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HIIT side effects

Lost my muscles because of HIIT

Akahwaji
Akahwaji g Abdullah Kahwaji
39 Post(s)
39 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted

hello Scott,

I'm in cutting phase and I've done HIIT exercises for 10-15 min 6 times per week and lost almost all my muscles and lost fat and weight around 1 kg per week. After that, I've been told not do HIIT at all to maintain my muscles.

My age:35

Wight : 81 kg

Hight :177cm

Body fat : not sure but I think 25%

Exercise period : one year

Macros : protein: 20g, carbs: 200-250g, fat:60-70g. However, my calories intake was exactly 2400 calories.

Could you advise,please?

jmboiardi
jmboiardi p John M Boiardi
2.6K Post(s)
2.6K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: October 10, 2013
Posted
Posted By: Akahwaji

hello Scott,

I'm in cutting phase and I've done HIIT exercises for 10-15 min 6 times per week and lost almost all my muscles and lost fat and weight around 1 kg per week. After that, I've been told not do HIIT at all to maintain my muscles.

My age:35

Wight : 81 kg

Hight :177cm

Body fat : not sure but I think 25%

Exercise period : one year

Macros : protein: 20g, carbs: 200-250g, fat:60-70g. However, my calories intake was exactly 2400 calories.

Could you advise,please?

HIIT should NEVER be done more than 2-3 times a week. If you were doing HIIT 6 times per week, I am surprised you didn't suffer more damage. HIIT is extremely taxing on the central nervous system (CNS). It is also very stressful to the entire body when done correctly. This is why correctly done HIIT sessions are 10-15 minutes max. When you do HIIT 6 times a week, you not only never give your CNS a chance to recover but you also derail the muscle building process by spiking your Cortisol levels. Cortisol is the main stress hormone in the body and makes up your fight-or-flight response. When Cortisol is high, testosterone and growth hormone plummet and muscle catabolism ensues.

 

My advice would be to continue the weight training to build back up the muscle, eat clean, and don't do more the 2 HIIT sessions a week of 10-15 minutes. Cardio alone is WAY overrated for losing weight and body fat and people do TOO much. Those who are starting off quite obese get the most benefit from regular cardio. However, the best strategy is a combination of weight training and cardio where 70% is dedicated to lifting weights and 30% to cardio. Those who are leaner and in shape and eat correctly don't need to rely on it as much or as frequently to get/stay lean. It is just a tool not way of life.

 

John

34 years of lifting and nutritional experience and resident "old man" :-) MS Athlete and past Super Hermanite since 2013.
Akahwaji
Akahwaji g Abdullah Kahwaji
39 Post(s)
39 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted

Thanks a lot :)

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Akahwaji

hello Scott,

I'm in cutting phase and I've done HIIT exercises for 10-15 min 6 times per week and lost almost all my muscles and lost fat and weight around 1 kg per week. After that, I've been told not do HIIT at all to maintain my muscles.

My age:35

Wight : 81 kg

Hight :177cm

Body fat : not sure but I think 25%

Exercise period : one year

Macros : protein: 20g, carbs: 200-250g, fat:60-70g. However, my calories intake was exactly 2400 calories.

Could you advise,please?

Spot on advice from John!! You don't need HIIT 6 days a week. Doing it 2-3 times is plenty, even just twice a week with 15-20 minutes is great. You can definitely still do it, but you just need to adjust your diet to make sure you are not losing too much muscle.

 

I assume you actually mean protein was at 200g, not 20g? Also.. did you go to the @mealplan page to do some calculations for fat loss? And is eating 2400 calories keeping you in a slight calorie deficit? If so, we just need to increase fats (and maybe protein a little bit) while reducing carbs. Let us know if those were the numbers you got from the @mealplan page 😊 

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Akahwaji
Akahwaji g Abdullah Kahwaji
39 Post(s)
39 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted

Thanks Scott, yes I meant 200g of protein :) I calculated that figures using a different calculator but now I will you use yours as I did not know about it :). It's clear now how much I should eat, thank a lot.

 

 

 

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Akahwaji

Thanks Scott, yes I meant 200g of protein :) I calculated that figures using a different calculator but now I will you use yours as I did not know about it :). It's clear now how much I should eat, thank a lot.

