Sure, running is just as easy as putting on the right shoes and heading outside, but once you get into it, you start to see information in the form of acronyms, such as DNF (did not finish), FKT (fastest known time), plus HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and LISS (low-intensity steady-state workouts).
Not only should you understand what both HIIT and LISS mean, they are also two types of workouts every runner should have on their training plan. So, with the help of experts, we explain the benefits of HIIT versus LISS, plus when to use them throughout training to improve performance so you reach your running goals.
HIIT vs. LISS: How They Compare
High-intensity interval training a.k.a. HIIT workouts involve alternating periods of higher-intensity effort and lower-intensity effort or rest.
On the other end of the spectrum, low-intensity steady-state workouts a.k.a. LISS means exercising at a low to moderate effort for a longer period of time.
Both workouts will help you improve as a runner, according to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. The researchers had 55 untrained college-age people do either HIIT protocols or steady-state training for eight weeks. Both groups saw improvements in their VO2 max and other physical fitness metrics, and there were no significant differences between the groups.
That said, runners will gain slightly different benefits from each type of run, which is why there is room for both types of workouts in every runner’s training plan.
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As mentioned, HIIT workouts include bursts of high-intensity work and then you either pause or do a lower-intensity segment, Milica McDowell, P.T., D.P.T., an exercise physiologist, physical therapist, and vice president of operations at Gait Happens tells Runner’s World. “The gap between the high and the low can vary, and the duration between the high and the low can vary,” she says.
porta potty break maximum heart rate or higher, McDowell explains. The rest or recovery intervals should get you down to 40 to 50 percent of your max heart rate, per the American College of Sports Medicine.
You can do just about any type of workout in a HIIT format, as long as your level of effort changes throughout. HIIT running might include:
- 10 x 100-meter repeats with 30 seconds of rest in between
- Picking up the pace between every other telephone pole
- day, while you may after a HIIT run, per
“The recipe of what goes in the HIIT workout can be really unique and creative,” McDowell says. On a training plan, a HIIT workout might be called repeats, speed, fartlek, or intervals.
Keep in mind that these workouts should be on the shorter side: “HIIT is definitely under an hour, and usually it’s under 30 minutes, because if you’re working at 70 percent or greater of your heart rate max, you’re going to get fatigued,” she adds.
HIIT is supposed to be hard, which means it isn’t necessarily for everyone. Here are the pros and cons.
Benefits of HIIT Workouts
1. HIIT Challenges You
“HIIT really gives individuals an opportunity to train above a threshold,” Alex Rothstein, C.S.C.S., exercise physiologist Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Runner’s World.
Exercising outside of your comfort zone means your body keeps adapting to the work, and you grow stronger, faster, and more comfortable with the discomfort over time, he says, which can help you on race day. HIIT workouts help you learn what it feels like to push through really intense bouts of work, which might be what a surge to the finish line feels like.
Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone also helps you physiologically. McDowell explains that these workouts are based on the concept of “overload.” Essentially, each tough interval challenges your body to work harder so it has to keep adapting to the work, growing stronger in the process.
2. It’s Time Efficient
HIIT runs might only take 20 to 30 minutes, and that’s a plus if that’s all the time you have in the day for exercise, Rothstein says.
Research, including a 2023 meta-analysis in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, routinely shows people get similar benefits to their cardio fitness in less time with HIIT workouts versus moderate-intensity continuous training.
That includes calorie burn, if that’s your goal. You’ll typically burn more during a HIIT run than a LISS run even if it’s shorter, and the rate at which your body burns calories even after you stop running remains higher after a HIIT session, according to ACSM.
3. HIIT Keeps Your Mind Engaged
When you’re building up for, say, a half or full marathon, long, slow miles can start to feel a little tedious, McDowell says. Switching things up with a HIIT run, which can change every time you do one, keeps your brain engaged and might prevent you from feeling bored or unmotivated, she adds.
Drawbacks of HIIT Workouts
1. Changes in Form
When you push yourself to 80- or 90-percent effort, your form might falter a bit as you get tired, Rothstein says. If you’re not aware of those subtle shifts, you could be more likely to trip or reinforce a less-than-ideal movement pattern that sets you up for injury. “It’s not a reason not to do it, but just keep in mind that it’s going to be extra load on the body with maybe not your optimal form the whole time,” he says.
