HIIT vs steady state cardio

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Terpnista84
Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Can anyone share their results of doing HIIT versus steady state cardio?

I usually alternate between strength training and cardio, and my cardio days would consist of at least 60 minutes of steady state cardio on the elliptical or treadmill.

I've read that short sessions of HIIT are much more effective. Can anyone confirm that to be the case based on your experiences and results.
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Replies

  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    With a true HIIT session, you are metabolically done. So, if done right, you’ll only be able to handle two (maybe three once you’re trained) a week. HIIT is a good shock to the system type thing, but if you’re looking for cardiovascular health, nothing beats just going on long, steady cardio sessions.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Hiit is more efficient at burning calories than steady state cardio. Some people report having ravenous appetites after doing Hiit. It's all going to come down to what you can do consistently and what your preferences are.

    http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1010147-5-common-myths-highintensity-interval-training-hiit/#slide=6
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited April 2015
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    oops!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Most people I know who think they're doing HIIT really aren't even coming close. The people that I do know that do HIIT only do it maybe once per week because it will destroy you. Also, most people that I know that truly do HIIT also do moderate steady state cardio. Also, most of the people that I know that are truly doing HIIT are young bucks and they're all high caliber competitive athletes.

    I do some interval stuff...mostly sprinting and walking intervals and I do some interval stuff on my bike..but I would hesitate to call it HIIT.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Like Cwolfman said, everyone I know who does HIIT does both HIIT and longer steady state cardio.
  • Hausisse1
    Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
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    I'm pretty sure they're both effective (so long as you're doing HIIT properly), it just depends on your preference. I find steady-state cardio so monotonous and boring! Haha. But different strokes for different folks :)
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Can be more effective for/at what?

    Increasing speed? steady state, long and slow (giggity).
    Increasing strength/explosiveness? HIIT
    Burning calories? hard to compare given varying intensities and durations.
    Losing weight? Considering weight loss is about calorie deficit, see the previous answer.

  • susanlouise
    susanlouise Posts: 18 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I have been doing HIIT with my trainer 2-3 times a week for the past year, after a lifetime of various kinds of steady state cardio. My VO2 max has increased dramatically! I believe it has also helped with fat loss. I only do steady state now on "rest" days - the others are either weights or HIIT. (I am a 60 year old female, not a young buck! Also I would never be able to do the workouts on my own that my trainer gets me to do.)
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
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    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Can be more effective for/at what?

    Increasing speed? steady state, long and slow (giggity).
    Increasing strength/explosiveness? HIIT
    Burning calories? hard to compare given varying intensities and durations.
    Losing weight? Considering weight loss is about calorie deficit, see the previous answer.

    For fat loss. I've read that steady state eventually starts eating away at muscle.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Terpnista84 wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Can be more effective for/at what?

    Increasing speed? steady state, long and slow (giggity).
    Increasing strength/explosiveness? HIIT
    Burning calories? hard to compare given varying intensities and durations.
    Losing weight? Considering weight loss is about calorie deficit, see the previous answer.

    For fat loss. I've read that steady state eventually starts eating away at muscle.

    While there may be a degree of truth to that... it would take exceptionally high volumes of steady state and/or exceptionally low calorie intake over months to happen. There is some fairly old school thought that lifting and HIIT is more effective at muscle retention when losing weight, but I think that's starting to be disproved.

    If you're goal is fat loss, do your work, keep your intake in check and be patient.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Terpnista84 wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Can be more effective for/at what?

    Increasing speed? steady state, long and slow (giggity).
    Increasing strength/explosiveness? HIIT
    Burning calories? hard to compare given varying intensities and durations.
    Losing weight? Considering weight loss is about calorie deficit, see the previous answer.

    For fat loss. I've read that steady state eventually starts eating away at muscle.

    It's why you don't see many bodybuilders running 5-10 miles 4-5 days a week. :)

    In fact, most marathon runners aren't really "jacked" per say. Some are, but most have horrible body composition.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    susanlouise wrote: »
    I have been doing HIIT with my trainer 2-3 times a week for the past year, after a lifetime of various kinds of steady state cardio. My VO2 max has increased dramatically! I believe it has also helped with fat loss. I only do steady state now on "rest" days - the others are either weights or HIIT. (I am a 60 year old female, not a young buck! Also I would never be able to do the workouts on my own that my trainer gets me to do.)

    Is it truly HIIT? I ask because basically it's trendy to call any and all interval training HIIT. HIIT was originally designed for Olympic caliber and professional athletes to give them a very slight edge. In most cases, I would say most people aren't truly doing HIIT.

