new research on muscle gain and fat loss

So let me see if I understand this method.   With HIIT you do a sprint period followed by a recovery period and you do that for a set amount of time, lets say 20 minutes.  With the method you describe, do you do your sprint on the cardio machin, lets say 30 seconds all out, then instead of a recovery period of lets say 60 seconds at a moderate pace, you go and do a set of weights, for instance, 10 reps of bench press, then back to do a 30 second sprint, then back to the bench press?  And you would just repeat that through the whole workout for each excercise/set?  I am just trying to understand the set up.  It seems really interesting and I wouldn't mind trying it myself since my metabolism could use a jolt.  Do you have a link to the article?

It comes from the Journal of strength and Conditioning and the article I am referring to is from that journal in 2008 as listed above and yes you would do your weights right after coming off the cardio then rest for about 1 min or so and then right back to the cardio sprint and then your next set and so on throughout the workout, it will take some time to get used to it, but I think it will really help to jump start the metabolism and other hormones in the body!

the magazine that has been stressing these workouts is called onfitness and their site is onfitnessmag.com  not sure you will be able to get the article but it's been in their last few issues and is a really good trainers magazine that comes out bi monthly!

It doesn´t sound really practical and my question would be, if it would make really a significant difference to, let´s say HIIT AM and weights PM??? But the second approach would be the better solution for real life! I think after doing a 30 sec all out sprint, I would not be able to do a high intensity set of bench press or leg press or what ever. So I had to reduce the weights on the bar and I don´t think that´s a good idea, if you are a bodybuilder!?

I'm not sure I would like to try it as my endurance is always not that great and i know it would affect my lifts of course but if you are bodybuilding and the workouts end up reducing fat and gaining muscle isn't that what we are trying to do? And as well if our hormone levels remain higher with this style of workout, isn't that what bodybuilding is all about? The weights being lifted should be insignifigant, right? I mean you want to maximize your lifts but at the same time we are not powerlifters.

Yes, of course. But if you have to reduce your weights with same reps, it would be a negative progression and this maybe could lead to muscle loss!?

How I understood, the people in the studie wasn´t athletes, so they didn´t have that negative progression.

And I think the main part of fat-loss is made in the kitchen. Weight training is important to hold your muscles during a phase with negative caloric balance. And the higher the intensity, the better you can hold your muscles - and a negative progression isn´t very productive for that. So the quaestion is, if that changes in sprinting and hitting the weights is REALLY significant, so that it is a good idea to maybe reduce intensity in weight training. But that is just my personal opinion. I am looking forward to an answer of Dr. Joe or Sean!

Yes the subjects were athletes(volleyball and soccer athletes) in the study and once you become adjusted to the program i think there could some progressions, maybe a step back at 1st but after you have that foundation back under you I think positive progressions could be made from this and maybe adjust your rest to recover just enough after your weight sets and then hit the cardio again, not sure how it will work out but at least my wife is giving it a try and we will see how it all goes, the work is still very anaerobic by nature as there are stops and starts, so if the hormonal response can be one to induce protein synthesis and thus add muscle while losing bodyfat, I would say give it a try.

Maybe on certain days the cardio is done another way where it might not interfere with say your legs or a deadlift workout? But it could be a real time save as well and as long as your diet is on and adjusted as well muscle preservation could be achieved as well with BCAAS and other foods and supps.

So I am very interested in the results of your wife. Maybe I am complete wrong with my opinion. So please tell us what happens!

I think if she clean up the food a bit the results will be even better and i think there are some other studies of this style of training and i am sure that athletes in this style of training could really benefit from this style of training as well, that is based on the anaerobic pathway, for the most part as this has also shown some positives results in the endurance aspect of training as well without even doing lots of actual running, basketball, baseball, football,  and soccer. 

Not related to this, but the military has also now gone away from more of the calisthenics style of training adn lots of running and mixing in a lot more weight training into their styles of training, so they can have some great strength to match their endurance and this has also led to a decrease in injuries of the soldiers. They are using things to help with the posterior chain-glute ham raise machines, reverse hypers and using lots of bands and chain work as well.

Another one that has been out there for a while as well and wish more women would do is LIFT!

Let's take an example of another group females, they all want to lose the fat and be more "toned" as they put it yet they do all the wrong exercises for creating the best fat burning situations as they stay away from large muscle groups and work their areas that they feel that they can spot reduce and this is what they will do a gym for their workouts(45-60 min of LISS cardio, they will do their triceps, followed by their inner and outer thigh, next comes the abs for about 25-30 min and are done) and do hours upon hours of endless cardio(low intensity) and weight/aerobic classes that is again more like cardio due to the amount of weight being used, all this does is set the body up to fail for fat loss as this doesn't help with good hormonal release, this releases cortisol, these are the ones needed to help with fat loss and they have little of this and need it to be brought out by weight training and HIIT cardio, then these hormones, testosterone and GH and IGF-1, all will help in fat loss. If women lifted more like men then things would change for what they want so bad but often fight the dogmas of the gym and getting "BULKY"------->NOT! Just won't happen, not enough of the above hormones to make it happen. muscles are sexy and won't get that big and take up less space than fat, so I would start lifting heavy for what they can do and do weights where you fail at the 8-10 rep range and can't get another rep!