This is another reason to keep your HIIT runs short.
2. Increased Risk of Injury
You shouldn’t do high-intensity running workouts every day without proper time for rest and recovery. day, while you may after a HIIT run, per overuse injuries, Rothstein says.
Speed Workout Progression for New Runners base fitness before you jump in, McDowell says. “If you’re not conditioned, and you decide you’re going to go sprint up a hill several times, that puts your tendons, your muscles, all sorts of structures, at risk,” she explains. So if you’re new to HIIT, make sure to ease into it gradually.
Details on LISS Workouts, Including Pros and Cons
LISS—low-intensity, steady-state workouts—is what you should think of when you see the “fat-burning zone” label on your favorite treadmill, per the Sydney Marathon Results (NASM). It’s also sometimes referred to as LSD or long slow distance The Simple Analogy That Helps Me Pace Smarter.
This is a slow-and-steady pace you could maintain for quite some time and is also sometimes compared to The Simple Analogy That Helps Me Pace Smarter by those who run by heart rate, Rothstein says.
These workouts should get you to somewhere between 50 and 60 percent of your maximum heart rate, a level of effort you should be able to sustain for at least 30 to 60 minutes, McDowell adds.
LISS may not be as efficient as HIIT, but it has its own benefits.
Benefits of LISS Workouts
1. LISS Builds Your Base
Whether you’re new to running or you have a goal to DAA Industry Opt Out, you need to put in the miles that will eventually get you there, Rothstein says. And you should do those miles at a lower intensity in order to build endurance.
Running at a lower intensity also gets your muscles, tendons, and joints used to the motion and impact of running so they can ultimately perform for you at higher intensities.
“I like to say LISS is your insurance policy, sort of like putting pennies in the piggy bank. If you’re not doing LISS, your chance of ending up in my office is way higher,” McDowell says.
2. It Requires Less Recovery Time
You can bounce back more quickly from LISS running. Because LISS isn’t as taxing on the body, you generally won’t need a rest or recovery day after a LISS workout (unless it’s your really long run day), while you may after a HIIT run, per NASM.
3. It Feels Good
Lots of runners lace up simply for the mental health benefits. It’s not uncommon for LISS running to clear your mind, help you feel more grounded or centered, or even bring on the runner’s high—and those are all valid reasons to keep doing it, Rothstein says.
In fact, in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine study mentioned above, exercisers reported an eight-week HIIT routine to be less enjoyable than eight weeks of steady-state training.
4. It trains your gut
Tips to Make Consistent Fitness Progress porta potty break to deal with cramps, diarrhea, and even vomiting. “This sounds funny, but you’ve got to train your guts to jiggle,” McDowell says. LISS workouts help get your insides used to all the jostling, she says, so you’re less likely to experience unpleasant GI symptoms when it really matters.
Drawbacks of LISS Workouts
1. It’s Easier to Plateau
Longer, slower training runs don’t push you outside of your comfort zone, Rothstein says. “After a while, it ends up not being enough stimulus to keep promoting change,” he says. That means you might not notice as much progress toward your goals if you’re only doing LISS running workouts.
2. It Requires More Time
LISS is also more of a time commitment. Your longer, slower runs are probably clocking in at an hour or longer, which isn’t always easy for everyone to carve out of their schedules, McDowell says.
A Beginner HIIT Workout to Improve Your Agility
Clearly, neither HIIT nor LISS is “better” than the other. Instead, aim to blend the two depending on your goals.
If you’re training for a shorter distance, you can probably fit a few more HIIT days into your routine, McDowell says. If you’re training for a longer distance, you’ll probably want more LISS days in your plan. “As your distance increases, your HIIT would go down and your LISS would go up,” she says.
Nutrition - Weight Loss rest days between runs, whether you do a HIIT or LISS workout, McDowell says.
It’s likely that if you follow a training plan, you will see both types of run on your schedule, but if you create your own plan, remember that the best running workout for you is the one you’ll actually stick to, Rothstein says.
