HIIT Workouts vs Cardio Workouts

evangemz90
evangemz90 Posts: 107 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have read that HIIT Workouts are more effective than Cardio Workouts.Are there any truths to this,I know that you burn calories after doing HIIT Workouts than you do Cardio Workouts.

Replies

  • wally2wiki
    wally2wiki Posts: 36 Member
    Yes. I have read the same thing. I think HIIT is better in my opinion, because it raises the resting heart rate after the exercise for several hours.

    This allows you to continue burning calories after your workout out. It is much quicker also.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Not to mention the facts that:

    1) True HIIT workouts suck. They're hard and make you want to puke and pass out while you gasp for breath and slowly drown in a puddle of your own sweat.

    2) What most people think is HIIT, really isn't HIIT. What most people are doing when they think they're doing HIIT is actually cardio intervals, which is a different thing.


    The EPOC (post-exercise "afterburn") is grossly overstated by most people, and doesn't compensate for the fact that the workouts are much shorter than LISS (low intensity steady state) cardio workouts, so they burn less calories in that regard. If you can do a HIIT workout for 30-45 minutes, rest assured that you're not really doing HIIT.

    This is informative. Cardio intervals I've done and never fooled myself into believing I was doing HiIT. You mean to tall me that's what people think HiIT is? LOL.
  • emilysusana
    emilysusana Posts: 416 Member
    I like variety, so i incorporated longer runs, strength training, and short interval cardio (usually 1 minute sprints on the treadmill followed by 2 minutes of slower, recovery jogging). For me, this combination keeps me interested and makes me feel the most fit. But I only get to log a significant exercise calorie burn on the long run days. In addition to making me feel more fit because i sweat like mad, the interval sprints have made me a much faster jogger.
  • 603PIPER
    603PIPER Posts: 115 Member
    The HIIT workouts are great when you are pressed for time, you can incorporate weights and cardio for a quick cardio session as well if you do circuit training(multiple sets of different exercises with no rest in between)
  • jenluvs2sing
    jenluvs2sing Posts: 50 Member
    I've read that your body gets used to steady state cardio and you'll stop seeing results, that's why I do intervals, probably wrong but they work for me, I do 3 minutes on, 1minute rest, but my 3 on are always different. Sometimes I start high then work slower till I get to rest, sometimes I do pyramids, sometimes low then high. It's all about keeping the body guessing. I haven't noticed huge weight differences though I am losing, but I have definitely noticed my cardiac endurance is much better, and my resting heart rate is almost in athlete range. It's not just about losing weight, it's about getting healthier in the process.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I have read that HIIT Workouts are more effective than Cardio Workouts.
    They are cardio workouts, just a different type.
    More effective for what? (What are your goals? What are your capabilities?)
    More effective when compared what other types of cardio?

    Are there any truths to this?
    Very, very little. Mostly gimmicky marketing. Take a pinch of science and add a ton of hyperbole....
    Yes it has some value (often as part of an overall training plan) to many people but IMHO very, very, few people should solely do HIIT. It's a good last resort though if you are very short of time.
    It's also unsuitable for many people or a just plain poor option.

    I know that you burn calories after doing HIIT Workouts than you do Cardio Workouts.
    That's the hyperbole at work!
    A higher percentage EPOC (but still very low) of a small burn is totally insignificant. Remember true HIIT workouts include recovery time and the ultra high intensity portions are very short duration.
    Compared to steady state (even lower EPOC percentage) but potentially has a much higher number to apply that small percentage to - still pretty insignificant until you are into long duration training.
  • hoppy62
    hoppy62 Posts: 3 Member
    just as a matter of interest I was lead to believe by a personal trainer that HIIT stood for High intensity interval training which is a great way to boost cardio fitness over a period of time but cardio fitness does not necessarily bring massive calorie burn, this is achieved only by the long haul low intensity steady state, it was simplified to me by explanation that the body has to burn the sugars in your blood over a period of exercise before it can start to turn the body fat into sugars that are needed to function hence burning more calories so although there is evidence that HIIT is a great fast way to increase cardio fitness it isn’t much good as a calorie/fat burn work out
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    hoppy62 wrote: »
    just as a matter of interest I was lead to believe by a personal trainer that HIIT stood for High intensity interval training which is a great way to boost cardio fitness over a period of time but cardio fitness does not necessarily bring massive calorie burn, this is achieved only by the long haul low intensity steady state, it was simplified to me by explanation that the body has to burn the sugars in your blood over a period of exercise before it can start to turn the body fat into sugars that are needed to function hence burning more calories so although there is evidence that HIIT is a great fast way to increase cardio fitness it isn’t much good as a calorie/fat burn work out

