Question about Combining HIIT and Weight Lifting

Thanks for the advice Teddy.

The reason I’ve gained the weight back is because I stopped working out and starting eating anything I wanted. When I dropped to 135 a lot of my friends and family told me I looked too skinny (Ironically, everyone I asked who had never seen me fat said I looked perfectly fine) So in an attempt to gain some weight I just ate anything I wanted too and for a long time I didn’t gain anything. So I ate A TON and slowly started gaining weight, the only problem is that when I shot up to about 160 I never regulated my eating habits again and ended up gaining all the way up until now.

So now I’m wondering if I should just focus on losing weight via HIIT for say 6 months, then bulking with weights, or trying to do both at the same time =(

I wouldn’t do just HIIT, you would end up being kind of “skinny fat”. Start weight training with the 4-5x a week 45min cardio sessions. That with a balanced diet, you will be fine in no time.

[quote]Teddy057 wrote:
I wouldn’t do just HIIT, you would end up being kind of “skinny fat”. Start weight training with the 4-5x a week 45min cardio sessions. That with a balanced diet, you will be fine in no time. [/quote]
^do this .it sounds like your well outa shape so train with weights to keep any muscle you got n maybe build somemore , walk alot n let the deficit take care of the fat loss .wait till your weight loss stalls then add in cardio then a bit later hiit .eat about 2000 cals a day to start and see how you go.

[quote]ACatigbe wrote:
So you’re saying weight training and hiit would be better than hiit twice a day?[/quote]
if you do hiit properly once you wouldn’t evan think about doin it again later the same day.

Alright cool so I’ll do the hiit and the weight training.

Do you guys have any idea where I should start with weights?

[quote]ACatigbe wrote:
Alright cool so I’ll do the hiit and the weight training.

Do you guys have any idea where I should start with weights?[/quote]

Yeah like everyone else has said, get that muscle mass up - you’d look far better losing 30lbs of fat and gaining 30lbs of muscle compared to just losing 60lbs of fat.

Here’s a good start for lifting:

Does anyone actually read what people post before responding?! This individual is 5’1"! At 230lbs, that makes him extremely obese. Instead of wondering why he wants to weigh 150lbs (which is a perfectly healthy weight for his height) and saying that he should gain 30lbs of muscle, we should probably be pointing out that he’s in no shape to be doing HIIT, is posting in the wrong forum, and should probably be a lot more worried about his diet at this point.

To the OP, focus on getting your diet under control and just start going for walks. Gradually increase your exercise intensity from there and include weight training when the time comes. A bodybuilding forum is not the place to be seeking advice in your situation. If you want to focus on building muscle once you are no longer dangerously overweight, this is the place you will want to return to. For now, seek out advice from other sources.

[quote]riddle22 wrote:
Does anyone actually read what people post before responding? This individual is [u]5’1"[/u]! At 230lbs, that makes him extremely obese. Instead of wondering why he want’s to weigh 150lbs (which a perfectly healthy weight for his height), we should probably be pointing out that he’s in no shape to be doing HIIT, is posting in the wrong forum, and should probably be a lot more worried about diet at this point.[/quote]

Have you ever been 230 pounds at 5’1?
Because I’ve been over 200 pounds at 5’0 and I was able to do HiiT and lift weights.

[quote]Nikki9591 wrote:
Have you ever been 230 pounds at 5’1?
Because I’ve been over 200 pounds at 5’0 and I was able to do HiiT and lift weights.
[/quote]

Good for you then. You’re the exception to the rule. I heard about someone who went down Niagra falls in a barrel and survived, does that mean everyone should do it?

Seriously though, I commend you; but just because you were able to do sprints at that height and weight without injuring yourself doesn’t mean someone else can and it is reckless to be giving people that kind of advice. I just think it is absolutely ridiculous that people on this forum (not you in particular) are telling a morbidly obese person that they need to worry about building muscle.

I wholeheartedly agree that weight training should be the cornerstone of any fat loss program. However, you must crawl before you can walk. A person doesn’t get to be that obese in that short amount of time by just eating a little too much. That requires a sedentary lifestyle and/or massive amounts of overeating. It is best to build up work capacity gradually, aka going for a walk. Yes, there are plenty of examples of people who go from sedentary straight to balls to the wall training and experience success. These cases are the exceptions though, and for every person who finds success doing that there are 50 who fail.

