Researchers have been debating this question for decades: When it comes to fat loss, are people better off doing HIIT or traditional cardio?
There’s little doubt exercise is great for helping people lose and maintain their weight. “The most successful weight-loss maintainers — those who lose weight and keep it off — often credit a regular exercise regime as a key component to keeping the weight off,” says Shelley Keating, PhD, researcher at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at The University of Queensland, Australia.
But while exercise in general can be a helpful aid in weight loss and weight maintenance, surely one form is more effective than others, right?
Before we dive into the research on moderate-intensity versus high-intensity cardio, it may be helpful to clarify a couple of different types of interval training. And because definitions can vary depending on who you ask, here’s how Keating and her research group define two popular forms of interval training: