What is HIIT? What is LISS? What is steady state? Trying to keep up with the latest fitness trends is a challenge these days. Today I would like to clear up a few of the most common types of cardio. Ever been exhausted from walking up stairs or doing yard work? Starting some form of cardio is bound to improve your everyday life. Doing cardio has been known to help depression, anxiety, and many other health factors that many of us suffer from daily. Being an online personal trainer I custom tailor exercise programs for my clients based off their fitness goals.
The programs that I design for my clients will always have some form of cardio in it at some point. Cardio should always be apart of any fitness program. The most common question I get when my clients get their program is, what does HIIT mean? What is LISS? What is steady state? These are fitness terms us fit freaks always use. If your new to the fitness world all these terms will be quite confusing. Which is why I decided to write this article to help clear things up a bit. I'm not going to go into great detail or science on each form of cardio as this article is for people new to fitness and could start to confuse you. Better to keep things simple and to the point!
STEADY STATE CARDIO:
Steady State is when you exercise at a steady pace for an extended period of time. It's the most common form of cardio to this day. Steady state will have you using about 65% of your max heart rate. Normally steady state cardio last for a period greater than 30 minutes at a time. Here are a few different types of steady state cardio.
- Running
- Jogging
- Cycling
- Elliptical
- Stair Climber
BENEFITS OF STEADY STATE CARDIO.
Beside that steady state cardio helps reduce fat cells in the body by using stored energy (fat) for fuel its also great to build up endurance. A greater endurance is something we all can benefit from as it can make everyday life easier.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TYPE OF STEADY STATE FOR YOU?
Choosing the right type of steady state cardio is really easy if you think about it. What's your favorite outdoor activity? Jogging, running, getting on your bike and going for a ride? All of these done for an extended period of time is steady state cardio. If you prefer perform indoors then the local gym is full of equipment that can help you out!
HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M DOING IT RIGHT?
Steady state cardio should not be a walk in the park, it should be intense to an extent. The golden rule for steady state is if you're able to carry on conversation with the person next to you then might want to up the intensity a little.
HIIT CARDIO (High Intensity Interval Training)
To answer the question so many people ask me, what does HIIT mean? To answer the question, High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT is a form of cardio that is all out burst of 90-100% maximum capacity followed by a period of sometimes active rest. If you're in a pinch for time then this is a great alternative because you can get a good cardio session in about 15-20 minutes. Here is an example of HIIT cardio. This type of training will have you using about 85% or more of your max heart rate. An example of HIIT is.
- Cycle 40 seconds at a RPM of 40
- Cycle 20 seconds at a RPM of over 100
- Cycle 40 seconds at a RPM of 40
- Cycle 20 seconds at a RPM of over 100
- Cycle 40 seconds at a RPM of 40
- Cycle 20 seconds at a RPM of over 100
- Cycle 40 seconds at a RPM of 40
- Cycle 20 seconds at a RPM of over 100
- Rest 2 minutes then repeat 3-4 times
BENEFITS OF HIIT CARDIO.
Just like steady state cardio HIIT helps reduce fat cells in the body by using stored energy (fat) for fuel. Another benefit from doing HIIT is time. If you're always on the go, limited on time, and has to out workout within 45 minutes then you might want to consider trying HIIT. Most of the HIIT routines are anywhere from 15-30 minutes long. Not to mention HIIT is one of the more exciting forms of cardio as it involves you changing direction or exercises to keep things more interesting.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TYPE OF HIIT FOR YOU?
Really depends on what you enjoy doing. You can design your HIIT with many different types of exercise. Because of the high intensity I would recommend something like sprints followed by walking or on a stationary bike. These are well grounded exercises that will not require balance challenges. Once you become more experienced you can start adding more difficult exercises.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M DOING IT RIGHT?
You will know right after your first round of HIIT. If you're doing it right you will be short of breath and have a pounding heart. It's much more intense than any other type of cardio. I'm sure at one point in your lift you had a food race with a friend across the street or across a field. That feeling when you reach the end and feel completely out of breath and your heart wanting to jump out of your chest is what you want to shoot for.
LISS CARDIO (Low Intensity Steady State)
What does LISS mean, Low Intensity Steady State. LISS is the same as steady state except the intensity is very low. LISS is a more relaxed form of cardio that is normally a period greater than 45 minutes. The max heart rate for LISS is about 65% or less. Some good examples of LISS are.
- Walking
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Cycling
BENEFITS OF LISS CARDIO?
LISS is not the optimal form of cardio to reduce fat cells. This form of cardio is ideal for people new to fitness, the elder, and very obese people. While it's not as effective as the others not over doing it with extreme cardio is more likely to have people adhere to a fitness program in the beginning.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TYPE OF LISS FOR YOU?
Like the other forms of cardio it's always best to choose a type of exercise that is most enjoyable to you. If you're new to fitness I would recommend starting with a simple walk around the block then start to experiment with others.
CONCLUSION!
When it comes to what cardio is better for you it's really apples to oranges. All cardio is beneficial especially if your new to fitness. What it brings down to is what you enjoy most, have time for, and your fitness goals. I personally enjoy HIIT after years of being a wrestler long steady state sessions are not my cup of tea.