HIIT Vs. Steady-State Cardio Which is Better?
When you stack HIIT and steady state-cardio, each has its positives and negatives. See which one works best for you with this breakdown of the pros and cons of each.
Image via: Victor Freitas
People often ask what’s better, HIIT cardio or steady-state cardio. In truth, both have their positives and negatives to them. The two types of cardio will get you health and fitness results, but just along different paths. Below we’ll break down the pros and cons of each one, and then we’ll weigh in at the end with our opinion on what we prefer.
HIIT Vs. Steady-State Cardio
Which is Better?
HIIT Cardio: Alternating between periods of high-intensity and lower intensity exercise with recovery.
The Pros:
1. Time saver
2. Extremely effective for burning calories and improving aerobic capacity.
3. Can improve type II muscle fibers (fast-twitch), which gives you greater metabolic efficiency.
4. Helps stimulate muscle-building and fat-burning hormones.
5. Increases EPOC, which helps burn calories after the session.
The Cons:
1. Increased muscle soreness and harder for de-conditioned people.
2. Increased risk of muscle strain.
3. Can quickly deplete glycogen stores, which aid in muscle repair.
Steady-State Cardio: Maintaining a consistent speed or level of intensity for the entire duration of exercise.
The Pros:
1. Less stress on the cardiovascular system.
2. Good for developing endurance and aerobic capacity.
3. Increases type I (slow-twitch) muscle fibers.
4. Uses more fat as a fuel source.
The Cons:
1. Time-consuming.
2. Requires a lot more exercise to achieve desired levels of calorie burn.
3. Increases risk of repetitive stress injuries.
4. Harder to focus with long bouts of exercise to achieve results.
So which is better?
It truly comes down to your personal preference and what works best for you. I tend to lean more towards HIIT as my cardio choice. I can get a higher calorie burn in a shorter amount of time, coupled with the ability to build muscle and maintain a metabolic burn post-exercise with EPOC.
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