Steadystate, hiit or high intensity?

kirstengeffen
kirstengeffen Posts: 103 Member
edited November 18 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm at a relatively low body fat.. around 17% (I'm female...)
I do have a bit of stubborn fat on my stomach that won't budge..

I'm wondering if my cardio is off? My last coach told me to only do steadystate cardio... I wasn't allowed to run.. which I love to do!!

I do plan on competing later this year in a fitness bikini comp, so want to reserve as much muscle as possible.

Replies

  • FatWithFatness
    FatWithFatness Posts: 315 Member
    IMHO - Cardio is for cardiovascular health, strength training is for muscle, and diet is for weight loss.

    That being said, you can eat less or move more, talk to your coach and see if you can add some sprints/intervals or stairs to your program or adjust your meal plan.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    HIIT = high intensity interval training

    What are you viewing as HIIT VS high intensity- because- HIIT is high intensity- not all high intensity is HIIT- but all HIIT by default is high intensity.

    (or should be- most people have no effing clue what it means now at this point- HIIT is the *new* replacement buzz word for functional training)

    If you're competing- just talk to your coach- I'd die if I ONLY did steady state- I really enjoy sprinting.

    But what I don't understand is why he said no running- running is steady state cardio- unless you're doing sprints.

    Odds are supplementing your steady state cardio with some sprinting or interval training won't hurt at all.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Running is high intensity but steady state. For your purposes, though, it won't matter. If you want to shrink your tummy, you need a calorie deficit.
    FatWithFatness wrote: »
    IMHO - Cardio is for cardiovascular health, strength training is for ...

    Cardio is for whatever you want to get out of it, there's no point imposing dumb limitations. I have a bike, cardio is for transportation.
  • FatWithFatness
    FatWithFatness Posts: 315 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Running is high intensity but steady state. For your purposes, though, it won't matter. If you want to shrink your tummy, you need a calorie deficit.
    FatWithFatness wrote: »
    IMHO - Cardio is for cardiovascular health, strength training is for ...

    Cardio is for whatever you want to get out of it, there's no point imposing dumb limitations. I have a bike, cardio is for transportation.

    Good for you?
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    FatWithFatness wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Running is high intensity but steady state. For your purposes, though, it won't matter. If you want to shrink your tummy, you need a calorie deficit.
    FatWithFatness wrote: »
    IMHO - Cardio is for cardiovascular health, strength training is for ...

    Cardio is for whatever you want to get out of it, there's no point imposing dumb limitations. I have a bike, cardio is for transportation.

    Good for you?

    his point was don't limit it to "just cardiovascular health". it's whatever you need.

    I only do cardio when I'm cutting. I don't give a Flip about my cardio health via "dedicated cardio"

    I'm a professional dancer- I spend 15-20 hours a week on the dance floor- and then I have gigs/shows- I get plenty O- cardio.

    I only do cardio when I'm cutting, I'm prepping for a certification intensive (week long), or I'm doing an event (half marathon or whatever).

    I don't ever go out of my way to do dedicated cardio to improve my heart healthy. 9/10 it's to help create a manageable calorie deficit so I don't have to drop food to heavily.

    That was the point.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    findingkirst wrote: »
    I'm at a relatively low body fat.. around 17% (I'm female...)
    I do have a bit of stubborn fat on my stomach that won't budge..

    I'm wondering if my cardio is off? My last coach told me to only do steadystate cardio... I wasn't allowed to run.. which I love to do!!

    I do plan on competing later this year in a fitness bikini comp, so want to reserve as much muscle as possible.

    I don't understand why he didn't allow you to run. Running could actually be any of those cardio "states". Run slow & easy it's low intensity steady state, run at tempo pace & it's high intensity steady state, do short sprint intervals & it's HIIT.

    But to answer your question, there's really no magic formula of cardio that you need to do. Doing some of each is probably best.
  • FatWithFatness
    FatWithFatness Posts: 315 Member
    edited May 2017
    JoRocka wrote: »
    FatWithFatness wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Running is high intensity but steady state. For your purposes, though, it won't matter. If you want to shrink your tummy, you need a calorie deficit.
    FatWithFatness wrote: »
    IMHO - Cardio is for cardiovascular health, strength training is for ...

    Cardio is for whatever you want to get out of it, there's no point imposing dumb limitations. I have a bike, cardio is for transportation.

    Good for you?

    his point was don't limit it to "just cardiovascular health". it's whatever you need.

    I only do cardio when I'm cutting. I don't give a Flip about my cardio health via "dedicated cardio"

    I'm a professional dancer- I spend 15-20 hours a week on the dance floor- and then I have gigs/shows- I get plenty O- cardio.

