HIIT or LISS

One of the best parts about cutting (losing fat) is the variety of workouts you can create to get your heart pumping. I personally despise the treadmill, don't get me wrong it is an amazing piece of equipment but, I love to move around with my workouts and the treadmill gets a little boring after a while.

Side note: a lot of people may question why I state losing fat rather than "losing weight" which is perfectly fine and I will explain my thought process now. I weigh approximately 105.2 lbs which may seem super light to many and I don't disagree but I do have "skinny fat." My goal isn't to shed lbs off of my weight my goal is to shed FAT which is very different.

If I asked you "how do you lose weight?" two things should come to mind: diet and cardio. You're not wrong! Diet plays a huge role into losing weight which will be discussed in a later blog post. So lets talk about cardio.

The true definition of cardio exercise is any exercise that causes your heart rate to rise. Cardio doesn't necessarily have to be running. One thing I have read through multiple research articles is that if not combined with the proper nutrition you can actually lose muscle mass when shedding lbs during running sessions. (Most runners are depicted as super lean and if that's your goal then yes do your research and do your thang!) If your goal like mine is to decrease fat and increase muscle then you are in the right place.

There are two different types of cardio that I have found (and most of you may have seen before through fitness influencers) in which both burn fat and help build lean muscle. These exercise styles are HIIT and LISS. I will be explaining what each styles benefits are and you can even find your first full workout below.

HIIT

HITT, or high intensity interval training, is all the hype lately. HIIT is a technique where you give all out one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, rest periods. this type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns fat in less time.

For the scince nerds out there a high intensity workout increases the body's need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recover. This "after-burn effect" is referred to as excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and is the reason why intense exercise will help burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts.

Benefits

1. Increase your metabolism! combining high intensity with interval training results in EPOC (explained above), which speeds up your metabolic rate and causes a metabolism boost for up to 48 hours after a complete HIIT routine. Technically you will still be burning fat even after you leave the gym.

2. Quick and convenient! raise your hand if you have been wanting to start getting fit but you don't feel as if you have enough time during the day. If that's you then you will love HIIT exercise. Long gone are the days of not having enough time for exercise. HIIT can be done anywhere and most sessions are 30 minutes or less. If you think about the amount of time you spend watching TV or aimlessly scrolling through social media you can agree that you have at least 30 minutes.

3. No equipment necessary! No gym membership? Not to worry! HIIT generally only use your body weight (unless you like to get fancy like me), since the focus is on getting your heart rate up and keeping it there. these workouts result in "optimal muscle building and muscle retention couples with fat loss and increased calorie burn.

Beginner Bodyweight HIIT Workout

Ready for a challenge? Perform each exercise at 100 percent effort, with 30 seconds of rest between. Repeat as many times as you feel comfortable with and you can even repeat these sets of exercise multiple times throughout the week to notice a major difference in your fat loss.

50 sit ups

40 jump squats

30 push ups

20 split jumps

10 tricep dips

30 sec burpees

LISS

LISS stands for low intensity steady rate cardio. It is any form of low intensity cardio where you maintain the same pace for a set period of time. This is completely different from HIIT, which focuses on quick bursts of cardio followed by rest mentioned above. Both LISS and HIIT cause you to have the "after-burn affect" which is the continual burning of fat even after you've completed your workout. Although the benefits may not be the same as HIIT, LISS is still worth adding to your workout when needed. So here is why:

Benefits

1. It builds fitness levels. if you are looking to build up your fittness or haven't exercised in a while, LISS is a great way to do this. Not only is it simple to do but it can easily be added yo your exercise routine. this is because LISS generally does not place a lot of strain on your body and can be done several times a week due to quick recovery.

2. It's easy to stick with. I can name a few people who have started to live a healthier lifestyle but failed to continue after a couple of weeks. Consistency is key when it comes to anything beneficial in life especially health. If you want amazing results the only way to achieve them is being constant. LISS is as easy as taking your dog for a walk or going for a walk while listening to your favorite music. if you don't think about it as a chore or something you absolutely have to do, you will be surprised at how much you want to do it. Fitness for me is a lifestyle so I don't necessarily have to go to the gym to get my exercise in, I look at swimming at the pool or beach, or even going long-boarding with my husband as an achievable exercise for the day.

3. Great for recovery. If you have had a few weight training sessions throughout the week doing a HIIT or resistance session may not be the best idea for your body. LISS can be a great way to still fit exercise in because it is low impact. this measn you are less likely to impede your recovery while training your already sore muscles. LISS can actually help to increase blood flow to damaged muscles and reduce post workout stiffness.

Now that you know the benefits of both HIIT and LISS you can begin to incorporate them into your daily workout routines wherever you see fit. My body responds amazingly to HIIT workouts so I have been loving them so much lately but every now and then I am a little too sore to achieve a full HIIT session so LISS definitely comes in handy.