Let’s say I’m assigned 25 minutes of LISS cardio, about 60-70 percent of max heart rate. Instead of one of the more traditional forms of LISS cardio (cycling, running, rowing) I choose to do three 8-minute GPP blocks similar to what you’ve prescribed on your templates, with the logic being that I’m looking to combine the benefits of resistance training with LISS cardio. I’m not a competitive LISS athlete so I’m not missing out on necessary training or anything like that.
I choose exercises that aren’t conflicting with work I’m already doing that are relatively non-disruptive and at relatively low levels of resistance, but high enough that I can do mini-sets close to failure (say, resistance band tricep pushdowns, facepulls & pull-aparts). With the right amount of rest time I can get my AVERAGE heart rate to about the prescribed 60-70 percent of max. Each mini-set is not a full-on effort, so the intensity is not rising to the level where it would be better classified as HIIT - it’s somewhere in between HIIT and LISS.
What am I missing out on by not doing more traditional, 25 minute LISS exercises?
Thanks for your help! Sorry if this has been discussed before.
I think the crux of your question comes from this assumption:
I’m not a competitive LISS athlete so I’m not missing out on necessary training or anything like that.
Which is untrue. We think nearly everyone should be doing some aerobic conditioning and you cannot do this via low load resistance training. In other words, you cannot lift weights and get the same cardiorespiratory benefits you would from aerobic training or HIIT.
I would still be doing HIIT work in this scenario.
So then, it’s not just about getting your heart rate in the right range, there are benefits to aerobic conditioning that are not duplicated by low level resistance training or HIIT. Is there a good source anywhere that outlines the distinctions?
Kind of, but HIIT with weights is less useful than HIIT with monostructural modalities, e.g. running, cycling, rowing, etc. in the context of developing cardiorespiratory fitness adaptations.
To be clear, low intensity RT is not the same as HIIT. Additionally, HIIT is not the same as LISS with respect to cardiorespiratory fitness adaptations.
Can you be more clear about what distinctions you’d like to learn more about?
To simplify, I think most people should be doing low to moderate intensity steady state conditioning a few times per week.
I think I’d like to understand 1) why monostructural modalities like running and rowing are better for HIIT than weights and 2) the cardiorespiratory fitness adaptations we get from HIIT and LISS, and how they are different. Probably basic exercise science stuff.