When it comes to cardio, people have two ways to hit it, going steady or using High Intense Interval Training (HIIT). There is nothing wrong with either type of workout as they both have their own benefits and disadvantages.

What it comes down to is what you personally like to do, like burning an abundance of calories (steady state), or burning lingering fat (HIIT).

For college students like me, one of the biggest obstacles to getting a good workout in is the limited time in each day. With HIIT, time is not a big factor since HIIT workouts should be at or under 20 minutes.

Tabata training is one of the most effective forms of HIIT and can last from four minutes to 20 minutes, depending on your preference. This is a workout of eight sets of your choosing. For example, push-ups for 20 seconds and a ten second break.

Another of the benefits of HIIT is that it can increase your metabolism and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) levels. A study by the Department of Physical Education, Sports Science and Recreation Management from Loughborough University, UK, found that these types of workouts can increase your HGH up to 450 percent higher in the one day after the workout.

A disadvantage of HIIT is that your body is at higher risk of being injured. However, with proper stretching you are at lower risk of injury when doing HIIT workouts.

Another disadvantage of HIIT is that it can’t be an everyday workout. However, why would you want to work out the whole week when you could get a week’s worth done in three days?

Although it’s hard to find the time for it, the main benefit is the increase of your aerobic fitness. The better your aerobic fitness, the easier everyday things like hiking, cycling and climbing stairs become. Getting your cardio in is essential to your physical health, and you can’t go wrong with how you get it done.  

Another reason to go with steady state workouts is that there is less of a risk of an injury. If you are pushing your body to the limit in every workout, you open yourself up to injuries such as muscle tears, something less likely with moderate effort.

A downfall of steady state workouts is the time you must invest into it every day.

The benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training outweigh those of Steady State workouts. The main reasons are that HIIT helps with fat tissue loss more than Steady state, which is more for calorie loss. and it takes less time than other workouts.  

Knowing one’s limit is also important, because if you are just a beginner, doing HIIT workouts might be too intense. If you’ve spent a lot of time working out, trying to pick up HIIT workouts might be a good challenge. Whatever you decide to do, just do it and stick with it.