HIIT vs Steady State Cardio

If you’ve been exercising for years and find yourself hitting a plateau, you’re not alone. In fact, this happens to almost everyone at some point in their fitness plan.

Are you considering switching to a new type of workout, but aren’t sure which one you want to try? HIIT workouts are popular and can be a great option for people that have serious fitness goals.
Learn about the benefits of HIIT below to see if it is right for you.

What is HIIT?

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. A HIIT workout consists of bursts of intensive exercise combined with periods of low-intensity exercise.

It’s important to note that you can do interval training without it being an actual HIIT workout. The main difference between HIIT and other interval training options is that your bursts of intensity are hard enough to get your heart rate within 80% of its maximum capacity. The periods of lower-intensity or rest would be strictly for recovery. 

When you’re working your body hard during your bursts of extreme exercise, your anaerobic pathways produce the energy you need to keep going. These pathways provide energy right away, but it is in a very limited amount.
This is why the intervals of intensive work during your workout must be short.

HIIT vs Steady State Cardio

HIIT is almost the opposite of steady state cardio. 

Steady state cardio is a workout that is steady over time and is continuous. You’re putting the same amount of energy and effort into it the whole time. 

When you imagine what a workout may look like, you probably think of a steady state workout. This could be something as common as running on a treadmill at the same level for 30 minutes.
HIIT and steady state cardio both have their own benefits, but steady state cardio doesn’t always provide the results that people are looking for.

If you’ve been going for miles and miles, but feel like steady state exercises aren’t helping you reach your goals, it may be time to try HIIT training instead. 

Benefits of HIIT

Before jumping into the main benefits of HIIT training, it’s important to note that HIIT workouts will be better for someone that has already been exercising for a while.

If you’re a beginner, HIIT training could be extremely difficult for you and you may not get the same benefits as someone else with a higher tolerance for intense exercise. 

With that being said, some of the biggest benefits of HIIT that you can expect from this type of interval training include:

– More calories burned
– Weight loss
– Shorter workouts
– Variety in workouts and exercises
– Higher levels of endurance

One of the biggest benefits of HIIT cardio workouts is that you can alter your levels of intensity as often as you’d like based on the goals you’ve set for yourself.

This means that you don’t have to do the same action every time you workout, but you also don’t have to do those actions the same way every time.

Being able to change it up is a positive for someone that has long-term goals to reach.

Let Us help You Out

At CONDITIONerd we are here to help you achieve better physical and mental health through exercise. Check out the plans we offer to our customers and see if you could benefit from working with our team. And if you have questions, you can always contact a CONDITIONerd team member

Personal trainers, like those found here, can help guide you on your pathway towards reaching your fitness goals, whether that is getting bigger, stronger, faster, more lean, or just generally feeling better.

We can get you setup with a periodized workout plan, supplement information, and advice on nutrition to help you reach your goals.

The only thing you need is some motivation and a willingness to change some old habits.

Get into contact with us to find out what membership is right for you. In a CONDITIONerd program, you’ll be surrounded by others who can help you to get where you want to be.

Generally, our clients start to see some pretty awesome changes in 2-3 months time, some sooner.

Need some help?

Tired of the status quo?

Smash that button, and get started today.

Scroll to Top