Fat Loss 'Argument'

Nitefly

Nitefly

Nitefly

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Well, not really an argument, more of a discussion between myself and a long time OCUK voyeur :p

I've recently decided to get back in shape having gained almost 2 stone (not muscle!) over the part year and a bit - the heaviest I have ever been, even post bulks. My build is fairly non-muscular/skinny and I want to shift some fat before I start bulking because otherwise I will start to look very blobby indeed - not ideal.

I'm planning on keeping a high protein low carb diet and restricting what I eat whilst maintaining an exercise routine. I've decided that I should hit the gym with a HST routine monday, wednesday and friday, then supplement with additional cardio. The discussion is based around my choice of cardio.

I have always enjoyed running - it's a activity that I take great pleasure from and I typically go for ~6 mile runs around Bristol which take just less than an hour to complete. I was planning on running twice a week in addition to weight sessions.

It has been suggested to me by my friend that instead of the jogging twice a week, I should instead do high-intensity interval training, or in other words, sprint training. I did this today, and it consisted of 4 10-15 second sprints (100% effort) up a shallow hill, followed by 2-4 minutes decent to the bottom (repeated 4 times, although this can be increased). It is claimed that this will be better for fat loss since it will raise my metabolism for longer as opposed to the catabolic effects of the jogging.

As it stands, I'm sceptical that this would be better for me. I'm aware that I don't want to wear myself into the ground, but is the interval training more idea for my goals? I know very little on the science behind it, so any advice or help would be fantastic. I don't necessarily doubt my chum, rather I just want to ensure that I would be doing the right thing by sticking with the interval training. Or alternatively, can anybody suggest a better ratio of gym/jogging/interval training that would suit my needs?

Thanks for your time :)
 
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I think interval training is regarded as a good/ "Better" thing for burning fat, although if you enjoy steady state cardio to the point you do it more, that's probably the better choice I'd say.
 
I go jogging twice a week (only 2-3miles though, hate running so meh), my friend though whos a health freak does interval training as he says "its better" and few friends in the TA do it also. where i live theres a long street about a mile with lampposts equally placed out down it. they sprint as fast as they can between the first set, then a fast walk for the next and repeat till they reaches the end and back. i tried to do it and died haha. for me jogging does the trick @ keeping in shape but i suppose if you want to loose weight faster interval training starting lightly and working your way up might be best.
 
HST and HIIT!!! killer.

start your HST with some jogging for cardio, if you feel you can do some more then up the jogging, add in some sprints.
if you can handle more then feel free to do some HIIT.

trust me, HST is harsh and needs rest
 
I should probably add in at this point is that I'm not doing a full set of HST as it were. I started off doing my 15s, but then fell ill with a chest infection so have been away from the gym for 4 weeks.

I know it isn't ideal, but I'm simply joining back in on the 10s, otherwise I won't have the time to complete a full cycle before we leave for the university break. Obviously, it isn't really a full HST routine, but it has the bonus of going with a gym buddy and I will still be getting a good workout.

Thanks for your replies thus far, very helpful :)
 
The Craig said:
I think interval training is regarded as a good/ "Better" thing for burning fat, although if you enjoy steady state cardio to the point you do it more, that's probably the better choice I'd say.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more with the above. Wise words...
 
I would be doing steady state cardio pre-breakfast for 30-40 mins 3 days a week to begin.
 
It's worth adding, though you probably already appreciate, that diet is more important than exercise when it comes to losing weight. Being lax with your diet can see you taking in more calories than you can ever realistically burn through exercise.
 
Whenever I've needed to lose weight it's been achieved through cardio. Latest effort was 78kg down to 71kg in 11 days for a race. I don't recommend trying it this quickly. I cycled a lot, ate fat free cottage cheese, some brown pitta bread and raw peppers. I was not pleasant to be around.

8000 calorie deficit is crudely equal to a kilo of bodyfat. I would be inclined to drop the weights entirely and burn the fat off, aiming for a zero fat diet and large amounts of time spent on sustained cardio, then eat+train more sensibly. If you make it past 3 hours of cardio a day and eat less than 15g or so of fat (total, including fat in pasta and so forth), the weight drops off.

I estimate 3 hours on a bike at 2000 calories, an hour on a rowing machine comes in pretty close to 1000 but can't be maintained for more than an hour. I'd guess running comes between the two, how do you feel about doing two laps of the 6 mile run once a day, and one lap later on in the same day?

I believe this to be an unusual approach. The fat will go though.
 
Glycogen levels in the muscle hit rock bottom, muscle deterioration didn't seem too severe. I'm 6" 2 though, so at 78 I was hardly stacked. Do you have personal experience or references for this?

No doubt if someone at 95kg tried this to drop a few % it would go terribly wrong, if you're fairly light to begin I can't see muscle loss being comparable to fat loss.
 
It's been proved for a while now that steady state cardio does not promote significant fat loss over prolonged periods of time. For fat loss HIIT is far more beneficial. It burns more calories than steady state and elevates metabolism significantly more than other forms of cardio, furthermore steady state cardio doesn't promote enough "exercise post oxygen consumption". This basically is said to be the "recovery of metabolic rate back to pre-exercise levels" and "can require several minutes for light exercise and several hours for hard intervals."

Essentially, you need to do activities that keep you burning more calories after an exercise session. Hence why high intensity is going to (over the same period of time - i.e. take 4-6 weeks) be more beneficial for fat loss.

HOWEVER!!!!! Diet/nutrition is key - without this you might as well not bother doing anything. Forget all the cutting out of fats etc... you need some fats, you need some carbs and you need some protein, it's about eating well, and eating smart.

I'm trying to trim down my body fat (I'm still devising a plan) but it won't compromise my strength or size, but should help me shed 1-2% which is all I need/want.
 
A decent diet, strong lift 5x5 and HIIT has helped me drop just under a stone in 5 weeks, I have gained quite a bit of muscle in that as well in my legs, shoulders and chest so the weight loss will be pretty much 100% body fat.

That loss has seen about 2 inches come off my waist, looking at my belt hole, not got a tape measure to hand.

So basically, HIIT ***!
 
i think people need to remember this isn't only about the cardio. Its about the right cardio that goes with the rather intensive weights routine.

Just because something might be 'the best' in its own right, doesn't mean it will still be the best when paired with something else :)
 
It seems that the HIIT is the preferred route going by the replies of members - thanks for your kind advice :)

If I am gyming thrice a week, how many sessions of HIIT should a be doing? Also, at the risk of being a pesk, what should the 'sprint : light jog : overall time taken' figures be? Yesterday I did 4 sprints in a session - would this be enough?
 
IMO I always think of it as:

Have you ever seen a skinny sprinter?

Have you ever seen a thoroughbred built marathon runner?

sprinter = HIT
 
Oxide said:
IMO I always think of it as:

Have you ever seen a skinny sprinter?

Have you ever seen a thoroughbred built marathon runner?

sprinter = HIT
Click to expand...

2 completely different training routines, diets and goals.
Why compare the 2
 
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