HIIT - on empty or fueled? (Shadow?)

[Daisy_Girl]

So we all know I hate doing HIIT FTITM on empty, but will do so if it is best for fat loss.

But I was reading (just lurking) on another board (shame Daisy!) about how HIIT should be done fueled ...... treat it like a weight workout. Now, I have always treated it like a weight workout in some regards - need PWO nutrition, don't do everyday, etc. But they were pretty convincing as to why HIIT needs to be done fueled. i.e., muscle loss, inability to do a real HIIT workout (not being able to push it hard enough) ......


I know that for me, I have BETTER HIIT workouts fueled than on empty. I can push it harder and feel better after. But as mentioned, I will do whatever really is best for fat loss.


So what are the thoughts? (Shadow?)

 

[ck2006]

So we all know I hate doing HIIT FTITM on empty, but will do so if it is best for fat loss.

But I was reading (just lurking) on another board (shame Daisy!) about how HIIT should be done fueled ...... treat it like a weight workout. Now, I have always treated it like a weight workout in some regards - need PWO nutrition, don't do everyday, etc. But they were pretty convincing as to why HIIT needs to be done fueled. i.e., muscle loss, inability to do a real HIIT workout (not being able to push it hard enough) ......


I know that for me, I have BETTER HIIT workouts fueled than on empty. I can push it harder and feel better after. But as mentioned, I will do whatever really is best for fat loss.




So what are the thoughts? (Shadow?)

great question!

 

[Roonytunes]

I know that for me, I have BETTER HIIT workouts fueled than on empty. I can push it harder and feel better after. But as mentioned, I will do whatever really is best for fat loss.

So what are the thoughts? (Shadow?)

I'm not Shadow and I think he has a preference for HIIT on empty, but the Cathy Savage program I'm on strongly recommends HIIT fueled for all the reasons you mention above. This is one of those topics you're going to get mixed responses on depending on who your source is....

 

[Will2BLean]

I like this question! HIIT one empty usually leads me to me being dizzy and nauseous. Plus, I don't go NEARLY as fast as when I have done HIIT in the evenings.

 

[The Shadow]

Are we talking HIIT CARDIO I assume??

You have to understand that "feeling it" and "nearly as fast" are relatively subjective terms.

Of Course you can "go faster" when training on carbs....its why they are called "fast burners"........they are there when you need them, you are using those preferentially to any other fuel source.....is that a good thing??

Not if you want to maximize fat loss.

FACT:


If insulin levels are high - you CANNOT BURN BODYFAT.

That is an indisputable fact.


SO - regardless of anyones opinons......IF you are fueling in a way that bumps your blood sugar - you are WASTING your time doing HIIT and trying to burn bodyfat while insulin levels are high.

Period.

End of discussion

 

[*Bunny*]

FACT:
If insulin levels are high - you CANNOT BURN BODYFAT.
That is an indisputable fact.

^^ yup

Want your thoughts S...

Would you agree that you cannot burn fat in the presence of insulin period?

Also... "IF you are fueling in a way that bumps your blood sugar - you are WASTING your time doing HIIT and trying to burn bodyfat while insulin levels are high. "

^^ is this because you will burn that or any (blood sugar) first since the insulin that is present must be cleared for fat buring to start?

SO...to go a step futher if you avoid carbs specifically pre workout & pre cardio your body tends to burn stored body fat?

 

[The Shadow]

^^ yup

Want your thoughts S...

Would you agree that you cannot burn fat in the presence of insulin period?

Also... "IF you are fueling in a way that bumps your blood sugar - you are WASTING your time doing HIIT and trying to burn bodyfat while insulin levels are high. "

^^ is this because you will burn that or any (blood sugar) first since the insulin that is present must be cleared for fat buring to start?

SO...to go a step futher if you avoid carbs specifically pre workout & pre cardio your body tends to burn stored body fat?

Good idea Buns.....let me back up a minute.

Any carb will have a GI(glycenic Index) and a GL(Glycemic Load - another discussion on its own).

Here is the most straight forward explanation I could find:

Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates will generate a rapid rise in blood glucose. To adjust for this rapid rise, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin then lowers the levels of blood glucose.

The problem is that insulin is essentially a storage hormone, evolved to put aside excess carbohydrate calories in the form of fat in case of future famine. So the insulin that's stimulated by excess carbohydrates aggressively promotes the accumulation of body fat.

In other words, when we eat too much carbohydrate, we're essentially sending a hormonal message, via insulin, to the body (actually, to the adipose cells). The message: "Store fat."

Hold on; it gets even worse. Not only do increased insulin levels tell the body to store carbohydrates as fat, they also tell it not to release any stored fat. This makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for energy.

So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only make you fat, they make sure you stay fat. It's a double whammy,




^^^^That is not my opinion, of Daisy's or Sassy's or Cathy Savage's......those are indisputable facts.


So......it is impossible to burn body fat when excess carbs are in the picture(cardio or no).


You dont have to totally avoid carbs altogether....but the impression that I get from a couple of posts is that they make HIIT easier, faster, "whatever", which THEY WILL if they are consumed too close to the hiit session.

Rule of thumb......if they are eaten early enough b4 the HIIT session - then they wont help from a performance standpoint....so why bother?


Buring carbs for energy is easy.

Burning fat for fuel sucks.....its slow and a bit inefficient(ever heard of fractured fats/ketones) but still beats the socks off of carb-fueled cardio sessions.

 

[The Shadow]

However, Insulin also drives your body to use more carbohydrate, and less fat, as fuel. And, insulin converts almost half of your dietary carbohydrate to fat for storage


EVERYONE who is tanking up on carbs pre-cardio and wondering why you arent dropping fat think about the above fact.

 

[*Bunny*]

Hold on; it gets even worse. Not only do increased insulin levels tell the body to store carbohydrates as fat, they also tell it not to release any stored fat. This makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for energy.

^^ so in this scenario..
if your body stores carbs as fat = not being used for energy and...
this make is impossible to used 'stored body fat for energy"...

then what the heck does it use for energy??

Protein & Protein tissues, ie. muscle?

 

[The Shadow]

Same as any other time


What does the body use for fuel on a typical day(if you arent losing weight)??