 

 

 

Happy to help man! If you need more help let us know.. because you're in a cutting phase it would be a good idea to cut your carbs down to around 150g-200g and then increase your fats if you need to in order to make up any lost calories 😊 

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Akahwaji
Akahwaji g Abdullah Kahwaji
39 Post(s)
39 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: November 11, 2017
Posted

Cheers :)

ValentinoTrenchev
ValentinoTrenchev g Valentino Trenchev
2 Post(s)
2 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted

I am having kinda the same issue here and i figured out i better write in this thread then making a new one.

 

I am going to the gym for around 10 months for now and i managed to loose around 9 kilos.

From my routine on the beginning i was going to the gym 3 times a week as i was not very strong but over time it became better.

 

Last 3-4 months i do 5 days a week and each day a different group of muscle

 

Monday chest, Tuesday biceps, Wednesday abs, Thursday back and triceps, Firday legs and shoulders

Before each routine i am warming up cycling for around 5-7 minutes.

After each routine i am doing 15-20 minutes HIIT on a stair climber or treadmill.

 

My infos for the moment are like this:

 

My age:35 (April this year 36)

Weight : 72 kg

Hight :180cm

Body fat : not really sure

Exercise period : around 10 months

 

So my question here is should i stop doing cardio after my weight training because i still have fat around my waist, belly and chest which i really want to loose it.

Forgot to mention my calorie intake i try to keep it from 2200 to 2400.

 

Protein around 150 grams.

Carbs around 200 grams

Fat around 100 grams.

 

 

Any advice to achieve my goal will be much appreciated :)

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: ValentinoTrenchev

I am having kinda the same issue here and i figured out i better write in this thread then making a new one.

 

I am going to the gym for around 10 months for now and i managed to loose around 9 kilos.

From my routine on the beginning i was going to the gym 3 times a week as i was not very strong but over time it became better.

 

Last 3-4 months i do 5 days a week and each day a different group of muscle

 

Monday chest, Tuesday biceps, Wednesday abs, Thursday back and triceps, Firday legs and shoulders

Before each routine i am warming up cycling for around 5-7 minutes.

After each routine i am doing 15-20 minutes HIIT on a stair climber or treadmill.

 

My infos for the moment are like this:

 

My age:35 (April this year 36)

Weight : 72 kg

Hight :180cm

Body fat : not really sure

Exercise period : around 10 months

 

So my question here is should i stop doing cardio after my weight training because i still have fat around my waist, belly and chest which i really want to loose it.

Forgot to mention my calorie intake i try to keep it from 2200 to 2400.

 

Protein around 150 grams.

Carbs around 200 grams

Fat around 100 grams.

 

 

Any advice to achieve my goal will be much appreciated :)

@ValentinoTrenchev Well as said above, you don't NEED to be doing HIIT 5 times a week. Do you feel like you are losing muscle, or that it is hindering your fat loss? If yes, then maybe cut it back to 3 times a week and readjust your macros a little bit.. increase the protein a bit more and drop the carbs to around 150g.

 

Also.. why are you training biceps twice a week but everything else just once? Are they a week point?

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ValentinoTrenchev
ValentinoTrenchev g Valentino Trenchev
2 Post(s)
2 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

@ValentinoTrenchev Well as said above, you don't NEED to be doing HIIT 5 times a week. Do you feel like you are losing muscle, or that it is hindering your fat loss? If yes, then maybe cut it back to 3 times a week and readjust your macros a little bit.. increase the protein a bit more and drop the carbs to around 150g.

 

Also.. why are you training biceps twice a week but everything else just once? Are they a week point?

Thanks a lot about your advice will try to lower carbs and add more protein in my deit plan.

HIIT i will lower to 3 times a week.

 

On the other hand with my situation what you think would be the best program to start from the ones on your page?

Obviously my goal here is to loose fat around my waist, belly and chest and gain some more muscle.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: ValentinoTrenchev

Thanks a lot about your advice will try to lower carbs and add more protein in my deit plan.

HIIT i will lower to 3 times a week.

 

On the other hand with my situation what you think would be the best program to start from the ones on your page?

Obviously my goal here is to loose fat around my waist, belly and chest and gain some more muscle.

If you have access to a gym I would go with PPL. The circuits and the HIIT you are doing will help with fat loss and then you'll build a good foundation with the muscle gain routines. Take a look and let me know what you think! http://muscularstrength.com/Push-Pull-Legs

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
muscular strength
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