Sunday, June 16, 2013

Is HIIT More Effective On An Empty Stomach?

By Russ Howe


When it comes to High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT as it's more commonly known, there is a massive grey area surrounding the optimum nutrition to get the best from the fat loss aspects.

Today we will clear up a few of the myths for you and help you enhance your workouts.
Today\'s video shows some proven nutrition for HIIT exercise.


You probably know at least one person who insists upon training first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This is more habit than anything else, but they'll swear it's better for your results. In fact when looking into high intensity interval training scientists discovered the direct opposite. Hitting the gym with your body stocked up on all the correct nutrients, which we will cover in just a moment, will give you better results.

This form of cardio is still relatively new to the regular gym user, but has been used by athletes for the biggest part of three decades, so while the majority of trainers are already aware that nutrition needs to be changed when working with interval training, the regular gym goer sometimes gets stuck in the wrong way of thinking.

Most people who perform high intensity cardio are doing so because they have heard it helps you to lose weight much faster, so today we're going to specifically focus on how to get the most from the fat loss benefits. These two rules are very important:

* Ignore the theories about doing high intensity training on an empty stomach because that's all they are, theories! Studies show that people who consume a whey protein serving of around 20 grams before their gym session are able to burn calories and lose fat at a greatly enhanced rate over an entire 24 hour period compared to those running on empty before their session.

* Try adding some essential amino acids to your supplement routine and consuming them before your cardio workout to maximize results. EAA's are proven to help retain muscle mass while burning fat.

Most people who are in the habit of training on an empty stomach wait until after their workout before consuming protein, amino acids or any other supplements they might be taking. Again, this is yesterday's advice.

Studies also show that individuals who use essential amino acids get more from them when consumed before a workout as opposed to after. One particularly useful experiment showed us that our body is able to use up to 42% of this supplement if taken prior to a big gym session, compared to just 16% when taken afterwards.

And that's it. Pretty simple stuff in the end, right? By ensuring your body has enough essential amino acids and a nice serving of whey protein around 20 minutes before you do your next HIIT session you will greatly improve your results.




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