Best Form Of Cardio REVEALED

So the age old question remains; What form of cardio is best?

Firstly, 'best' for what exactly?
Well, if you're training to lose fat then I'd advise adding some form of cardiovascular exercise in 2-3 times a week to increase the size of your calorie deficit and help speed up your fat loss. So in this post I'm going to give reveal which form of cardio is the best for fat loss.

I'm bulking do I still need to do cardio?
It's not absolutely essential but I'd strongly advise that you keep at least one cardio session a week in your training schedule to keep you relatively well conditioned as stopping cardio all together will make it even more painful than it already is when you come to diet down and lose fat.

What's 'best' HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) or LISS (Low Intensity Steady State)?
THERE'S NO DIFFERENCE. DO WHAT YOU ENJOY. A benefit to HIIT is that it is often quicker and can be done pretty much anywhere, even in a hotel room with zero equipment but LISS is often more enjoyable as you don't feel as though your hearts gonna pop out your chest any second and is generally easier on the joints. But it all comes down to calories burnt neither has any super duper advantages over the other.

What's the 'best' form of HIIT?
Again, it depends! It depends on what you enjoy and what you have access to. Personally, I like hill sprints where I sprint up and walk back down, as well as WattBike sprints where I go flat out for 20 seconds before resting for 40 seconds. 20 rounds of either of those and I'm done! Joe Wicks (aka The Body Coach) has some great HIIT workouts on his Youtube which you'll find here. Regardless of what form of HIIT you choose one thing you need to ensure is that it is HIGH INTENSITY as that is where the calories are burnt.

What's the 'best' form of LISS?
It depends! Can you see a theme appearing here? I personally stick to two forms of LISS running and cycling, purely because I have a road bike and I enjoy road running. Getting to a swimming pool for me is more difficult and expensive than going out on my bike or going for a run, so it naturally falls down the pecking order for me. However, if you have bad knees don't attempt to run in an effort to lose fat, go to the pool or buy a bike.

How long should my HIIT sessions be?
From experience I'd advise no longer than 25 minutes as I find any longer than 25 minutes and you will start to lose the High Intensity element, which is the fundamental of the training method. Also, don't be afraid to stop completely during your rest intervals. Time and time again I see people dropping from a sprint to 60% pace and then they wonder why they're a spent force in under 10 minutes.

How long should my LISS sessions be?
It depends how quickly you want to lose fat as the long the session the more calories you will of expended. However, in terms of running I'd advise no longer than 45 minutes as running is a fairly demanding form of cardio on the body and you don't want to be impeding your lifts through still being shattered from your run the day before. Cycling and swimming are a lot less physically demanding on the body but burn calories a little bit slower so I'd advise 90 minute max sessions. Obviously, if you're a keen cyclist or swimmer like myself your sessions will be a little longer for external training purposes.

Take home message?
Do what you enjoy! Do what suits your body! Do what you have access to! Do what you can afford!

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