Cardio: Interval vs. Steady-State

Steady State Cardio vs. Interval Training

So what kind of cardio is best? How should I do my cardio? And which type is best for my specific goals?

I’m going to make a bold statement: interval training is superior to steady state cardio almost all of the time. There are some specific situations where LSD (long slow distance) work is appropriate – for example, when building a base level of conditioning, or training for an endurance sport (this turns out to be debatable as well). But for building general fitness, high intensity cardio is better!

Allow me to site a classic study. Tabata et al. tested two groups for a six week period using either a moderate intensity cardio program, 60 minutes 5x a week, or a very high intensity, four-minute long program – 20 seconds of all-out effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, done eight times. That's right, four minutes. This program was also repeated 5x a week. The interesting thing was that the interval group increased both in anaerobic and aerobic performance, while the moderate-intensity group, while improving aerobic capacity, did not improve anaerobic measures. Here is the abstract.

So what does this mean exactly? The interval group made improvements in both anaerobic and aerobic capacity, while the moderate intensity group made improvements in only aerobic capacity. So really, what is the point of doing moderate-intensity cardio? High intensity training gives us the best of both worlds. Here are some ideas for high intensity cardio:

Tabata Protocol

As used in the study:
20 seconds all out effort
10 seconds rest
Repeat 8 times
Add 5 minute warm-up and cool-down

Can be done with anything from sprints, bike, bodyweight exercises - the key is, this is a very brief workout, but it has to be really hard! You shouldn't feel like doing anything else after you're done!

Get outdoors for this one!

Run about ¼ mile
15 burpees
Run ¼ mile
30 bodyweight squats
Run ¼ mile
20 push-ups
Run ¼ mile
15 split squat jumps each leg
Repeat!

“Fartlek” Run

Run, changing pace at desired intervals, speed up and slow down (example: Sprint 1 telephone pole, walk the next, sprint, etc.

Stair Stepper:
With a partner! Turn it all the way up, go 30 seconds at a time, trade off for 20 minutes

Enjoy!