    Think about this for a minute. Why does it matter if the calories you are burning are from sugars, glycogen or fat stores. Whichever you burn will be the first to be replenished from calories consumed. So, aside from burning more calories from working out longer, it doesn't matter, or it doesn't matter enough to make a difference. There may be some different inefficiencies in how fat/glycogen/sugars are restored, but it isn't material.

    Having said that, I don't do HIIT. Best I do is cardio intervals on the treadmill. HIIT requires near 100% effort for a minute or two at a time and just seems too much for me.
  • dfc4
    dfc4 Posts: 109 Member
    Hi i do a mixture of both, most of my cardio stuff is intervall training but not intense enough to be HIIT, 2 - (max) 3 times a week i do a HIIT session (6 -8 sets of full intensity work for 30 Seconds with 30 seconds active rest between sets) if you do HIIT right you will not really be capable of much more then thet, in fact you will be absolouteley jiggered and probalbly think you are going to die!
    Anything less then thet intensity and you are not doing HIIT
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I have a feeling true HiIT would trigger a migraine for me. I know that lifting very heavy does.
  • ashjongfit
    ashjongfit Posts: 147 Member
    For 15-20 minutes of HIIT (80-90 percent of my max heart rate) I would burn the same amount as doing a 30 minute steady state cardio workout. SO I enjoy HIIT for that, however it sucks and I don't do it more than three times a week.

    I don't find HIIT has ever helped with my cardio endurance. So I like to do a mixture of cardio some days (hate pretty much all cardio and HIIT tbh) and HIIT a few times and weight lifting. If you want an "after burn" weight lifting would be better for you I'd assume, since muscle burns more calories than fat anyway.

    I figure you'd basically have no way of really knowing what an after burn effect would grant you in terms of extra calories so really just pick something you like doing, or the least objectionable activity.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    edited December 2016
    evangemz90 wrote: »
    I have read that HIIT Workouts are more effective than Cardio Workouts.
    Depends on what you define as effective. There are HIIT workouts that are weight lifting only (power lifting) and don't increase your cardio endurance much.
    Are there any truths to this,I know that you burn calories after doing HIIT Workouts than you do Cardio Workouts.
    EPOC is highly exaggerated. While you may raise your resting metabolic rate, if weight loss is your goal, it still comes down to CICO.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    wally2wiki wrote: »
    Yes. I have read the same thing. I think HIIT is better in my opinion, because it raises the resting heart rate after the exercise for several hours.

    This allows you to continue burning calories after your workout out. It is much quicker also.
    False. As mentioned epoc is highly exaggerated.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    jenluvs2sing wrote: »
    I've read that your body gets used to steady state cardio and you'll stop seeing results, that's why I do intervals, probably wrong but they work for me, I do 3 minutes on, 1minute rest, but my 3 on are always different. Sometimes I start high then work slower till I get to rest, sometimes I do pyramids, sometimes low then high. It's all about keeping the body guessing. I haven't noticed huge weight differences though I am losing, but I have definitely noticed my cardiac endurance is much better, and my resting heart rate is almost in athlete range. It's not just about losing weight, it's about getting healthier in the process.
    The body adapts to ANY EXERCISE if done consistent and long enough with no change. So you want to make steady state a little more difficult? Move faster than before.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    ashjongfit wrote: »
    For 15-20 minutes of HIIT (80-90 percent of my max heart rate) I would burn the same amount as doing a 30 minute steady state cardio workout.

    Remember, your 15 to 20 minute HIIT session is 7.5 to 10 minutes of hard exercise and the same of easy recovery. The devil is in the details, but for most people a 30 minute moderate workout will burn more calories than a 7.5 minute intense one.
    ashjongfit wrote: »
    I don't find HIIT has ever helped with my cardio endurance.

