Steady State Cardio or Intervals for Fat Loss???

Steady State Cardio or Intervals?

Many people stay away from interval training simply because it is HARD! Running at a slow pace for 30-40 minutes eventually becomes easy and you feel no need to increase the intensity because you still did a good amount of “cardio”.

The myth of the “fat burning zone” states that working at a lower intensity for a prolonged period of time will burn a higher percentage of calories from fat. This is true but your body adapts to these workouts quickly and you may burn more “fat calories” but in the end you burn LESS TOTAL calories. Another problem with steady state cardio is that as your body becomes more efficient, it begins to store more fat. Less calories are needed as your body adapts therefore fat is not being burned during exercise. You must vary intensities.

Interval workouts have the potential to burn the most amount of calories if they are done at a high enough intensity. A steady state cardio workout and a high intensity interval workout both done for 30 minutes may burn the same amount of calories during that 30 minutes. The benefit of intervals is that they raise your EPOC(excess post exercise oxygen consumption). EPOC is defined as the “recovery of metabolic rate back to pre exercise levels.” We all know that a higher metabolism = more calories burned. This can take several minutes for light exercise or several hours for higher intensity workouts. Essentially you will be burning more calories after your workout! This is why whether your doing cardio or lifting weights, you must get out of your comfort zone.When you are uncomfortable you’re working at a higher intensity that will allow for a raised metabolism post workout for a longer period of time. Also, because of this afterburn effect, your sprint workouts can generally be much shorter than your steady state cardio workouts. So if your strapped for time, which most of us are, then intervals are your answer!

How long should your intervals be?

Generally the shorter the sprint time, the longer the rest. For example, if you are running a 15 second sprint, your rest should be anywhere from 60 seconds to 120 seconds.(1:4-1:8 work:rest) This is assuming that your 15 second sprint is extremely difficult(70 to 90 %). The longer your sprint intervals are, the shorter your rest should be.

15 second sprint (1:4-1:8)

30 second sprint (1:1 - 1:3)

45-60 second sprint(1:1-1:2)

Sprint intervals may not be a good starting point for an individual who is untrained and is beginning a workout program. In this case, some steady state cardio would probably be best to build a aerobic base along with some resistance training.

If you like to go for long slow runs, you don’t have to stop, just don’t replace a weight training workout or a sprint workout with a slow run. If you have the extra time, then go for it!

Steady state cardio is the least effective workout prescription compared to resistance training and interval training. So next time you go to the gym, walk past the elliptical, pick up some heavy weights and do some sprints!

“Interval training is like putting your savings in a high interest savings account. Low intensity aerobics is like hiding your money under your mattress. Both will work but the return you get is radically different” -Rachel Cosgrove