I was recently asked this question by a Mom of three who was ready to head back into the gym after a long break from working out to raise her children. She’d heard a little about #HIIT but was curious if it was right for her or if it was just another fad, since she’d always done steady state cardio in the past. There are a few things to consider when trying to determine whether steady state cardio or HIIT training meets your fitness goals. BOTH are effective in the overall reduction of body fat composition–especially when paired with weight training and a caloric deficit.
While HIIT is known to promote greater fat loss in a shorter period of time, Steady State can be just as effective LONG TERM, particularly for those new to fitness, people with joint issues or those who have previously led a sedentary lifestyle. Although HIIT can be performed in as little as 20 minutes, it isn’t the workout phase that burns the most calories, it’s the AFTERBURNER effect that takes place once you’ve left the gym, when the demand placed on the body during HIIT pays off with an INCREASE in caloric expenditure.
When I first began my fitness journey, I spent hours upon hours doing steady state. At 30% body fat and still recovering from mini-strokes, I was a long way from being in good “cardiovascular” shape, but quite frankly I hated it. Reflecting on when my own kids were small, I recall the feeling of utter frustration. I never lifted weights and I didn’t change my eating habits either. It seemed that even when I did attempt to change how I ate, my fat loss would stall no matter how much #cardio I did. I tried to alleviate my frustration and boredom through Step Aerobics, but again I had no guidance and ultimately no results.
Fast forward to 2012. After I began weight training, eating clean and getting my body fat down in the mid 20’s, my coach began incorporating HIIT training into my routine in an attempt to get me ready to step on stage. I still performed steady state, but I saw changes in my body with HIIT that I never saw with steady.
As a Mom of 5, getting rid of my muffin top has been amazing!