    This isn't to say they aren't working hard or benefiting from what they're doing...it's just very trendy to call anything interval related HIIT, and it usually isn't.
  • Noelv1976
    Noelv1976 Posts: 18,948 Member
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    I mix it up for best resutls. I have to do long runs because of my profession, so I like mix in HIIT because it's something different and great alternative to the boring runs (which I don't mind doing)
  • LovelyIvy466
    LovelyIvy466 Posts: 387 Member
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    I do both, primarily because my goal is weight loss, and while HIIT is supposed to have a lot of great calorie burning benefits, you really can't do it for a long time. I might burn cals at a higher rate doing HIIT, but I can only do HIIT for 20 minutes MAX (and that is not all HIIT, that includes my warm up) while I can do regular old interval cardio for an hour. Plus I have found that when I REALLY push it with HIIT I can't do any other workouts that day, and I usually do cardio and something else (yoga or lifting). So HIIT once MAYBE twice a week, regular cardio the rest of the cardio days (5 in general).
  • jetortola
    jetortola Posts: 198 Member
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    So what is REAL HIIT?

    Some of my fitnessblender.com workouts are labelled HIIT. They will be 20 seconds on, 10 off (in the off you are doing a boxer shuffle) times 4 (total 2 minutes per round)... the HIIT exercises are things like burpee variations, jump squats (OUCH)... Usually there is a strength component breaking up the rounds. I admit -- I canNOT do 4x sets of 20 on/10 off jumpsquats!
  • determined_14
    determined_14 Posts: 258 Member
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    jojoeastcoast wrote: »
    So what is REAL HIIT?

    Some of my fitnessblender.com workouts are labelled HIIT. They will be 20 seconds on, 10 off (in the off you are doing a boxer shuffle) times 4 (total 2 minutes per round)... the HIIT exercises are things like burpee variations, jump squats (OUCH)... Usually there is a strength component breaking up the rounds. I admit -- I canNOT do 4x sets of 20 on/10 off jumpsquats!
    Yup, I want to know this too. Although my guess is that whether the Fitness Blender workouts "count" as HIIT depends a lot on our level of effort. From what I gather, HIIT means you go flat-out for your interval, then active-rest, then flat-out. And as tired as I get doing Fitness Blender tabata (even having to stop sometimes), I don't think it qualifies to the level of effort I've heard others describe as HIIT.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    This is what a smart guy has to say on the subject. I liked this because I always enjoy reading what smart people have to say.

    http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/long-duration-low-intensity-cardio/
  • jetortola
    jetortola Posts: 198 Member
    edited April 2015
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    determined_14 wrote: »
    jojoeastcoast wrote: »
    So what is REAL HIIT?

    Some of my fitnessblender.com workouts are labelled HIIT. They will be 20 seconds on, 10 off (in the off you are doing a boxer shuffle) times 4 (total 2 minutes per round)... the HIIT exercises are things like burpee variations, jump squats (OUCH)... Usually there is a strength component breaking up the rounds. I admit -- I canNOT do 4x sets of 20 on/10 off jumpsquats!
    Yup, I want to know this too. Although my guess is that whether the Fitness Blender workouts "count" as HIIT depends a lot on our level of effort. From what I gather, HIIT means you go flat-out for your interval, then active-rest, then flat-out. And as tired as I get doing Fitness Blender tabata (even having to stop sometimes), I don't think it qualifies to the level of effort I've heard others describe as HIIT.

    Yes -- I guess I should clarify -- If I could actually complete the round, is it true HIIT? ;)
  • Noelv1976
    Noelv1976 Posts: 18,948 Member
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    jojoeastcoast wrote: »
    determined_14 wrote: »
    jojoeastcoast wrote: »
    So what is REAL HIIT?

    Some of my fitnessblender.com workouts are labelled HIIT. They will be 20 seconds on, 10 off (in the off you are doing a boxer shuffle) times 4 (total 2 minutes per round)... the HIIT exercises are things like burpee variations, jump squats (OUCH)... Usually there is a strength component breaking up the rounds. I admit -- I canNOT do 4x sets of 20 on/10 off jumpsquats!
    Yup, I want to know this too. Although my guess is that whether the Fitness Blender workouts "count" as HIIT depends a lot on our level of effort. From what I gather, HIIT means you go flat-out for your interval, then active-rest, then flat-out. And as tired as I get doing Fitness Blender tabata (even having to stop sometimes), I don't think it qualifies to the level of effort I've heard others describe as HIIT.

    Yes -- I guess I should clarify -- If I could actually complete the round, is it true HIIT? ;)

    Just do what works for you. Some folks don't like HIIT because it can put a strain to their bodies, while for some they love it. JUst mix it up and see what happens.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Terpnista84 wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    Can be more effective for/at what?

    Increasing speed? steady state, long and slow (giggity).
    Increasing strength/explosiveness? HIIT
    Burning calories? hard to compare given varying intensities and durations.
    Losing weight? Considering weight loss is about calorie deficit, see the previous answer.

    For fat loss. I've read that steady state eventually starts eating away at muscle.

    As long as protein intake is adequate, one can do hours of steady-state cardio training each day and remain in nitrogen balance.

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