Answer:
What is the difference between cardio, strength training and HIIT exercises?
Hi,
So to begin, I will start with the two that are most similar, cardio and HIIT. Hiit training is a form of cardiovascular training, meaning its an exercises that promotes heart health. Cardio will aid in burning excess calories so it is also beneficial for fat loss programs.
Now the difference between regular cardio activities and HIIT training is, intensity and duration. When we think of regular cardiovascular activities we usually think of what is the norm in and out of the gym, the girls on the stair masters stepping away for 30 minutes. The little old lady walking her normal path around in her neighborhood park. The bodybuilder on the treadmill briskly walking on an Incline at 4.0, in a puddle of sweat. Most of the cardio we see is what we call slow steady state cardio. The individual won't really change the pace and usually has a set time around 30- 40 minutes. This is what most people turn to when they think of losing weight. And it's perfect for really only that, losing weight.
What they should be thinking is body composition change. Slow steady state cardio will help you lose weight, but weight isn't just fat. It doesn't really discriminate between fat or muscle. I tell my clients to imagine their bodies 10 pounds lighter, now imagine that 10lbs coming from muscle loss, or imagine it coming from fat loss. Which sounds more appealing. One should always focus on building or preserving muscle mass. And that's where we get into HIIT, it's designed to help preserve muscle by performing high intensity or explosive movements for a short duration with a slightly longer rest period. Think of a marathon runner compared to a sprinter. Both have low body fat, however the sprinter will probably have more muscle mass than marathon runner. Which makes sprinting one of the best forms of HIIT in my opinion. It gets the heart rate up high, but is explosive and will strengthen the glutes and other leg muscles therefore aiding in muscle preservation. Another component which makes HIIT unique is it a great time saver, one is able to do the same amount of calorie burn as with slow steady state, but in half the time. 15 minutes is the go to time for most HIIT workouts.
Now strength training, is just that, training for strength. In strength training one is using resistance to promote strength gains. Now if we're being specific strength training is not necessarily muscle building. You will get bigger can't be avoided, but the goal is the amount of force the muscle can produce. The repetition range for strength training is 1-6 reps. One should be lifting a certain percentage of their 1 repetition max. Usually between 100- 85% depending on the program.
Explanation:
Hope it helps you.
