Low Intensity Steady State Cardio vs. High Intensity Interval Training Cardio

 - Why is it that cardio is always the hot topic of fitness discussion and seems to be the fix all solution to burning fat?

CARDIO is not the fix all solution when it comes to body compositional changes anymore!! Yeah you read that right! Cardio is not the fix all solution when it comes to body compositional changes anymore. Today I will be doing a comparison on HIIT cardio vs LISS cardio, since these two forms of cardio are used the most. By the end of this article you will have a really good idea of what kind of cardio is right for you and how to effectively use it. So you will no longer sit on the bikes reading magazines about Kim Kardashian’s marriage/divorce for hours and hours. You will learn how to get more bang for your buck when it comes to training.

Hold up what does the acronyms HIIT and LISS mean?

HIIT stands for High intensity interval training, which consists of short sprint intervals coupled with low-moderate intensity work. An example of this would be a 30 second sprint followed by a 4 minute steady pace walk to cool down and bring your heart rate back to normal and then repeating it. LISS stands for Low intensity steady state cardio, which consists of purely low-moderate intensity work. An example of this would be walking on the treadmill or riding the bike and being able to hold a conversation (we tend to see a lot of this at gyms).

                          Now that you have a basic understanding of the two forms, 

                                       let’s dive into some more detailed stuff.

Research:

1) A study conducted by the University of Tampa, FL, shows when you add in LISS you get a temporary boost in weight loss. Subjects lost a couple of pounds the first week and after that they lost nothing. This happened because their metabolism completely adjusted to that and that became their new set point to what they had to do just to maintain. LISS with a low calorie diet is terrible for fat loss and could cause muscle loss. During a low calorie diet, LISS cardio is more catabolic (muscle wasting) towards muscle as opposed to HIIT cardio being much more muscle sparing.

2) In the same study by the University of Tampa, FL, It showed that LISS caused more muscle loss than HIIT. HIIT caused more muscle retention because when you’re doing LISS (say fast paced walking) you’re not activating muscles the same way as if you were lifting weights. So when you sprint you have hip flexion, knee extension, and these are all weightlifting movements. HIIT is another way to overload the muscle. Just compare a sprinters body composition to marathon runners, more muscle mass! So, it’s really hard to argue with this study because the point about HIIT activating hip and knee movements. Hip flexion and knee extension are the same movements when doing leg workouts. Also, by doing high intensity work you are activating muscle fibers and anytime you activate muscle fibers you are primed for growth. LISS unfortunately can’t stimulate muscle fibers the same way.

Facts:

• You can’t do HIIT 5-6 days a week because eventually it will have a negative impact on your weight training and interfere with growth
• Many people have legitimate orthopedic, cardiac, and even psychological reasons to avoid HIIT, so LISS is their only option
• HIIT could be dangerous if not used right and could lead to injury
• HIIT and LISS on either a combined, cyclical, or rotational basis seems to be the best formula in my opinion

The Bottom Line

Do the type of cardio that you have a personal preference for. Whichever one fires you up the most because you’ll most likely work harder at it. HIIT is quicker, proves to be more effective for fat loss, creates metabolic changes, and helps with muscle retention but not everybody can do HIIT. LISS is safer, but takes twice as long to accomplish similar things and it still has its place for fat loss in moderate amounts, from a pure calorie burning standpoint (meaning only to burn calories & not make changes to your metabolism). My intentions weren’t to favor one form of cardio and bash the other, even though it sounded like that. My intent was to educate and notify you that times have changed and science is proving some good stuff with HIIT cardio. But at the end of the day it’s up to you on what kind of cardio suits you best. Hopefully, after reading this article you should have a really good idea of what kind of cardio is right for you and how to effectively use it.

FYI Tips:

Lactate Threshold (LT) and Anaerobic Threshold (AT)

There are 2 ways that muscle can burn glucose (blood sugars) and that is through aerobic work (with air) and anaerobic work (without air). For example, long bouts of LISS cardio is considered aerobic work and weight training or HIIT cardio can be classified as anaerobic work. The AT and LT are a great test for HIIT and LIIS cardio because it gives a great predictor of which type of work produces ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). ATP is a quick burst of energy that we get in our muscles when we contract them (Ex: every time you do a bicep curl, you are getting a quick burst of ATP). HIIT produces better changes in exercise capacity as opposed to LISS cardio. High intensity training will hit the AT and LT, that’s what causes the body to make metabolic changes. When you are doing LISS, you are considered below the AT and LT.

                        A simple test is being able to hold a conversation while doing cardio. When doing HIIT you are                           above the AT and LT and when you are above the AT and LT you push for greater                                           improvement in metabolism which thus leads to better fat loss over time.

Author: Cj Cutts