Praise of steady state cardio

[Bebop]

Anyone else still prefer steady state to all the Hiit workouts?

I decided to try the Cathe August 2014 rotation in which she uses "oldies' but goodies.

I don't have all the step workouts but I do have other classics.

Today I did StepHeat for the first time in years. Loved it! Steady state, easy choreography. I loved the part where you take your heart rate - I was in my training zone. Why did workouts stop that?

At the end I had the worked out feeling, endorphine high and I was sweating! I don't work up a sweat with Hiit. Probably not working as hard as I should.

This is the second time I've done a pure steady state and loved it. A couple of weeks I ago I did Turbofire 45Ez. Anyone else feel the same way? Anyone else feel they get a better workout using steady state as opposed to Hiits?

I'm not eliminating HIit I just find after a Hiit (except Turbofire) I don't feel as worked out.

Is there still a place for steady state cardio in our workouts?

[superfit41]

I way prefer steady state cardio to HIIT. I will do a HIIT from time to time, but I do steady state/moderate pace cardio 4 to 5 days a week for at least 30 min. I truly believe it has been the reason I have been able to maintain my weight for years now. I can't see myself giving that up!

Sherry

[dutchgirl]

I only do HIIT/interval/tabata/plyo workouts one time per week. My other cardio days are steady state cardio doing either step, hi/lo or kickboxing workouts. For me this creates a great synergy. My steady state workouts give me endurance for HIIT type workouts and in turn these workouts improve my performance on steady state cardio.

I've read in many different publications that HIIT type workouts should be done no more than twice a week. That advice may not be applicable to everyone and for me it's what works.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

Certainly the research on HIIT is very encouraging, but there is a place where the science and real life behaviours intersect. I have some hard-core fitness friends who will declare steady-state to be 'useless' or 'a total waste of time.' I just can't agree with those statements at all!

People need to play around with fitness (and eating) to see what balance of activities work for them. After all, exercise starts out in childhood as 'play.' Sometimes I think we can really over-think it as adults.

[hotncmom]

The entire concept of "cardio" and "exercise", for that matter, is relatively new. Most people forget that. In hunter-gatherer cultures and farming cultures, most of their movement is a lot of walking. HIIT and other types of training were developed to help athletes increase their performance, and was only adopted fairly recently by the exercise community as a way to boost fat loss or get a "good workout" in less time.

It's really all crazy because as we have adopted more of an exercise mindset, we have left behind the all-day movement we previously benefited from. Because of the prevalence of unhealthier foods, larger portion sizes, and a sedentary lifestyle (even among regular exercisers), we have the highest rates of obesity ever.

I'm trying to just get more walking/movement in and I'm trying to stand more while I'm on the computer. I'm not doing any cardio workouts. I still do yoga and other things for toning but I'm trying to just increase my all-day activity, even if it is just walking or even standing. I do run sometimes - if I'm out walking and it starts to pour, for instance.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

Originally Posted by hotncmom

The entire concept of "cardio" and "exercise", for that matter, is relatively new. Most people forget that. In hunter-gatherer cultures and farming cultures, most of their movement is a lot of walking. HIIT and other types of training were developed to help athletes increase their performance, and was only adopted fairly recently by the exercise community as a way to boost fat loss or get a "good workout" in less time.

It's really all crazy because as we have adopted more of an exercise mindset, we have left behind the all-day movement we previously benefited from. Because of the prevalence of unhealthier foods, larger portion sizes, and a sedentary lifestyle (even among regular exercisers), we have the highest rates of obesity ever.

I'm trying to just get more walking/movement in and I'm trying to stand more while I'm on the computer. I'm not doing any cardio workouts. I still do yoga and other things for toning but I'm trying to just increase my all-day activity, even if it is just walking or even standing. I do run sometimes - if I'm out walking and it starts to pour, for instance.

ITA with all of the above. I don't actually do cardio regularly anymore, either. Just sometimes for a change of pace. But I do make an effort to move around a lot in daily life. And I keep my computer on the kitchen counter and do all my work standing.

Any kind of long or intense cardio session tends to tire me out and then I just want to sit around for the rest of the day!

[sunday]

While I was in the UK for two weeks, we walked several miles every day. I ate incredibly rich food each and every meal, including dessert, usually twice a day, and I ended up losing weight. I did no other exercise at all, not even stretching, lol. It was amazing what that steady state cardio did for me!!

I am just about to embark on starting a That Girl London rotation. I've been writing back and forth with Christina, and she has encouraged me to walk everywhere, including to work and the shops. How I wish we were set up like London and the UK, where I COULD just walk everywhere! I'd never do formal exercise again. There's just something different between walking for a workout and walking to get somewhere.

[blzgrl]

Originally Posted by Nuggie's Auntie

Certainly the research on HIIT is very encouraging, but there is a place where the science and real life behaviours intersect. I have some hard-core fitness friends who will declare steady-state to be 'useless' or 'a total waste of time.' I just can't agree with those statements at all!

This is so true. Steady state cardio is just plain fun! (At least for me. I know some people hate it.) Should we give up what we enjoy just because it's not the very best thing you can do to get in or stay in shape? Hiking, biking, long walks - I'm not giving those up for anything!

[marya]

Originally Posted by sunday

How I wish we were set up like London and the UK, where I COULD just walk everywhere! I'd never do formal exercise again. There's just something different between walking for a workout and walking to get somewhere.

So true, Deana! I don't own a car. My present neighborhood actually is set up for walking everywhere, and even on my occasional low energy days, I can't help but rack up at least 5,000 steps just in the normal course of things. (It helps to live in a very hilly city.)

That being said, I'm starting to miss the endorphin fix of steady state cardio workouts and will likely use them again, to some degree. I've never been interested in Hiit--too hard on the joints and too un-fun.

[imhere2dance]

There is no such thing as HIIT in my world. Steady state cardio is how I roll.