drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
by Dr. Chad Waterbury
In the 1990s, two pieces of research on HIIT were the impetus for a dramatic shift in the way people do cardio. Long jogs were replaced by nausea-inducing, high-intensity intervals. Since HIIT is relatively new in research, we don't yet know what, if any, long-term health ramifications could come from consistently putting the body into metabolic acidosis. But there are some strong indicators suggesting it might contribute to heart arrhythmias and damage your otherwise healthy muscle proteins.
For years, I was as guilty as any coach for popularizing HIIT. The workouts take less time, and the fatigue they create definitely makes you feel like you did something beneficial. But over the last year I've switched back to lower-intensity cardio workouts for my clients. I noticed two improvements: They felt better overall; they had more energy during the day and slept better at night, and they recovered faster from their lifting workouts. Long-duration cardio performed at a low intensity upregulates hormones and neurotransmitters that are conducive to recovery. Conversely, the high-threshold motor unit recruitment and joint strain that accompanies HIIT is like adding another weight training session, which can often drain the athlete's recovery capacity.
But the idea of jogging on a treadmill for 45 minutes is as appealing as eating dinner in a gas station bathroom. And if you're an explosive athlete, spending hours doing leisurely jogs or pedaling an exercise bike could lead to muscle fiber conversions that make you slower and weaker. So what can you do to get the benefits of long-duration cardio without the boredom and muscle fiber conversions? Kickboxing.
Kickboxing targets all the elements any athlete wants: It builds athleticism because it challenges your balance, agility and reflexes. By constantly switching between punches and kicks, you're not overworking any single muscle group, minimizing muscle fiber conversions. You don't need to be good at kickboxing for it to be an effective cardio-booster. The key is to do it at an intensity you can sustain for 30 minutes or more.
In the 1990s, two pieces of research on HIIT were the impetus for a dramatic shift in the way people do cardio. Long jogs were replaced by nausea-inducing, high-intensity intervals. Since HIIT is relatively new in research, we don't yet know what, if any, long-term health ramifications could come from consistently putting the body into metabolic acidosis. But there are some strong indicators suggesting it might contribute to heart arrhythmias and damage your otherwise healthy muscle proteins.
For years, I was as guilty as any coach for popularizing HIIT. The workouts take less time, and the fatigue they create definitely makes you feel like you did something beneficial. But over the last year I've switched back to lower-intensity cardio workouts for my clients. I noticed two improvements: They felt better overall; they had more energy during the day and slept better at night, and they recovered faster from their lifting workouts. Long-duration cardio performed at a low intensity upregulates hormones and neurotransmitters that are conducive to recovery. Conversely, the high-threshold motor unit recruitment and joint strain that accompanies HIIT is like adding another weight training session, which can often drain the athlete's recovery capacity.
But the idea of jogging on a treadmill for 45 minutes is as appealing as eating dinner in a gas station bathroom. And if you're an explosive athlete, spending hours doing leisurely jogs or pedaling an exercise bike could lead to muscle fiber conversions that make you slower and weaker. So what can you do to get the benefits of long-duration cardio without the boredom and muscle fiber conversions? Kickboxing.
Kickboxing targets all the elements any athlete wants: It builds athleticism because it challenges your balance, agility and reflexes. By constantly switching between punches and kicks, you're not overworking any single muscle group, minimizing muscle fiber conversions. You don't need to be good at kickboxing for it to be an effective cardio-booster. The key is to do it at an intensity you can sustain for 30 minutes or more.
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