High-intensity interval training (HIIT) was the number one fitness trend of 2017 (according to the American College of Sports Medicine). Over a year later HIIT seems to be as popular as ever, reducing low-intensity, steady/sustained state training (LISS) to a mere inconvenience. Is HIIT better than LISS? Let’s find out.

What Is HIIT?

HIIT is a training protocol involving repeated bouts of medium to high-intensity work broken up with periods of low-intensity work or complete rest. It is a clever way of substituting regular, disorganized, and purposeless cardio with something less boring.

Numerous studies suggest that HIIT is excellent at developing both aerobic and anaerobic capacity. But when something seems to be too good to be true, it normally is. Calm down, sit back down, and carry on with this article before you go smashing another round of HIIT.

Too Much Isn’t Better

The last time I checked, more was simply more, not better. Problem with HIIT is that you keep going harder, digging deeper, and resting less. As impressive as it may seem, your body doesn’t appreciate it as much as you do.

Especially if you’ve already done 3-4 weight sessions that week, and worked 40 hours, and had a fight with your boyfriend/girlfriend. Remember, exercise still equals stress. If you keep adding more stress and under-recovering, even the toughest of you will eventually break.

Does this mean you should avoid HIIT completely? Hell no. Just be smart about it. First of all, even professional athletes wouldn’t use HIIT more than 2-3 times per week so why would you? And let me tell you, professional athletes have teams of people looking after their recovery. Having a protein shake post-workout does not qualify as a recovery tool. Sorry bros!

Second of all, use appropriate rest periods. Working constantly at a very high intensity with minimal rest overstimulates your central nervous system. This can lead to high levels of cortisol as well as a lot of muscle damage.

Anaerobic style HIIT sessions heavily tax the body and can result in long-lasting muscular and neural fatigue. By keeping the working intervals between 30-60 seconds and the work to rest ratio between 1:1 and 1:2, you will tap into both the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. The body can recover far quicker when it utilizes aerobic pathways.

What Is LISS?

LISS is about keeping your heart rate at a relatively low level (50-60%) and staying in the aerobic zone, meaning you can easily breathe and utilize all that precious oxygen. Steady state cardio training is generally aerobic training that is low to medium in intensity and longer in duration.

While 30 minutes seems to be the average amount of time for this type of training, other people go for upwards of 60 minutes. This training protocol will help you build and develop aerobic capacity which will not only make you “fitter” but also supports overall recovery. It will help build your aerobic base and will get your body strong enough so you can withstand the more intense modes of cardio.

A very important feature of LISS is that it is not as taxing on your CNS. Aerobic training not only increases overall health markers but also aids in recovery from heavy weight training. An overactive sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight mode), a pitfall of shitty aerobic development, destroys your performance.

Therefore, steady state cardio can also be useful to add into your workout program if you need an easier day to recover between harder strength workouts or the more intense modes of conditioning.

HIIT and LISS Serve Different Purposes

It is unfair to say that either of the two is better or worse. They are just are different. Both have their own pros and cons. If you train with heavy weights 3-4 times per week, LISS can be a fantastic recovery tool as well as just another way of getting stronger.

If you’re stuck for time or looking to push your body to its limit, 2-3 HIIT sessions per week will do the job.

It’s like comparing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lewis Hamilton. Both are world class at what they do. The only issue is that one plays football, another one is a Formula One driver—two completely different sports, two completely different skill sets.

The post There’s Always a Role for Cardio appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

So, you’re looking to transform your physique. You’ve been Googling personal trainers in your local area as well as body transformation photos and success stories. Your motivation is high, you had your last big feed on a Sunday night so you’re ready to rock as of Monday. Life is peachy despite sacrificing your social life, favorite food and treats, and being constantly hungry—unless your transformation is to bulk up. Bulking up is even better! You get to eat loads, but wait, no pizza? Pounds of rice and vegetables? Unholy amounts of fish? Heaven on earth. Sign me up!