    I only do cardio when I'm cutting, I'm prepping for a certification intensive (week long), or I'm doing an event (half marathon or whatever).

    I don't ever go out of my way to do dedicated cardio to improve my heart healthy. 9/10 it's to help create a manageable calorie deficit so I don't have to drop food to heavily.

    That was the point.

    Most people aren't spending 15-20 hours a week doing any kind of activity, cardio or otherwise and have the misconception that they can out run a crappy diet and the fact that they sit at a desk for a living.

    Sure, cardio can be whatever you need it to be, but let's not confuse the fact that it's primary purpose is cardiovascular health by taking what I said out of context. Did I not say she needed to eat less or move more?

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited May 2017
    My last coach told me to only do steadystate cardio... I wasn't allowed to run
    What a peculiar thing for your ex-coach to say! Why couldn't your s/s cardio be slow running? Seriously weird.
    Could imagine he/she wanted you to avoid high intensity cardio work to prioritise your lifting and recovery - that at least makes sense.

    What does your current coach say?
    He/she knows your overall weekly routine and diet - which this forum doesn't.....
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    edited May 2017
    FatWithFatness wrote: »
    Most people aren't spending 15-20 hours a week doing any kind of activity, cardio or otherwise and have the misconception that they can out run a crappy diet and the fact that they sit at a desk for a living.

    Most people don't lie in bed for 24 hours eating only butter, either. It's not like the world is divided into "awesome diet" and "crappy diet." And crappy diet generally means lack of nutrients, not necessarily over a calorie goal. In short, this cliche is confusing and not helpful.

    Back to the point. Even for such a small (but stubborn, I bet) amount of weight as the OP wants to lose, the only way to do that is with a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is part diet and part exercise, how any person manages that balance is up to them. The OP clearly intends to use exercise as part of having a calorie deficit. She was asking a detailed question about what type of exercise is best to meet her goal (answer: any) and "you're doing it wrong because you have a goal I don't agree with" isn't a useful answer.

    Would really like to know more about this prohibition against running, because it's not immediately obvious.
  • FatWithFatness
    FatWithFatness Posts: 315 Member
    Most people don't lie in bed for 24 hours eating only butter, either. It's not like the world is divided into "awesome diet" and "crappy diet." And crappy diet generally means lack of nutrients, not necessarily over a calorie goal. In short, this cliche is confusing and not helpful.

    In this context, I am referring to the lack of a calorie deficit and so is pretty much everyone else that says "You can't out train a bad diet" as it implies that you can easily eat more than you burn through activity.
    Back to the point. Even for such a small (but stubborn, I bet) amount of weight as the OP wants to lose, the only way to do that is with a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is part diet and part exercise, how any person manages that balance is up to them.

    I agree, which is why I stated: "move more or eat less."
    The OP clearly intends to use exercise as part of having a calorie deficit. She was asking a detailed question about what type of exercise is best to meet her goal (answer: any) and "you're doing it wrong because you have a goal I don't agree with" isn't a useful answer.

    I never stated she was doing anything wrong or that she has a goal I do not agree with. I don't know if you noticed, but I prefaced my first sentence with "IMHO" so in my opinion, I focus my activity goals in this fashion... e.g. cardio for heart health, strength training for strength, and diet for weight loss. But again, my next sentence states she needs to move more or eat less, her choice.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    that's all I got.zayz5dvctlve.jpg
  • FatWithFatness
    FatWithFatness Posts: 315 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    that's all I got.zayz5dvctlve.jpg

    @JoRocka LOL
  • legsnbacon
    legsnbacon Posts: 122 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    FatWithFatness wrote: »
    Most people aren't spending 15-20 hours a week doing any kind of activity, cardio or otherwise and have the misconception that they can out run a crappy diet and the fact that they sit at a desk for a living.

    Most people don't lie in bed for 24 hours eating only butter, either. It's not like the world is divided into "awesome diet" and "crappy diet." And crappy diet generally means lack of nutrients, not necessarily over a calorie goal. In short, this cliche is confusing and not helpful.

    Back to the point. Even for such a small (but stubborn, I bet) amount of weight as the OP wants to lose, the only way to do that is with a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is part diet and part exercise, how any person manages that balance is up to them. The OP clearly intends to use exercise as part of having a calorie deficit. She was asking a detailed question about what type of exercise is best to meet her goal (answer: any) and "you're doing it wrong because you have a goal I don't agree with" isn't a useful answer.

    Would really like to know more about this prohibition against running, because it's not immediately obvious.

    How can you get back to the point when your first post was not on point?
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    Never change MFP... never change.
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