How To Use Nutrition To Get The Most Out Of HIIT
By Russ Hollywood
In gyms around the world nowadays, HIIT is everywhere. But if you are trying to learn how to build muscle and drop unwanted body fat using this method you need to pay particular attention to one area which most gym users overlook.
Nutrition is a key factor in improving your results from any high intensity workout program. The pre-workout period is an area where most people have no idea how to get the best nutrients for their muscles, so this is what we will be focusing on today.
Before you workout you need to ensure that your body has been supplied with the best nutrients to perform the tough session ahead. If you do this then you can potentially increase your results by up to 30%, so it is worth taking a few moments to look into the latest science on the subject. []
The first thing you must do to get the right nutrients before a hard workout is look at which energy source you'll be using in your session. While long, steady-state cardiovascular workouts tend to slowly chip away at your body's fat storage, intervals do not do this. Instead, they mainly use your glycogen (carb) stores.
If you have done your research you will already know that the major benefits of high intensity interval training take place outside of the gym, during the recovery period after your workout. This process, known as EPOC, is where your body tries to protect what's left of it's carbohydrate reserves and focuses on burning body fat for the fuel it needs in order to function properly. Carbs are your body's primary energy source, so when you have burnt through most of your body's reserves it's going to work hard to protect what little it has left, switching the focus on other nutrients instead. This magical post-workout effect can last a whopping 14 hours if you get it right.
So as you can see, the quicker your body can deplete those carbohydrate stores during a high intensity training session, the better! This means there's very little point in consuming a carb rich meal before you train as you'd merely be delaying the process in the gym.
This is why many people choose to workout on an empty stomach. But is this approach really the best way to maximize results?
Actually, no it's not. While it is more effective than training after a carb heavy meal, there is an ever more superior method. Research shows that consuming a good source of protein before a workout increases both fat loss and muscle retention even further. Remember, in the absence of enough carbs to handle your workout there is a chance your body will turn to protein as a fuel source. By consuming a whey protein shake before a workout you buffer your body's supply and hang onto your hard earned muscle tissue.
There are also many people who like using branched chain amino acids around their workouts. While this supplement is perfectly fine, there are better ways to do this. First of all, essential amino acids provide a better return than BCAA's as they include all of the amino acids which the body cannot naturally produce, rather than just the three which are more involved in building muscle. So look to replace your BCAA product with a reputable EAA supplement.
Furthermore, consuming your serving pre-workout as opposed to post-workout has been shown to increase muscle uptake by around 27%. Combined with a whey protein shake, you'll be able to protect your body from any lean tissue breakdown and fight off any feelings of hunger while performing high intensity training and burning through those carbohydrate reserves.
While these approaches are a little different than the advice which goes with a regular training program, interval training is anything but a regular training program and there is already sufficient scientific evidence pointing towards these methods. If you want to learn how to build muscle using HIIT then you need to take a little bit of time to structure your pre-workout nutrition in order to increase results to their maximum potential.
Nutrition is a key factor in improving your results from any high intensity workout program. The pre-workout period is an area where most people have no idea how to get the best nutrients for their muscles, so this is what we will be focusing on today.
Before you workout you need to ensure that your body has been supplied with the best nutrients to perform the tough session ahead. If you do this then you can potentially increase your results by up to 30%, so it is worth taking a few moments to look into the latest science on the subject. []
The first thing you must do to get the right nutrients before a hard workout is look at which energy source you'll be using in your session. While long, steady-state cardiovascular workouts tend to slowly chip away at your body's fat storage, intervals do not do this. Instead, they mainly use your glycogen (carb) stores.
If you have done your research you will already know that the major benefits of high intensity interval training take place outside of the gym, during the recovery period after your workout. This process, known as EPOC, is where your body tries to protect what's left of it's carbohydrate reserves and focuses on burning body fat for the fuel it needs in order to function properly. Carbs are your body's primary energy source, so when you have burnt through most of your body's reserves it's going to work hard to protect what little it has left, switching the focus on other nutrients instead. This magical post-workout effect can last a whopping 14 hours if you get it right.
So as you can see, the quicker your body can deplete those carbohydrate stores during a high intensity training session, the better! This means there's very little point in consuming a carb rich meal before you train as you'd merely be delaying the process in the gym.
This is why many people choose to workout on an empty stomach. But is this approach really the best way to maximize results?
Actually, no it's not. While it is more effective than training after a carb heavy meal, there is an ever more superior method. Research shows that consuming a good source of protein before a workout increases both fat loss and muscle retention even further. Remember, in the absence of enough carbs to handle your workout there is a chance your body will turn to protein as a fuel source. By consuming a whey protein shake before a workout you buffer your body's supply and hang onto your hard earned muscle tissue.
There are also many people who like using branched chain amino acids around their workouts. While this supplement is perfectly fine, there are better ways to do this. First of all, essential amino acids provide a better return than BCAA's as they include all of the amino acids which the body cannot naturally produce, rather than just the three which are more involved in building muscle. So look to replace your BCAA product with a reputable EAA supplement.
Furthermore, consuming your serving pre-workout as opposed to post-workout has been shown to increase muscle uptake by around 27%. Combined with a whey protein shake, you'll be able to protect your body from any lean tissue breakdown and fight off any feelings of hunger while performing high intensity training and burning through those carbohydrate reserves.
While these approaches are a little different than the advice which goes with a regular training program, interval training is anything but a regular training program and there is already sufficient scientific evidence pointing towards these methods. If you want to learn how to build muscle using HIIT then you need to take a little bit of time to structure your pre-workout nutrition in order to increase results to their maximum potential.
About the Author:
Writer info: Russ Howe PTI coaches classes in the gym and online. If you'd like to know how to build muscle or need help with performing a good hiit routine, his tips will get you on the right track.