Hey, I’m on week 8 of Low Fatigue Strength and this entire program I have not been able to do sprints. It is absolutely freezing outside and there is too much snow. I have tried to do the HIIT on my stationary bike, but I cannot seem to get the intensity required without ramping up the resistance, and even still it is not like sprints.
Generally when I sprinted before my heart rate would be about 160-170 after the 20 seconds and then calm down to about 120ish before the next.
With my LISS cardio, my heart rate is usually 120-140 for the sessions with light resistance.
Now to the question…I am really enjoying doing LISS more. I have been doing LISS instead of my sprints and I have seen a good carry-over into my squats from this. It seems in the past I also seemed to benefit more for sprinting and high intensity not from doing sprints or high intensity, but general low intensity conditioning. Are some people just like this?
My next question is what would be a good recommendation for how much time to spend on the bike doing LISS instead of the 16 minute sessions of HIIT? I have been doing 25 min x 4, but now they jump up to 30 minutes; would 30 minutes x 4 be fine? That would be hitting 120 minutes of LISS, plus I do 5 minutes or so before working out just to get blood flowing and it feels good so I am close to that recommendation for “cardio per week” (not including the HIIT I get from squats and stuff).
Any thoughts, concerns, or recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you.
Now to the question…I am really enjoying doing LISS more. I have been doing LISS instead of my sprints and I have seen a good carry-over into my squats from this. It seems in the past I also seemed to benefit more for sprinting and high intensity not from doing sprints or high intensity, but general low intensity conditioning. Are some people just like this?
I’m not exactly sure what this means, but we do know that there are substantial inter-individual variations in how folks respond to a given type and dose of exercise.
My next question is what would be a good recommendation for how much time to spend on the bike doing LISS instead of the 16 minute sessions of HIIT? I have been doing 25 min x 4, but now they jump up to 30 minutes; would 30 minutes x 4 be fine?
30 x 4 would be fine, though MET-minutes generated from resistance training do not count for aerobic activity. I’d bet that your other physical activity per week puts you over the minimum regardless.
Correct, as the “150-300 minutes” recommended is for moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise, which is not resistance training. Austin and I have both been digging in deep to the guidelines and supporting data to try and create a more definitive guide and clear up misconceptions. Stay tuned.
appreciate the response! I honestly always assumed that lifting was included in this , I will Adjust my weekly cardio accordingly. Looks like I’m only at about 115 minutes a week right now.
Not to get down too far of a rabit hole, but how are you guys personally splitting up the 150-300 minutes? I’m mainly restricted due to time because of school and work, and trying to priotize the main 4 lifting days + abs/arms gpp. Currently I’m fitting in 45min of LISS spread throughout (not including 7 rounds of HIIT per week). Thinking of tripling that isn’t actually daunting for me in terms of doing it, but I simply don’t have time.
Relatedly, it seems like the beginner template programs both LISS and HIIT each 2 times per week later in the program. Is this right? If so, are these not meant to be done on the same days? Thanks for the clarification.
Man this forum has a lot of feedback! I do have another question…
Is there a specific reason why HIIT and LISS are encouraged as opposed to just LISS or HITT? I have read some studies that show they are pretty equal in terms of cardiovascular health. Does BBM just include both to keep things different?
Like in my OP, I definitely prefer doing the LISS for weather reasons and the bike just not doing it for me on HIIT without cranking up the resistance, and the LISS seems to carry over more into my lifts and even into my sprints when I can do them (weird how not sprinting can make me better at sprinting?)
Also, if you are doing shorter rests on lifts, like say squats and HR increases to 150-160 and then it slows down during your break, is this not like HIIT in a way? 1 minute lifting, 2-3 minute break. Looking forward to seeing more content on the minimums.
I think there are unique adaptations to both modes, which help the overall physical development of the individual.
RT is very anaerobic, but due to the duration, motor unit recruitment strategies, and resultant energy system predominance- they generate different adaptations as well.
Digging up this old thread. May I ask what total weekly duration you’re targeting, and per session duration? I realize this is individualized and you are highly trained, I’m just curious where you’re at.
Do you have a recommended minimum session duration? Peter Attia recommends shooting for 45 minutes in Zone 2 and 150 minutes minimum per week. I’m curious what your current perspective is.
My rear gets well-tired of the stationary cycle seat by 45 minutes, and if 5 x 30 mins per week is just as good, I’d rather do that.
