Article Link Good, balanced article on steady state cardio vs. HIIT

[susan p]

I read this and found it to be a good, balanced article about the relative advantages of steady-state cardio and HIIT:

LINK

[Chomper]

Thanks. That was interesting!

[Vee]

As I grow older, I appreciate steady state more. Just the thought of doing HIIT every workout makes my joints ache.

[susan p]

I thought it was great because it wasn't anti-HIIT, but it wasn't anti-steady state either, and pointed out very factually that they train different systems, that both are necessary to be well-rounded, that both have drawbacks if overused, blah blah blah. No hype, no crap.

[JackieB]

Nice article.

Jackie

[beyond.omega]

I'm so glad to see a treatment like this. I never doubted the research around the benefits of HIIT, but I intuitively knew that steady state has a place in a workout, and it was frustrating hearing everyone put it down as a wimpy waste of time (ok ...exaggerating a bit there .)

[Jennifer R]

Originally Posted by beyond.omega

I'm so glad to see a treatment like this. I never doubted the research around the benefits of HIIT, but I intuitively knew that steady state has a place in a workout, and it was frustrating hearing everyone put it down as a wimpy waste of time (ok ...exaggerating a bit there .)

No, I don't think it was exaggeration since I felt the same vibe. Turns out I've adopted exactly what the article said was good without any outside advice. I tend to avoid extremism as much as possible, especially in exercise, diet and politics!

[Nuggie's Auntie]

A friend of mine told me steady-state was 'a total waste of time'. I'd agree that HIIT has some science on it's side for fat loss, etc., but steady state is still movement! Movement is good. I just think we also have to factor in do-ability for people. Some people won't do HIIT, but they'll do steady-state. It's more sustainable for many.

[FirmDancer]

I loved this quote, it is so "me" !!!

“So many people these days are stressed out, on the go, can’t relax, can’t shut down,” says Robertson. “And then they go to the gym and stress their bodies more with high-intensity workouts. But what they need is more steady-state, chill-you-out workouts.”

I learned the hard way that I couldn't push all day and then push at the gym too. A nice moderate walk and yoga ended up more beneficial for me. Now I'm trying to stick to one or two high intensity workouts a week, as long as I'm getting the parasympathetic steady-state cardio first.

[Sarah-lara]

I appreciate this. I always wonder about the trainers who say steady-state is a complete waste that will make you fat. How do they justify that with the fact that walkable communities tend to have a thinner populace, that people lose weight when they adopt dogs who need walks, studies show a positive health correlation over 10-12,000 steps/day, and that endurance athletes are not exactly big tubs of lard!