories for 1 hour (warm up to cool down).

I've been performing HIIT on the elliptical for a 9 day period (2 rest days included) and have recorded about 800 calories burned (per 60 minutes) with intervals of 1-3 minutes up and down with random resistance at constant ramp. 2-30 minute sessions (forward and reverse) 10 minutes apart.  My results were very impressive.

Having said that, I will never do more than 2 HIIT days back to back again... and I may not do 2 back to back either. My muscles feel like stringy rubber and I am tired, where I am usually very energetic. I had to increase my caloric input slightly to beat back the increasing hunger I experienced after the 4th day.

Now that I know that HIIT is effective (and frankly a blast) I just need to build a proper schedule and regiment duration that does not burn me out and maximizes my rest time calorie burn. I am very curious at the weight loss and maintenance of HIIT after a period of 4-9 weeks.

I want to use this method for weight loss and training for road biking. The intervals, at varying resistances, speeds and ramps may prove to be an effective training routine for cycling. If you ever heard the phrase "Hills are your friends..." then you know exactly what I am talking about.

When I was 12 I could ride my Schwinn all day long, up and down hills that I could not likely walk up today without needing EMS. I laugh when I think of this because it usually pops into my mind when I am half way up a hill that is killing me. Somewhere between the "Oh my God I am going to die" and "Why am I doing this?" that 12 year old just laughs at me.

So, if you happen to be driving around in the Hill Country in Texas and you come across a cyclist laying on the side of a road, half way up a long, tall hill, laughing... Howdy, sure nice to make your acquaintance.

Keith

HIIT is so much better than steady state for targeting bodyfat. You also get a better cardiovascular workout IMO because your heart goes at two different speeds max (90-100%) and the high aerobic zone (70-80%) as opposed to just once pace. The thing you have to remember about HIIT though, is that it isn't about the amount of calories you burn during the exercise. After all, you are only doing it for 20 minutes. The benefit is that your metabolism gets sped up for hours and hours (sometimes days) after you finish and it is much better about attacking bodyfat. So you are less likely to lose muscle and you burn more calories while at rest later in the day.

I have read on several occasions that eliptical machines aren't the best choice for HIIT. Now I have personally never used an eliptical machine for HIIT, so I couldn't say either way. However, I will swear by the stationary bike for HIIT in the cardio room. By far the best machine to do HIIT on IMO. You can really put everything you have into the pedaling motion of a bike, and you don't have to wait for the machine to play catch up like you would on a treadmill. I usually do sprints outside for my HIIT. However, recently I did HIIT on the bike, and man what an intense workout. I got just as good a workout as I do from sprinting, and I achieved a better sweat. There also wasn't any joint pain or tightness like I get from sprinting. I think I will start doing my HIIT sessions on the bike from now on. It really kicks your butt and with far less pain/stress than sprinting puts on your body.

I bought a jumprope and did my first HIIT routine yesterday. I wanted to go to the track and start sprinting, but I got nervous that I would drop dead of a heart attack! It's been raining for the past 3 weeks here and I figure, I can do the jumprope in the garage. Going to the track 2-3 times a week would be seriously inconvenient since my schedule is so tight, I barely have time to workout in the first place.

But I must say, jumping rope is not as easy as it looks. It seriously kicked my butt! I didn't push myself as hard as I could as I was just testing it out, and I was having major wardrobe malfunction! Today, I'm a little sore, but I really feel good that I did it yesterday. I'll be doing it again tomorrow.

Yeah, much better to drop dead in the garage, than in at the track, lol. 

At least my family will find me.

i want to get the courage to do HIIT outside in the street; but I think people seeing my run like a lightbolt may gets lots of laughs.....i think it would be fun.  5 more pounds and maybe my butt won't be so jiggly.

Use duck tape :)

Honestly, I am sure your "jiggle" factor is insignificant and nothing be concerned about!

What frustrates me is when I loose weight it seems it is not where I want to loose it from! For crying out loud, I don't want chicken legs! Ill end up looking like Mr Potato-head (skinny legs and big belly). Luckily I've been measuring my progress and I am loosing it everywhere, its just the middle takes the longest to visually notice improvement.

I am pretty self conscious when it comes to running around in exercise digs in public. Even in the gym I am a little sensitive about it. I always try to wear nice exercise clothing in the event I die during the workout, that way EMS will think... "Well, other than the fact that he is dead, he looks pretty good".

Outside HIIT: I pretty much will do this on the bike. I do not enjoy running, so I rarely do that. I do swim, but not frequently enough for it to be called exercise.

So, my HIIT sessions are indoors. Today I began incorporating medicine ball routines into my workout schedule... something for "core" training. One thing about that, those medicine balls are darn expensive!

i just want to run like one of those bay watch girls....LOL....duck tape sounds tempting....

Original Post by vanessa1031:

i just want to run like one of those bay watch girls....

I think that only works in slow motion.

as of right now, I run pretty slow; but nothing like them!!!! :-P

I learned about HIIT here in the forums and am so happy that I did!  My walking routine was not only fairly boring, but it wasn't giving me the burn or yielding the results I have been seeking.

So, after my first week at HIIT (Sprinting), I feel great. I go out between 6:30 & 8:00 a.m. and while I, like Vanessa, am a bit self-conscious about the routine, I'm  over it. I'd rather have folks "wonder" than not get into those skirts I want to wear!

Last weekend, I bought a Biggest Loser Boot Camp video which also kicks my butt even at level 1. Heck the WarmUp even makes me sweat!!  I do that on alternating days from HIIT. If it rains, I'll just switch up the exercise routines. Planning is KEY!

I came here with a 10 lb goal and am already halfway there. 1.5 pounds lost just this week. Today, I measured a few places and recorded it, and from memory, I think I have lost 1/2 inch in my waist and hips since measuring a couple weeks ago.

At my age, 49, the weight just does not melt off, (read: sticks like fat glue) but the switch up of exercise routines this past week has had a significant effect. I totally credit HIIT for the significant assist!!!!