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Cardio HIIT (High Intensity) Vs LISS (Low Intensity)

Even though cardio might be something we all hate in one way or another it is definitely something that has to be done. Cardio has many benefits such as:

* Weight loss
* Stronger heart and lungs
* Increased bone density
* Reduced stress
* Reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer
* Temporary relief from depression and anxiety
* More confidence about how you feel and how you look
* Better sleep
* More energy
* Setting a good example for your kids to stay active as they get older

Many of the benefits listed above may be something you would like to apply into your life.

Here in this section we will talk about mainly 2 different types of cardio which are HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and LISS (Low Intensity Steady State) and later in this section we will talk about most likely the biggest controversy of all which is when to do the cardio.

HIIT

This type of cardio is quite amazing at what it can do if you do it correctly. In a nutshell HIIT cardio is done only a 20-30 mins total. But in that amount of time you will be sweating bullets if the intensity is high. The following in a example of HIIT cardio.

3-5 minute warmup at a steady pace of walking to powerwalking speed
8-12 sessions then of sprinting fast for about 30-45 seconds and then walking steady for 1 minute and repeat
3-5 minutes cooldown session where you just take it easy and feel the burn.

This session will literally last you about 20-30 minutes which does not seem like a lot at all but believe me you will be begging to stop during the process or near till the end. If done correctly you should be sweating like crazy and feel very tired which is a good thing as you know you had a great cardio session. Some of the benefits of HIIT are:

* Short duration (20min – 30min) for when your short of time
* High intensity (interval training) for your heart
* Burn tons of calories & revs up your metabolism throughout the day which is also known as the afterburn effect.
* Overall you feel great throughout the day.

LISS

This type of cardio is more easier on the joints but burns a good amount of calories. It´s a slow and steady state keeping your heart rate at a certain level for a certain amount of time. Can be a bit boring unless you enjoy walking or power walking for a prolonged period of time but then again cardio in itself is sometimes dreadful. There are also a couple of great benefits to LISS which are:

* Long duration (45min – 1 hour) if you enjoy walking or powerwalking
* Low intensity in which you can still hold a conversation and are not out of breath
* Burn fat and not carbs
* Preserve joints

HIIT or LISS?

You may be asking yourself which do I choose. It really all depends on time frame and what your looking to get out of it. HIIT is great for on the run and burns more calories then LISS but at high intensity carbs are used more to fuel the workout since it is so intense then after carbs it would be the muscle stores which we do not want to happen. LISS is longer and burns less calories then HIIT but uses fat more as fuel then carbs since it is not so intense. Why not use both such as LISS on your lifting days and HIIT on your off days. So it really is up to you in which fits your lifestyle best.

When to do Cardio?

This is the most controversial issue I would say with cardio. The truth is whenever it´s best for you. There is no better or best way but just a window of opportunity where it can be more effective. The 2 biggest times debated are in the morning before breakfast on a empty stomach or after lifting weights. The issue being in the morning you doing cardio on a empty stomach where your body has not had food in about 8 hours or so which can be catabolic and muscle stores could be used instead of fat. Also after lifting weights is debated because after lifting your carbs are depleted from your workout and it can also be catabolic.

New HIIT Research: A Practical Model For High Intensity Interval Training

High intensity interval training, also known as HIIT, has become immensely popular in the last decade. HIIT involves alternating brief bursts of very high intensity exercise (work intervals) with brief segments of lower intensity exercise (recovery intervals). One problem with some types of HIIT is that they call for such high intensity bursts – literally all out sprints – that they’re not practical for everyone, and possibly not even safe for older or overweight individuals. A recent study out of McMaster University has tested a protocol for HIIT that produces impressive results in a short period of time without the need for “all-out” sprints…

Many of the previous studies on HIIT used ALL-OUT intervals on a specialized cycle ergometer, pedaling against a high resistance.

