HIIT Nutrition

In my previous post, I discussed on the benefits of HIIT and what it can do for your body. However, like any other machine, your body needs fuel. If a car has no fuel, it will not start. Likewise, if our body has no fuel/energy, it cannot be pushed to its potential. Therefore, let's get down to basics first.

Your body and it's energy sources

Your body has 3 ways in which it uses energy:

1) Aerobic energy system

2) Anaerobic energy system, which then breaks into 2

2i) The ATP-PS system (Alactic)

2ii) The anaerobic glycolysis system (Lactic)

I don't intend to go into the technicalities of the systems because it is way too much info so here's a link for you. BODY ENERGY SYSTEMS

Due to the nature of HIIT, our body will use up systems (1) and (2ii). Aerobic will be when you are jogging to recover and anaerobic glycolysis is when you are sprinting for that 20 seconds or so.

Now that we know how our body is using up energy, we can think about what kind of fuel to put into our body so that only the right energy is used.

Pre HIIT Nutrition

Personally, I like a bit of fuel in my body before I do a workout. That way, I do not tire as fast as without fuel. Some like to do their sessions on an empty stomach as this will burn more fats due to the low levels of glucose and glycogen. To each their own but I prefer some form of fuel in my body.

Examples: A protein shake 20-30 minutes before a workout. This allows for the carbs to change to glucose and can then be used during the HIIT workout.

Post HIIT Nutrition

Post HIIT nutrition is a bit shady, in the sense that it really depends on what your goal is. If you intend to lose fat ONLY, then do not take too much carbs post workout. Have a protein rich meal with a small amount of slow digesting carb so that you can recover from the workout, and still be able to lose fats.

However, if you on a weight lifting routine and don't want to sacrifice your hard earned muscles, have a small amount of high GI carbs with loads of protein so that recovery can commence right after the workout. Your body will not use the muscles for energy since the carbs are there for use. ( You use your leg muscles during HIIT, which is why I encourage a high GI carb for post workout, so that recovery can start quickly and get nutrients to the muscles asap. )

So there you have it, HIIT nutrition at it's most basic. I strongly urge you to take more time to read other articles about this topic so that you have a larger understanding of it. What I write here is of my own opinion and if you feel something is wrong, do not hesitate to tell me what it is and together, we can learn.

HIIT (High intensity interval training)

Alright, in my previous article, I mentioned about the effects of steady state cardio on your body in losing weight. We have come to the conclusion that steady state cardio will make your weight loss plateau and the 2 ways to overcome this is to:

1. Run a further distance at the same speed so you do more work or,
2. Run the same distance, but harder (which will be the main focus of today's article)

HIIT, or otherwise known as High Intensity Interval Training, has been widely discussed on the Internet. It is performed by alternating high intensity activity with low intensity activity. The beauty of HIIT is that you can do it with any workout, be it cardio or resistance training.

Benefits of HIIT

There are numerous benefits to HIIT. These include:

• HIIT raises your metabolism up to 36 hours after the end of the exercise (What this means is your body goes into fat burning mode, even after you end your exercise. Your body will still burn fat while you're sleeping. How cool is that?)
• HIIT workouts are short and intense so you get bang for buck each and evertime you perform it
• It burns fat way way way faster than traditional cardio

So how do I start with HIIT

Well, there are many ways one can start doing HIIT but the main important thing to ask is how fit you are before you attempt HIIT.

You can perform HIIT in 2 very basic ways:

• For time (Which i will explain at the bottom)
• For distance

For distance

For distance is really simple. You only sprint for the amount of distance you decide. Here's a scenario:

I'm at a track and I want to sprint for 500m. For the purpose of HIIT, I do not sprint the whole 500m. This is what I do.

Sprint: 100m

Walk back: 100m

Sprint: 100m

Walk back: 100m

Sprint: 100m

Walk back: 100m

Sprint: 100m

Walk back: 100m

Sprint: 100m

Walk back: 100m

Essentially, I've sprinted for 500m right? I alternate sprinting and walking back and this is essentially HIIT. You can substitute the numbers anyway you want. You can sprint maybe 3 houses down the road or 5 lampposts down the street. It's really really simple.

For time

HIIT is based on the very simple rule of 2:1. 2:1 refers to the intervals of the workout. You should be at high intensity mode for TWICE as long as your low intensity mode. So for example if you're sprinting for 30 seconds, you follow that up with 15 secs of light jogging and then followed by another 30 seconds of sprinting. Workouts will usually be somewhere around 15-20 minutes max.

So for:

Beginners (1:2)

0-5th minute

Warmup (Light jog) 5 mins

6th minute

20 seconds run, 40 seconds brisk walk

7th minute

20 seconds run, 40 seconds brisk walk

8th minute

20 seconds run, 40 seconds brisk walk

9th minute

20 seconds run, 40 seconds brisk walk

10th-15th minute

Cooldown (Light jog) 5 minutes

As a beginner, do not sprint first because your fitness may not be as high as some other people but don't fret. As you get stronger and fitter, you can substitute 'running' with 'sprinting' and 'brisk walking' with 'running'.

This is the beauty of HIIT. You can sub any component out and still achieve maximum results.

You can sub running with:

• Jumping jacks
• Burpees
• Squats
• Skipping

Intermediate

Do the above at a ratio of 1:1

Advanced

Do the above at a ratio of 2:1

HIIT is one of the best ways to lose fat at amazing speed. If you are still unsure if HIIT is the best method and are thinking of doing steady state cardio to lose fat, then by all means but ask yourself this. Which has a leaner body? A sprinter or a long distance runner?

:) Go for it people!

My next article will cover the basic nutrition one needs to perform HIIT and benefit the most out of it.

Disclaimer: My posts are based on my own knowledge after reading up on the various topics throughout my life. I am by no means a doctor or a nutritionist so before you start on any nutrition plans or workouts that I write about, please consult your doctor for advice.