Jokes, as well as an idealistically exaggerated image of transformations aside, I admire people looking to make a change. The only problem with transformations is that the change oftentimes isn’t lasting and comes at a huge cost. Let’s look into the top four reasons why transformations are a sham.

Drastic Lifestyle Change

Transformations are built around a huge change (drop) in your energy consumed (you eat a lot less) and energy expended (you train a lot more). Under the right circumstances, it is the winning formula, but transformation programs are geared toward fast results and there is no tangible long-term planning.

Sure, you lose plenty of weight, especially in the first four weeks (this is roughly how long it takes for your body to adapt to the new routine), so you assume the transformation was a success.

The problem begins when you’re out of that routine, you’re probably exhausted, and all you can think of is your big meal, plenty of booze, or whatever else to reward yourself with. Your body is probably shattered from numerous high-intensity workouts that don’t feature any recovery protocols.

Several weeks post-transformation you’re back to where you started. You blame yourself because it worked—but no, it didn’t. What it did do was set you up for a vicious cycle of relying on drastic, short-term change in lieu of long-term results.

The More Is Better Mentality

Most transformations come with a juicy reward for the biggest loser. This is great because it creates a competitive environment and it’s something to look forward to. This way you keep eating less and training more.

Your body gets under more and more stress. Is it enjoyable? It has to be! It is as long as those numbers keep falling off the scale. But did you know the majority of that weight in the first few days is water? And after that, you lose fat but also muscle? You need to be aware that weight loss doesn’t equal fat loss. You must remember that slow and steady wins the race.

There Is No Sustainable Plan

I live my life in fitness/nutrition and physical therapy. I do it 24/7 and I couldn’t sustain rice, broccoli, and chicken every day. Honestly, I’d end up hating what I do and I’d probably fall apart sooner rather than later.How do I know this? Because I’ve tried it. Getting tonsillitis five times in six months sucks. Being grumpy and lacking energy sucks.

If you want to transform your body, do it by transforming your lifestyle in a sustainable way. You don’t need to exercise seven days per week, nor do you need to give up food that you like. There is a way to make it work on your terms.

If you’re doing a transformation, hoping it’ll carry past 6/8/12 weeks, I have bad news for you—it most likely won’t. Many people report the same thing. It doesn’t look cool on the transformation leaflets though, so you wouldn’t hear about it. It’s 2018 and everything has to be falsely positive, eh?!

An Unhealthy Relationship with Food

I don’t know about you but if somebody tried to take my pizza away there would be blood and tears. And those tears wouldn’t be mine. If you enjoy pasta and if you enjoy bread, that perfectly fine. The problem isn’t with any particular food. Instead, it’s the overall balance and kcal consumption that needs to be kept in mind.

Moderation is the name of the game here. A successful nutritional plan needs to be built around what you’re already doing. A complete overhaul is doomed to fail. Thinking of food as healthy or clean doesn’t work. What happens when you slipped up and had a pastry? You failed.

Well, in that case you might as well have three double cheeseburgers with ice cream and chocolate. Aim to gain control of your portions; eat protein with every meal, eat mostly vegetables, and have a little fruit with every meal. This is how you will watch your body change.

Keep In Mind What’s Next

Well done, if you completed a transformation with success you can now fully enjoy your holiday or that wedding you’ve been prepping for. But what’s going to happen next? You’re back to your regular life.

You stop tracking your food intake over time. You get to taste your favorite foods and booze again. Those pounds are coming back. You begin to blame yourself and the lack of self-control. Let me stop you right there because I know where this is heading, and that’s straight into another transformation. I mean it worked the first time, right?

We crave quick results and quick fixes. It sells and it sells very well, in fact. But does it equip you with skills you can apply for the rest of your life? I doubt it. When making a change, think long-term and think what’s best for you in the months to come.

Sure, it may take a little longer to lose 5/10/15 pounds, but trust me, once you do they will stay off. Not only that but your health markers will go up. Most importantly you are going to enjoy the process. Sustainability is a must in any transformation.

The post Body Transformation Programs Are a Sham appeared first on Breaking Muscle.