This type of training takes a high level of commitment and motivation and can result in feelings of severe discomfort and even nausea.

One of my colleagues mentioned in our Burn the Fat Forums that he remembers exercise physiology class in college where they did all out cycle ergometer interval sprint testing and nearly everyone either puked or passed out.

The Tabata protocol for example, is a brief but brutal 4 minute HIIT workout often spoken of by trainers and trainees alike with both appreciation and dread. It’s no walk in the park.

The truth is, some HIIT protocols which have been tested in the lab to produce big improvements in cardiovascular function and conditioning in a short period of time, may not be practical or safe, especially for beginners, obese or older adults.

In this new study out of McMaster University, a HIIT protocol that was more practical and attainable for the general population was tested to see how the results would compare to the more “brutal” very short, but extremely intense types of HIIT.

Here’s what the new HIIT protocol looked like:

Study duration: 2 weeks Frequency: 3 sessions per week (mon, wed, fri) Work intervals: 60 seconds @ constant load Intensity Work intervals: “high intensity cycling at a workload that corresponded to the peak power achieved at the end of the ramp VO2peak test (355 +/- 10W)” Recovery intervals: 75 seconds Intensity Recovery Intervals: Low intensity cycling at 30W” Rounds: 8-12 intervals Progression: 8 intervals 1st two workouts, 10 intervals second two workouts, 12 intervals last 2 workouts. Warm up: 3 min: Duration of work intervals: 8-12 minutes Total time spent: 21-29 minutes.

Results: In just 2 weeks, there were significant improvements in functional exercise performance and skeletal muscle adaptations (mitochondrial biogenesis). Subjects did not report any dizziness, nausea, light headedness that is often reported with all-out intervals.

They concluded that HIIT does not have to be all-out to produce significant fitness improvements and yet the total weekly time investment could remain under 1 hour.

On a personal note, I REALLY like this kind of interval training: 60 second work intervals repeated 8-12 times. Here’s why:

Body composition was not measured in this study, but I believe that enough energy expenditure can be achieved with 20-30 minutes of this style of interval training to make significant body comp improvements in addition to all the cardiovascular conditioning improvements.

That’s another problem with super-brief and super intense HIIT programs: The cardio and heart benefits are amazing, but you can only burn so many calories per minute, no matter how intensely you work. To call a 4-minute workout a “good fat burner” in the absolute sense is ridiculous.

Somewhere in between long duration slow/moderate steady state cardio and super short super-intense HIIT lies a sweet spot for fat-burning benefits… a place where intensity X duration yield an optimal total calorie expenditure at a reasonable time investment. Perhaps this 20-30 minute HIIT workout is it?

If you’ve read any of my other articles on cardio, you’ll know that I’m not against steady state cardio, walking or even light recreational exercise and miscellaneous activity as part of a fat loss program. All activity counts towards your total daily energy expenditure, and in fact, the little things often add up during the day more than you would imagine (just look up N.E.A.T. and see what you find).

But for your formal “cardio training” sessions, if you’re going to use traditional cardio modes (stationary cycle, etc.) and if your goal includes fat burning, and if your time is limited, then this type of HIIT is a great choice and you can now say it is research proven…

Not to mention… the excuse, “I don’t have enough time” has been officially busted!

Question by DPApower: Is HIIT as good for the heart as steady cardio?
When doing cardio, I am primarily concerned with heart health. My secondary concern is lowering BF, for bodybuilding, though I am already reasonably skinny.

Should I stick to steady cardio or do HIIT?
How long should it increase my heart rate? I did regular cardio with 1 HIT cycle and I feel my heart rate is elevated a half hour later.

Best answer:

Answer by jennnyjen
It depends,
If you want to mantain you current body fat % then just do steady cardio.
But if you want to burn off excess body fat then HIIT is the way to go.
For the heart, if you do HIIT, slowly increase and decrease the speeds [just incase for the heart]
Goodluck

Add your own answer in the comments!