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High-Intensity Intervals vs Low-Intensity Steady State: Which Is Better for Your Run Performance?

Everything to know about high-intensity interval training and low-intensity steady-state cardio—and how they benefit your running performance.

Sure, running is just as easy as putting on the right shoes and heading outside, but once you get into it, you start to see information in the form of acronyms, such as DNF (did not finish), FKT (fastest known time), plus HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and LISS (low-intensity steady-state workouts).

Not only should you understand what both HIIT and LISS mean, they are also two types of workouts every runner should have on their training plan. So, with the help of experts, we explain the benefits of HIIT versus LISS, plus when to use them throughout training to improve performance so you reach your running goals.

HIIT vs. LISS: How They Compare

High-intensity interval training a.k.a. HIIT workouts involve alternating periods of higher-intensity effort and lower-intensity effort or rest.

On the other end of the spectrum, low-intensity steady-state workouts a.k.a. LISS means exercising at a low to moderate effort for a longer period of time.

Both workouts will help you improve as a runner, according to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. The researchers had 55 untrained college-age people do either HIIT protocols or steady-state training for eight weeks. Both groups saw improvements in their VO2 max and other physical fitness metrics, and there were no significant differences between the groups.

That said, runners will gain slightly different benefits from each type of run, which is why there is room for both types of workouts in every runner’s training plan.

Details on HIIT Workouts, Including Pros and Cons

As mentioned, HIIT workouts include bursts of high-intensity work and then you either pause or do a lower-intensity segment, Milica McDowell, P.T., D.P.T., an exercise physiologist, physical therapist, and vice president of operations at Gait Happens tells Runner’s World. “The gap between the high and the low can vary, and the duration between the high and the low can vary,” she says.

Typically, the high-intensity work intervals should be

Benefits of HIIT Workouts

1. HIIT Challenges You

“HIIT really gives individuals an opportunity to train above a threshold,” Alex Rothstein, C.S.C.S., exercise physiologist and program coordinator of exercise science at the New York Institute of Technology tells Runner’s World.

Exercising outside of your comfort zone means your body keeps adapting to the work, and you grow stronger, faster, and more comfortable with the discomfort over time, he says, which can help you on race day. HIIT workouts help you learn what it feels like to push through really intense bouts of work, which might be what a surge to the finish line feels like.

Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone also helps you physiologically. McDowell explains that these workouts are based on the concept of “overload.” Essentially, each tough interval challenges your body to work harder so it has to keep adapting to the work, growing stronger in the process.

2. It’s Time Efficient

HIIT runs might only take 20 to 30 minutes, and that’s a plus if that’s all the time you have in the day for exercise, Rothstein says.

Research, including a 2023 meta-analysis in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, routinely

This is another reason to keep your HIIT runs short.

2. Increased Risk of Injury

You shouldn’t do high-intensity running workouts every day without proper time for rest and recovery. Overdoing it with HIIT can put you at risk for overuse injuries, Rothstein says.

You also need to have some amount of base fitness before you jump in, McDowell says. “If you’re not conditioned, and you decide you’re going to go sprint up a hill several times, that puts your tendons, your muscles, all sorts of structures, at risk,” she explains. So if you’re new to HIIT, make sure to ease into it gradually.

Details on LISS Workouts, Including Pros and Cons

LISS—low-intensity, steady-state workouts—is what you should think of when you see the “fat-burning zone” label on your favorite treadmill, per the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). It’s also sometimes referred to as LSD or long slow distance training, McDowell says.

This is a slow-and-steady pace you could maintain for quite some time and is also sometimes compared to zone 2 training by those who run by heart rate, Rothstein says.

These workouts should get you to somewhere between 50

3. It Feels Good

Lots of runners lace up simply for the mental health benefits. It’s not uncommon for LISS running to clear your mind, help you feel more grounded or centered, or even bring on the runner’s high—and those are all valid reasons to keep doing it, Rothstein says.

In fact, in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine study mentioned above, exercisers reported an eight-week HIIT routine to be less enjoyable than eight weeks of steady-state training.

4. It trains your gut

New runners or runners tackling a new distance are no strangers to the mid-run porta potty break to deal with cramps, diarrhea, and even vomiting. “This sounds funny, but you’ve got to train your guts to jiggle,” McDowell says. LISS workouts help get your insides used to all the jostling, she says, so you’re less likely to experience unpleasant GI symptoms when it really matters.

Drawbacks of LISS Workouts

1. It’s Easier to Plateau

Longer, slower training runs don’t push you outside of your comfort zone, Rothstein says. “After a while, it ends up not being enough stimulus to keep promoting change,” he says. That means you might not notice as much progress

It’s likely that if you follow a training plan, you will see both types of run on your schedule, but if you create your own plan, remember that the best running workout for you is the one you’ll actually stick to, Rothstein says.

(10/27/2024) Views: 200 ⚡AMP