lowering bodyfat, changing your fuel source

I posted this in a journal, then thought 'hey, it's long enough to go in the forms', so here it is:

Hey, just a thought, but that girl might have been doing interval training...it might be something you want to try! I've had great resuls with it in the past, and...well, in my training as a NASM personal trainer, I've learned a little bit about it and it's kinda cool...

Anyway, the basic premise is that when you do looong bouts of cardio within your fat burning zone, you burn fat during your workout, but all this essentially does is train your body to store more fat because your body thinks it's gonna need it since that's all you're burning during your workouts. This is why a lot of people will start a cardio program, quit, and then gain even more bodyfat. You're training your body to store fat.

If you do quick bursts of activity (quick as in 1.5 minutes) until you're really out of breath, then bring your heart rate back down in 2 minutes following that bout, only to start up again as soon as the two minutes are up, you are making your heart stronger (which is tres important), AND you're burning mostly glycogen and glucose, causing the body to feel more comfortable burning off fat in the long run. This is a technique used by soccer players and athletes, as well as bodybuilders looking to 'shred' their bodies down so that their muscles are visible under their skin.

Anybody try this? Anybody want to? You go less time...12-15 minutes a day will do!

WE call this HIIT.  There are MANY fans on this board.  Me being one.  It is the absolute best for burning fat fast!

how many calories does this burn in the 15 minutes?

It is not the calories that you burn while you are doing it.  It is the calories yu CONTINUE to burn afterward, that make this type of exercise so good.  It is very good for getting rid of fat.

I'm sorry, I think perhaps I am reading your original post wrong.  It looks to me like you're saying that anyone who does lengthy lower level workouts is just wasting their time.  Essentially, if you walk at fat-burning heartrate for 50 minutes you've just wasted 50 minutes and you'll just stay fat or gain fat because this exercise is training your body to store fat.

Please tell me I'm reading that wrong, because that seems like a rather fallacious statement to me.  It seems like the idea of controlling heartrate etc has been around an awful long time to make a statement like this.

Here is a good article to clarify:

http://www.womenof.com/Articles/sf_9_22_03.as p

I love HIIT.  I try to do it for about 20 minutes, 3 days a week.  I have felt so much better since trying it.  I don't always feel great while doing it, but I definitely feel better after.  ; )

so, if you are trying to shed  fat do intervals  would  best serve you instead of doing a  50 minute run?

I do intervals twice a week, but is it better to do intervals then a regular cardio workout of 60 minutes?

My intervals are running for 15 minutes with the HR at 145 then dropping my HR to 126 and getting my HR at  170 and  holding it for 2 minutes then back down to  126 for 2 minutes and back again at 170 I do this for 5 to 6 intervals.



 

On the ellipitcal I use there are about 10 programs...the program named "Weight Loss" is exactly what you've described.  (and it has been working for me!)

CRAP! I'm going to try this. Thank you

I have a very basic treadmill so what I usually do is walk at 3.0mph for 3 minutes then up it to 6.0mph for 2 minutes and then walk again for another 3 @ 3.0 then 2 min @ 6.0 etc. for 40min

I find it easier to do then doing 'marathon jogs' plus it's less boring imo.  Easier to burn more calories too. Just pump up the techno and keep going.

AHHH! I listen to techno when I work out tooo!

Ahem, the laws of physics still apply, you guys.  Any calorie burn (and thereby deficit) will result in fat loss over time.

HIIT is good because you get a very intense workout in a short time.  It also consistently challenges the muscles which leads to less chance for the mucles to adapt and thereby become more efficient at burning calories -- less calories burned per session.  That, of course, leads to plateauing.  This is also good reason to do weight training.  As you adapt you just add more weight or different moves, etc, so your muscles are constantly challenged.

