Study: HIIT no more effective than steady-state cardio for new exercisers

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of those training styles (modalities) that most of us have heard of but likely have not consciously or purposely participated in.

Although many of our favourite classes or trainers have been sneaking this modality into our training for a while now it's been looked down on by some as perfectly valid but a bit of a fad for general populations - that's fitness talk for normal people who go to the gym.

HIIT advocates say that this type of intense interval exercise with short rest periods can produce significant results in a shorter time, which can help time-strapped people improve their health. The ACE study set out to see if this was the case.

"In the study, the HIIT workouts didn't produce significantly greater improvements in markers of aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance compared to steady-state cardio for sedentary young adults," said ACE Chief Science Officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D.

You can read a report on the study here as reported in Club Industry.

ACE is the largest non-profit health and fitness certification, education and training organisation in the world.