Doesn’t mean they can’t do it either.
I understand what you are saying though, but people are just getting soft and need to harden the fuck up.

surly if the op starts an easy basic program ( ie s/l 5x5 )with weights and includes walking for cardio this would be a good overall aproach to help him with his goals .

I appreciate the advice but in my own defense I’d like to say that I am a fully functional person. I can walk/run lift weights and do hiit just fine. I was doing hiit 7 days a week when I was at this weight before. I can show you pictures of myself trust me I’m not some super huge monster who can barely walk. I infact have no idea why I weigh so much, everyone’s jaw drops when I tell them I am as heavy as I am. Most people confuse me with a 165 pound person.

[quote]Nikki9591 wrote:

[quote]riddle22 wrote:
Does anyone actually read what people post before responding? This individual is [u]5’1"[/u]! At 230lbs, that makes him extremely obese. Instead of wondering why he want’s to weigh 150lbs (which a perfectly healthy weight for his height), we should probably be pointing out that he’s in no shape to be doing HIIT, is posting in the wrong forum, and should probably be a lot more worried about diet at this point.[/quote]

Have you ever been 230 pounds at 5’1?
Because I’ve been over 200 pounds at 5’0 and I was able to do HiiT and lift weights.
[/quote]
you were over 200 !!! . youv’e done great things to your bod . RESPEK

[quote]riddle22 wrote:

[quote]Nikki9591 wrote:
Have you ever been 230 pounds at 5’1?
Because I’ve been over 200 pounds at 5’0 and I was able to do HiiT and lift weights.
[/quote]

Good for you then. You’re the exception to the rule. I heard about someone who went down Niagra falls in a barrel and survived, does that mean everyone should do it?

Just because you were able to do sprints at that height and weight without injuring yourself doesn’t mean someone else can and it is reckless to be giving people that kind of advice. I just think it is absolutely ridiculous that people on this forum (not you in particular) are telling a morbidly obese person that they need to worry about building muscle.

I wholeheartedly agree that weight training should be the cornerstone of any fat loss program. However, you must crawl before you can walk. A person doesn’t get to be that obese in that short amount of time by just eating a little too much. That requires a sedentary lifestyle and/or massive amounts of overeating. It is best to build up work capacity gradually, aka going for a walk. Yes, there are plenty of examples of people who go from sedentary straight to balls to the wall training and experience success. These cases are the exceptions though, and for every person who finds success doing that there are 50 who fail.[/quote]

I didn’t say that I did sprints, I said that I did HiiT.
You assume too much, just like you’re assuming that this guy can’t do anything because he’s overweight.

If the OP has the willpower and determination to do HiiT, why tell him “No, you should just walk.”

And thank you lia67.

I did sprints for the first 20 days of November straight. Let’s not get into the argument about what I can and cannot do. I am well aware of what I am capable of and I know when to hold back from pushing myself to dangerous levels. My only question was whether or not it was best for me to combine weight training and cardio or to do cardio twice a day. That question has been answered. Now my only remaining question is what is a good strength training regimen for me.

[quote]Nikki9591 wrote:

[quote]riddle22 wrote:

[quote]Nikki9591 wrote:
Have you ever been 230 pounds at 5’1?
Because I’ve been over 200 pounds at 5’0 and I was able to do HiiT and lift weights.
[/quote]

Good for you then. You’re the exception to the rule. I heard about someone who went down Niagra falls in a barrel and survived, does that mean everyone should do it?

Just because you were able to do sprints at that height and weight without injuring yourself doesn’t mean someone else can and it is reckless to be giving people that kind of advice. I just think it is absolutely ridiculous that people on this forum (not you in particular) are telling a morbidly obese person that they need to worry about building muscle.