I beleive a good analogy might be the difference between a  newbie running the 5K and an expert.  Theoretically the newbie will burn less calories in that run (given the same height/weight and time) than the expert because her muscles have not adapted to the stress, yet.

are you saying too much HIIT leads to plateauing? I try to do it twice a day everyday and I've been plateauing for weeks.

would it be better to do half HIIT and half on the eliptical then? Or even alternate days on the eliptical or bike?

so it would be swell to do about 10-15 minutes of jump roping here and there throughout the day?

Well, cardio for a long, sustained period of time does not challenge you, allows your body to adapt, uses fat as its primary fuel source (but such a small amount of fat, all it really succeeds in doing is training your body to use fat for fuel, which as stated originally is not necessarily a good thing), AND over LONG periods of time, causes you to lose muscle. That's a big reason why it's advisable to do strength training AND cardio ESPECIALLY if you're not going to do HIIT, AND you shouldn't be gyping yourself of nutrition through all that, either, because it's counter productive.

I'm not talking about looks, here, I'm talking about health. If you want to go for the ultra skinny flabby bony heroin-chic model look, then spend hours on the treadmill at a sustained speed and only eat 1200 cals a day. You'll be more susceptible to osteoperosis, your metabolism will slow, and your heart will never be challenged, causing it to weaken. It has been proven that marathons are actually hazardous to people's health, causing more stress than helping.

I'd just like to reiterate that I'm not saying doing more than 12-15mins of cardio at a sustained pace is bad. Not at all. Just, be aware that you need to help yourself out if you're doing that with plenty of nutrients, resistance training, and hopefully some HIIT to help with your heart's health.

Jumping rope is not HIIT and if it can be sustained for 2 mins that is not HIIT.  HIIT involves short bursts of all out balls to the wall effort then a short cool down phase then all out effort again.  The idea is to approach max heart rate then scale back. 

actually, i googled HIIT and jump roping was one of the top ones to do it with. im siked cuz i love doing that at home =d

"
For the real high intensity cardio people out there who love the H.I.I.T training (High Intensity Interval Training), below are the top three cardio exercise which will provide amazing results!

1. Jumping Rope - This is one of the simplest, yet most effective exercises one can do. In just 15 to 20 minutes, jumping rope will give you an unparalleled total body workout. Jumping rope is ideal for cardiovascular endurance and enhances performance in virtually any sport - tennis, basketball, football, skiing, volleyball and more. This simple exercise is also great for eye-hand coordination, lateral movement, foot and hand speed and agility.



2. Sprinting - Sprinting not only burns HUGE amounts of calories while sprinting, it also keeps your metabolism flying for days after. Sprinting combined with running / jogging can bring amazing results



3. Spinning - These high-intensity workouts to music simulate a challenging bike ride, complete with hills, valleys and varying speeds, all dictated by the group instructor."

thomolli, I've most often seen hiit programs where you sustain the highest you can for two minutes at a time.  

HIIT is much more effective in burning fat as opposed to the "fat burn" mode of your cardio workout because even though you may burn more fat directly doing fat burn, you actually burn more calories doing HIIT, and therefore burning more fat quantitative scale. 

I personally believe everything in this universe is ruled by equilibrium, and our bodies are fine examples of it, adapting to everything in nature.  If we go out in the sun, we get the right amount of tan so we dont burn (usually).  Our eyes also contract to the right size so we dont burn out retinas, but still allow us to see.  Lifting weights, we will not give our body a reason to build muscle unless we consistantly increase the load, giving our bodies a reason to build muscle, and preventing us from injuring ourselves with heavy weights in the future.

Jogging has the same rule.  Running long distances actually puts your body in a calorie-conservation mode.  It'll adapt to the calories being expended, cut back on your usuage making it more effiecient, (calorie conservation), and allow your body to last longer.  End result... less calories burned in the long run (literally).  Doing HIIT wont allow your body to adapt, since it's in intervals. 

As a result, and to reiterate myself, even though the fat-burn mode burns more fat directly, HIIT burns more calories, and therefore burning more fat on a quantitative scale.  In the end, you burn more fat doing HIIT, and it only takes a fraction of the time.  Plus it's more fun!