    Of course not. Short bursts of exercise won't help you go the distance any more than moving paper weights will prepare you to lift heavy.
  • gwenster89
    gwenster89 Posts: 48 Member
    Well cardio stands for cardiovascular, as in your heart, as in getting your heart rate up... right?

    I use this app called Runtastic Results and the workouts are 20-minute calisthenic/body weight workouts (so think lunges, squats, push ups and sit ups and lots of variations of the above). I think that's technically strength training but I try not to take breaks, or if I do, I take three big breaths and keep going. My heart is pounding and I pour sweat the whole time. If that's not cardio I don't know what is!
  • RemarkablyUnremarkable
    RemarkablyUnremarkable Posts: 63 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    wally2wiki wrote: »
    This allows you to continue burning calories after your workout out.

    You burn calories when you sleep. You burn calories when you sit and watch a movie. You burn calories after a HIIT workout. You burn calories after you fart.

    This is why a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. You can say something that's true, but not really important, and taken out of context, it can sound like a big deal.

    When you actually do the math, you see that HIIT really isn't a weight loss tool at all. It's useful to prepare for some racing conditions, and it's massively over-hyped for weight loss. For anyone who isn't an athlete, HIIT is a waste of time.


    ROFL at the fart comment... My husband would be skin and bones bwahaha! :D
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    gwenster89 wrote: »
    Well cardio stands for cardiovascular, as in your heart, as in getting your heart rate up... right?

    I use this app called Runtastic Results and the workouts are 20-minute calisthenic/body weight workouts (so think lunges, squats, push ups and sit ups and lots of variations of the above). I think that's technically strength training but I try not to take breaks, or if I do, I take three big breaths and keep going. My heart is pounding and I pour sweat the whole time. If that's not cardio I don't know what is!

    It may be cardio, but then it's not exactly strength. If the resistance of your body weight calisthenics is low enough (e.g. 40% of 1 RM), to increase the cardio effect, then the strength gains will be modest.

    If you increase the resistance to 75%-80% of 1 RM, then the HR/VO2 relationship is dissociated and you aren't doing as much cardio as you think.

  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    I'm a fan of cardio intervals. Any kind. Walk at a normal pace for a period of time and then walk as fast as you can for a short period, and repeat. Or use varying inclines. Or walk/jog or jog/sprint. Whatever you can manage. I don't know how they compare the two, but I've read that interval training burns more calories than steady state cardio. I use it to improve my resting heart rate. Personally I think my joints/tendons have an easier time with cardio interval training than steady state cardio because there is less repetitive motion.
  • KimiAR
    KimiAR Posts: 117 Member
    I personally find them more effective than steady state. I WILL work harder if I know i have to do it for less time (intensity is relative to fitness level and I would just like to add that what might be considered a "cardio interval" for one MAY in fact be HIIT for somebody else). Fitness isn't a blanket statement. I'm a homeschooling stay at home mom w four littles 7 and under- 20 minutes of HIIT (or intervals for the fitness bouncer) IS gonna happen- 30 minutes plus of anything else at this point: Isn't. Plus I have to lift. Make sure "intense" is part of your perception of said work out and you're at the very least on the right track.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    KimiAR wrote: »
    I personally find them more effective than steady state. I WILL work harder if I know i have to do it for less time (intensity is relative to fitness level and I would just like to add that what might be considered a "cardio interval" for one MAY in fact be HIIT for somebody else). Fitness isn't a blanket statement. I'm a homeschooling stay at home mom w four littles 7 and under- 20 minutes of HIIT (or intervals for the fitness bouncer) IS gonna happen- 30 minutes plus of anything else at this point: Isn't. Plus I have to lift. Make sure "intense" is part of your perception of said work out and you're at the very least on the right track.

    HIIT has a relatively fixed definition--the ACSM defines it as 80%-95% of HR max. The actual workload that it takes to reach that level will vary according to one's fitness level, but the intensity level is the same for everyone.

    One is either doing HIIT or they aren't.

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