Well, let’s discover if steady state cardio is good for fat loss. Steady state cardio is cardio that is performed at a steady rate throughout the entirely of the workout session. There has been a lot of debate on what the best kind of cardio is to perform if you’re looking to lose weight and keep it off. Steady state cardio allows you to maintain a steady pace throughout your whole workout session. It’s a great way to not over exert yourself, so long as you’re moving at a rate that gets your blood pumping faster than you usually would, you’re in the go!
One of the benefits of steady state cardio is that it will acclimate your metabolism to stay moving at an elevated rate throughout the day. It gets you used to moving at a certain pace so you don’t ever really get tired, as you’re always hitting the base line that isn’t too much, or too little, but just above your usual daily movement. It also doesn’t burn you out and leave you feeling tired all day long.
High Intensity Interval Training
In the past years, HIIT has become another popular method of performing your cardio. With HIIT you warm up with a nice slow 5 minute jog, and then you proceed to run as fast as you can for 5 minutes, alternating this sequence. This really does get your heart rate up, and over time gives you the ability to sprint for longer, and faster. It burns more calories since you’re running full sprint, but at the same time it is tiring and can leave you feeling sluggish as you rebound from your extreme workout. There’s a workout technique for everything, and if you’re training to become a sprinter and need to drop some pounds fast and up your speed, then HIIT training may be just for you.
Conclusion
So is steady state cardio good for fat loss? Steady state cardio is perfect for those of us just looking to wake up and get a run in, burn some fat, keep the metabolism on point, but without burning ourselves out and exerting all that energy just to burn a few extra calories. It’s nice to just have a long steady run where you can enjoy your music and know you are making progress. On the other hand if you don’t mind putting in that extra burst of effort then HIIT could be what you’re looking for. Different strokes for different folks, whatever makes you feel good is the best choice, as dreading your workouts can really hinder your motivation to even do your workouts in the morning!