Note: This is a reprint of an answer I posted in the comments section of my article on Bodybuilding.com.
Question: How did you build up the patience for all that cardio? When you say don't go consistently low-carb, could you ball park what you mean from a macro perspective (P%/C%/F%)?
Answer: I did three different types of cardio: LISS (Low Intensity Steady State), HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), and High Frequency HIIT or HFIT (High Frequency Interval Training).
LISS doesn't have to be low intensity only. It also includes moderate intensity and even some incursions into higher intensity, but not repeated high intensity bursts like HIIT. It is basically traditional cardio where you may speed up or slow down during a 30 to 60 minute workout.
HIIT is where you do repeated bursts at maximum intensity for anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds roughly, with moderate intensity rest periods between the bursts. The rest periods typically range from 60 seconds up to 5 or more minutes.
HFIT is a very high frequency version of HIIT where you do 6 to 9 second bursts with 9 to 15 second moderate intensity rest periods between the bursts. - The secret to LISS cardio is a little thing I like to call Netflix. I just watch a show and peddle the whole time. - The secret to HIIT cardio is to lie to yourself at the beginning. I would tell myself I only have to do 10 minutes, then I would keep adding 5 minute increments until I got to 25, 30, or 35 minutes. In order to keep the lie believable, every once in a while you have to actually only do 10 minutes. - There is no secret to High Frequency HIIT. It just sucks, but it's over quickly. I am hesitant to answer your second question because, like I keep repeating, I am no expert. There are so many qualified people who have dedicated their lives to researching these topics in order to help the rest of us live better, I just don't like to mess around in their territory. I am just a guy with access to a search engine. I will say that I don't pay a lot of attention to percentages when it comes to macros. The two things I look at are total protein intake and total calories. I make sure I'm getting good quality carbs (oatmeal, sweet potatoes, etc..), but I don't shoot for a percentage. I let the carbs and fats fall where they may, although I do recommend eating all, or most of, your carbs earlier in the day. During the Challenge, I did many no-carb days. Where I went really wrong is when I tried to go no-carb for a week or more. If you are going to go no-carb, I wouldn't do it for more than 2 days in a row. And now that I know about Intermittent Fasting, I'm not sure I would even bother with no-carb days at all. I am still undecided on this issue. I have done no-carb days even with Intermittent Fasting, but I just don't know if it is necessary. I know there are people out there that swear by the no-carb/low carb approach, and there are plenty of them with very impressive results so I'm not dismissing that choice. You have to decide which path you want to try (and I don't just mean carb vs. no-carb). Whatever path you choose, you should fully commit to that program. Throw yourself into it. Keep learning and researching as much as possible. You may find it doesn't work for you, but you have still grown from the experience. Or you may have found something that is just right for you. It is OK to make mistakes. I made tons of them on my journey, and now I'm making new mistakes as I transition into maintenance/slow bulk mode from fat-loss mode. I hope I didn't ramble too much or get preachy. I wish you the best. Take care!
Comments