Despite being very popular, HIIT is a subject which many people low very little about. It requires you to take a slightly different approach in your training in order to get the most from the multiple benefits it has to offer. If you're trying to discover how to build muscle with this style of exercise, then this is crucial.
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.
If you have been working out for some time already then you'll already understand how important it is to give your body the correct type of nutrients to make the most of each session you do. However, many people don't realize that high intensity training requires a slightly different tactic than regular exercise. []
While regular cardiovascular activity works slowly on your fat stores, interval training takes a different route. It mainly focuses on your body's stores of carbohydrates. This means the focus of your nutrition needs to shift if you are to get the most from this method.
As you may already be aware, interval training's real benefits begin when you shut the gym door behind you as you leave. Your body enters a process called EPOC, also known as the afterburn effect by many trainers. This is where your body has lost so much of it's carbohydrate resources that it begins to shield what's left and instead uses your fat stores to provide you with energy. You guessed it, this results in increased fat burning and the phenomenon can go on for fourteen hours if you do thing effectively.
As you can see, what we want to be doing in the gym is depleting your carb resources as quickly as possible so that we can force the body to enter the afterburn effect immediately when you finish working out. So, for this very reason, it would be foolish to eat a big bowl of oatmeal before you trained.
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.
Secondly, science tells us that consuming your amino acids before your workout yields up to 30% higher uptake into the muscles, so ignore the common trend of mixing it with your post-workout protein shake. The perfect pre-workout cocktail before a high intensity interval training session would consist of around 15 grams of whey protein and a serving of essential amino acids.
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.
If you have been working out for some time already then you'll already understand how important it is to give your body the correct type of nutrients to make the most of each session you do. However, many people don't realize that high intensity training requires a slightly different tactic than regular exercise. []
While regular cardiovascular activity works slowly on your fat stores, interval training takes a different route. It mainly focuses on your body's stores of carbohydrates. This means the focus of your nutrition needs to shift if you are to get the most from this method.
As you may already be aware, interval training's real benefits begin when you shut the gym door behind you as you leave. Your body enters a process called EPOC, also known as the afterburn effect by many trainers. This is where your body has lost so much of it's carbohydrate resources that it begins to shield what's left and instead uses your fat stores to provide you with energy. You guessed it, this results in increased fat burning and the phenomenon can go on for fourteen hours if you do thing effectively.
As you can see, what we want to be doing in the gym is depleting your carb resources as quickly as possible so that we can force the body to enter the afterburn effect immediately when you finish working out. So, for this very reason, it would be foolish to eat a big bowl of oatmeal before you trained.
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.
Secondly, science tells us that consuming your amino acids before your workout yields up to 30% higher uptake into the muscles, so ignore the common trend of mixing it with your post-workout protein shake. The perfect pre-workout cocktail before a high intensity interval training session would consist of around 15 grams of whey protein and a serving of essential amino acids.
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:
Author: Russ Howe PTI teaches people in the gym each day. If you'd like to know how to build muscle or need help with performing a good hiit routine, his tips will help you improve results.