I wholeheartedly agree that weight training should be the cornerstone of any fat loss program. However, you must crawl before you can walk. A person doesn’t get to be that obese in that short amount of time by just eating a little too much. That requires a sedentary lifestyle and/or massive amounts of overeating. It is best to build up work capacity gradually, aka going for a walk. Yes, there are plenty of examples of people who go from sedentary straight to balls to the wall training and experience success. These cases are the exceptions though, and for every person who finds success doing that there are 50 who fail.[/quote]

I didn’t say that I did sprints, I said that I did HiiT.
You assume too much, just like you’re assuming that this guy can’t do anything because he’s overweight.

If the OP has the willpower and determination to do HiiT, why tell him “No, you should just walk.”

And thank you lia67.[/quote]

You’re right about assumptions, but we’re all making them. You’re assuming that he can do certain things despite his weight. The people who didn’t pay attention to his post assumed he was of average height and started talking about building muscle.

I have been training clients for 4 years now and I have seen just about everything when it comes to people who need to lose weight. I’ve seen plenty of extremely overweight people who can move perfectly fine and can do just about anything in terms of exercise. As I’ve already pointed out though, this is the exception. For every person like that, I see plenty of others who need to start off slow.

When making assumptions it is always best to underestimate someone’s abilities than to overestimate them. By underestimating, you’re simply going to start them off with activities that are easy for them. By overestimating, you’re setting them up to fail and putting them in a position to injure themselves. Do you see the difference? I think this article by Jim Wendler sums it up nicely: http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/training-articles/from-fat-ass-to-bad-ass/. Obviously he was capable of much more than walking, but that’s what he started with and guess what, it worked.

The OP just posted that he is capable of sprinting, so I’ll have to take his word for it. I still think diet should be the #1 priority, that he should start off slow (maybe not just walking, but sprinting 7 days a week is definitely too much), and that he should probably seek further advice about weight training in the beginner forum.

Riddle, when you say sprinting 7 days a week is too much, do you mean too much as in unhealthy to do? Or to much as in physically dangerous for my legs? Because if it’s not either of those reasons I can assure you it’s not a matter of will, nor is a matter of me not being capable. If I wasn’t capable, I wouldn’t have even suggested it. Also, diet is my number 1 priority right now.

[quote]ACatigbe wrote:
Riddle, when you say sprinting 7 days a week is too much, do you mean too much as in unhealthy to do? Or to much as in physically dangerous for my legs? Because if it’s not either of those reasons I can assure you it’s not a matter of will, nor is a matter of me not being capable. If I wasn’t capable, I wouldn’t have even suggested it. Also, diet is my number 1 priority right now.[/quote]

It is not unhealthy, it is dangerous as far as injuries are concerned. I wouldn’t recommend sprinting 7 days a week to even the fittest of athletes.

In response to this question:

[quote]Nikki9591 wrote:
If the OP has the willpower and determination to do HiiT, why tell him “No, you should just walk.”[/quote]

I would say to just walk because no amount of willpower and determination can prevent an injury. Sure, there’s a chance that you could sprint everyday and not hurt yourself. It doesn’t make it a good idea though. When I was young and dumb I used to routinely do 150+ on my motorcycle. Obviously I didn’t kill myself. I had fun doing it and never experienced negative consequences. Does this mean I should recommend it to others?

When I say to start off walking, I mean just that: start off walking. Whether you do this for 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months before you include other activity is up to you. The article I posted a link to has an excellent example of what I’m talking about. You most definitely should start to include weight training, but should start with something basic. The problem with asking for weight training advice on this forum is that 90% of the programs people suggest will be designed for those looking to gain weight. The same basic principles apply and the same basic exercises should be used, but if you’re looking to lose a massive amount of weight, you won’t be able to handle the volume of lifting that will most likely be suggested. This is why I think you should start slow and educate yourself as much as possible so that you can determine what’s best for you. Do not just blindly follow any specific program that someone posts.

You really are good at telling people they can’t do things. I say I’m capable of sprinting, you suggest walking. I ask for weight training advice, you say I won’t be able to handle it. You’re advice sounds geared towards 600+ pound disabled people. I am not one of those people. I am capable of lifting weights. I am capable of doing hiit. Your point is valid, maybe I shouldn’t do 7 days. I’ll do 5 days for 45 minutes just as Teddy suggested, but I’d like to start lifting just like any other normal person would and no, I’m not looking to hear you tell me I should start lifting the god damn milk gallons in my fridge.