Steady State Aerobic Work Sucks

Here's a recent study that looked into the effectiveness of steady state aerobic activity vs. high intensity intervals.

McKay et al.Effect of short-term high-intensity interval training vs. continuous training on O2 uptake kinetics, muscle deoxygenation, and exercise performance.J Appl Physiol. 2009 Jul;107(1):128-38. Epub 2009 May 14.

The study comprised of two groups: The first group performed 8 sessions of 8-12 intervals (one minute high intensity and one minute light recovery), the second group performed 8 sessions of 90-120 minutes of steady state cardio.

The high intensity interval group performed 80 minutes of work during the 19 day study. The steady state aerobic group performed 825 minutes of work.

Researchers found that both groups lost the same amount of fat despite the interval group performing one tenth of the time of the steady state aerobic group.

This is no surprise, we've know since the 70s that steady state aerobics are nothing but a waste of time. So why is steady state aerobic work still popular? Because it's easy. Ask any of my clients and they'll tell you that high intensity intervals can be challenging. It's easier to hop on a treamill and watch TV than it is to physically exert yourself.

But the question you have to ask yourself is, do you want fitness or the illusion of fitness?