Hey Everyone!

Ok - I started off doing HIIT 4 times a week but it didn't last long, I dropped down to doing it 3 times a week and am now on the verge of going to two... I just do not have enough energy in the morning to do it because I am up at 6am trying to get it in before work. If I started doing something like this below, would it be enough cardio for fat loss?

MWF - H.I. cardio for 10 minutes - no HIIT - just working my ass off and biking about 4-6 miles in 10 minutes.

Sat/Sun either 20-25 min HIIT or 40 minutes 60% max hr cardio.

On top of this I lift MWF late afternoon and I am doing superset work so I am getting some kind of 'cardio' from that I feel as well...

What do you think?

Thanks for any input!

-Matt

I also get up at 6 am and do cardio in the morning, so I'm in the same boat as you. One of the reasons I started doing HIIT is because it's shorter, so I can get to work earlier. I still only do it 2 or 3 times a week and do 45 minutes of moderate the other days, but on the days where I'm saving those 22 minutes, it makes a big difference in my commute.

As for not having energy before you do it, maybe there's something you could eat before, like a whey shake. I personally wait until I get to work before being tired. ;)

Just a few sessions a week is good for heart health. If you are doing it to drop fat, that is only going to be a small part of the equation. You can get ripped without doing one single cardio session - it is tough and your calories would drop low, but it is possible - I have done this myself.

On the other hand, cardio is a great way to balance your calories. In other words, when you hit plateaus, instead of dropping calories as many people do, you can increase cardio and that can compensate without taking you into a starvation diet.

Most people cannot tolerate more than 3 or 4 HIIT sessions per week. Beyond that may be overtraining - it is really relative, I'd be hard pressed to make it a LAW that NO ONE can handle HIIT (have you seen the training regimens for Olympic sprinters?) but let's assume the average person who does not have advanced recovery aids at their disposal.

I use HIIT when I am time-compressed or for the fun of it - it definitely gets over quickly. I use moderate cardio when I am adding extra cardio and don't want to overdo things, or when I have the opportunity to jog on mountain trails simply because I enjoy the view.

There is no hard set rule for cardio - your nutrition is going to have the largest impact on whether or not you lose fat.

Jeremy

Take 5 -

When do you lift ... after work? I live with people who are up all hours of the night so for me an early night is midnight - this is why I am always tired...I cant wait to move out, own my own place and not have to worry about trying to go to bed at 10!

Jeremy - thanks for the info...

I actually lost a lot of weight initially with out any cardio (well just playing basketball once in awhile)...So I can understand how it can be done! I eat extremely clean so maybe I will stick with 2 HIIT sessions a week and one longer relaxing session.

Thanks for the help!

another thing to note. weight training elevates your metabolism far greater and far longer than aerobic workout.

if your diet is spot on, you train regularly without over training. the more cardio you have in your lifestyle, the quicker you will become leaner.

it's always good to mix in the HIIT and moderate cardio.

i personally only do moderate cardio in the morning for 45 minutes, some times i'll bumb it to 60