In general terms most people are eagerly interested in weight management and performance enhancement these days. I want to lose weight and maintain a healthy body and use that body to go lightning quick!! But there is also a LOT of noise out there about how to get the job done. Paleo, Keto, Atkins, intermittent fasting, starvation, Farfegnugen, only eating fried water buffalo hoofs … are all dietary strategies that one may employ. Power cardio, Hot Yoga, P90x, Insanity, HIIT training, running from the cops and armed robbery are all exercise strategies that one may employ. So which is best? Do I combine them? Do I join a Facebook group or watch some inspirational trainers on Instagram?? Do I scream from the mountaintops in frustration?
Intermittent Fasting (IF) and High Interval Intensity Training (HIIT) are all the rage right now. IMHO these are two straight forward, effective and relatively simple strategies to employ. But what if we…..wait for it…..also combine the two?? Will we break the internet and all known training and diet algorithmic modalities simultaneously? Perhaps. In this article we shall explore these ideas. Should we proceed To Fast?…..or go Too Fast?? …. or Both???
INTERMITTENT FASTING BENEFITS:
For starters it is important to understand what provokes weight gain and fat accumulation. The answer is very simple: Insulin. I have no desire to get into a lengthy chemistry lecture here but simply when you consume foods high in sugar you will unload a large dose of insulin into your system. The higher the load of insulin the more readily your body will grasp onto sugar and store it as fat. You will then also enter a vicious cycle of insulin resistance, more fat storage and peripheral vascular dysfunction, weight gain and health related issues such as diabetes.
As seen above the graphics are relatively basic. When we eat our insulin levels are boosted which is normal. But if they are too rapidly elevated or stay elevated because we consume the wrong foods then we will gain weight and store fat. The key, therefore, is to reduce the insulin load and alter it by consuming the right foods at the right time and not eating at the wrong times.
Many people do intermittent fasting in order to lose weight, as it is a very simple and effective way to restrict calories and burn fat. As you can see below there is a potential window where max fat burning can occur. The best strategies out there for Intermittent Fasting are suggested to be simple. Eat between 12 Noon and 8 pm. Don’t eat breakfast and you will be in a max fat burning window early in the morning as seen below.
Another major advantage of Intermittent Fasting is what happens with human growth hormone (HGH). This is less discussed out there in the mainstream.
From the above graphics the issues that pop up are that when you are in a fasting state:
1. Your insulin levels and glucose levels are low
2. Your HGH levels are high (which most people aren’t aware of)
3. You have entered a high target fat burning cycle
4. Your ability to lose weight and burn fat are elevated while also maximizing your ability to increase tissue density with HGH and muscle growth.
So when we see all these obvious benefits to intermittent fasting it sparks a real desire to look at it closely. And boy is it ever doable!!! Don’t eat in the morning. Period. That was a lot of periods.
HIIT Training:
High Intensity Interval Training came about to take advantage of a metabolic phenomenon that works through quick sustained bursts of near max effort activity followed by relatively short recovery periods keeping the HR zone elevated. This in comparison to sustained average activity over longer periods followed by prolonged recovery windows.
Anyone that is anyone is aware that this exists as a concept whether you use an online version, visit a Crossfit, routinely do Tabata workouts, train at an F45 or a Bootcamp etc….or merely pay attention to mainstream chatter.
The studies have born out that this style of training has all the following advantages:
1. Improved aerobic conditioning and glucose metabolism
2. Reduction in weight and body fat mass percentage
3. Increased VO2Max
4. Lowered insulin resistance
5. Increased fat oxidation
6. and…..human growth hormone (HGH) levels up 450% during the 24 hours after you finish your workout.
WOW!! So I have the potential to lose weight, gain muscle mass, increase performance AND change all these healthy metrics from a weight loss standpoint and insulin consumption/processing capacity??
AND I’m also now noticing how there is an overlap in the two concepts discussed between Intermittent Fasting and HIIT training.
You, dear reader, have earned a gold star!!
So the million dollar question is why aren’t people doing this all the time, every day, and splashing this information everywhere on 24/7 news coverage? Because, honestly Shep, you aren’t that smart or innovative. Let’s be Realz here.
I think the answer is relatively simple. It’s simple. At least by today’s standards. It harkens back to fairly basic evolutionary times. Humans were not bred on adundance but scarcity. Intermittent fasting was just a reality for us as a species. HIIT training? Quick rapid bursts of energy? Same story. We are designed for efficient, rapid exchanges of action to maximize outcomes. But we are also GREAT at over-complicating things. The minute we Hiit on this idea (see what I did there?) we blew right past it to come up with ever more complicated ideas such as dietary specific fasting regimens, 30/30 split interval training and before you know it the only way to train and gain is to don a squirrel suit and rocket through the air at terminal velocity.
There are naysayers about these combination strategies. Why workout on an empty stomach? That’s just miserable. I don’t like doing too much HIIT training it all feels like cardio and I want muscle growth only to bulk up. Someone has a complaint for everything. But if you are looking for simple concepts, with predictable results, and avoidance of confusion I believe this strategy may be for you. So get to it!!!!
**The author is an Obstacle Racing Enthusiast, Ultra Trail Runner, Lover of Pecan Pie and constantly looking for ways to improve his own outcomes and enjoyment of training. Follow here or on Instagram @drshepherdvfps for more updates, tips and opportunities to pass judgement.
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