Debunking the Best Cardio for Weight Loss
HIIT vs LISS
Lets debunk the myth that one is superior over the other. LISS is short for low intensity steady state, and HIIT is short for high intensity interval training. There is not one that is better than the other for weight loss. It ultimately comes down to energy expenditure.
HIIT as Resistance
Let’s briefly discuss the idea of cardio fatigue management. The strategy of using HIIT is that it mimics resistance training especially if you are cycling as the capacity of training builds up in the legs. Typically HIIT training will require it’s additional recovery time in addition to resistance training, and it can be very taxing on the central nervous system especially for males. Females tend to recover a little faster than males.
Fasted vs Fed Cardio
Some people seem to believe that you must do cardio in the morning fasted to see results, and that is simply not true. Fasted or not, one is not advantageous over the other. If anything fasted cardio may be more restrictive on progress because if you have to get up early and go to work you may need to allocate time to do cardio and get ready for work. Sleep is profoundly much more if not just as important as your training for progress. So if you had to choose I would advocate to get 1 more hour of sleep instead of breaking your rest to do cardio.
Low Intensity Steady State
This is a great option if you really have to manage fatigue levels, and what I’d recommend you do is incorporate low intensity steady state with getting in more steps in the day – walking more. The LISS is less fatiguing than the HIT, and the walking outside can help with blood sugar control, getting more in tune with nature, and for psychological reasons.
If part of your plan is to do 2 hours of cardio/week then consider breaking it in frequencies rather than doing 2 sessions of cardio:
· Mon (weights+cardio): 20 minutes HIIT on cycle
· Tues (weights+cardio): 20 minutes LISS walk outside – count your steps
· Wed (no weights): 40 minutes LISS incline walking
· Thurs (weights+cardio): 20 minutes HIIT on cycle
· Fri (weights+cardio): 20 minutes LISS walk outside – count your steps
Experimenting
You can even consider opting for making cardio more fun with ropes, climbing, skiing, swimming, etc. I find that long walks outside with the use of hills makes it just as fun. There are lots of people who lose weight with only walking and just being more active versus having to go to a gym.
I find that if you can track your heart rate to track how intense you are working is a great tool. You can look into getting the Polar Heart Rate Monitor. You can connect the polar chest strap via Bluetooth to a app such as the FITIV Pulse or a Apple Watch. Another good tool you can get that is relatively inexpensive is a pedometer. I find that the Apple Watch seems to be getting too advanced to know every little detail about people so I am not a advocate of the apple watch; however, I know a lot of people are proponents of it. For those that want to track their steps I would advocate for a simple old school pedometer like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Pedometer-Walking-Portable-Accurately-Seniors/dp/B0C7Q34MMK?th=1.
I like the simple and less complicated stuff, so here is a pedometer that is a good bang for your buck.
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Be well,
Yelena
