High intensity cardio vs low intensity cardio... whats the diff?

[halik]

I keep hearing about low and high intensity cardio, what exactly is the difference?
My daily run is about 2 miles at 6mph on varying incline (~250 calories), would that be considered high intensity?

 

[everman]

I think it depends on your heart rate, % of maximum heart rate over a certain period of time.

 

[tweakmm]

High intensity - high heart rate/less time
Low intensity - lower rate/more time

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: everman
I think it depends on your heart rate, % of maximum heart rate over a certain period of time.

yeah but difference does it make from the fitness perspective?

 

[TheChort]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: everman
I think it depends on your heart rate, % of maximum heart rate over a certain period of time.

yeah but difference does it make from the fitness perspective?

I think,
high intensity = build muscle
low intensity = tone

but I've been wrong before 🙂

 

[crt1530]

What you probably heard about is "HIIT" or high intensity interval training. This is generally 30-60 seconds of maximal effort sprinting followed by a walk or slow jog for the same distance or time.

Text

 

[Whisper]

Yeah, HIIT is what most people refer to when they mention high-intensity cardio. As crt1530 said, it's basically short bursts of sprinting (30-90 seconds typically), followed by maybe 60-120 seconds of jogging or walking. Depending on your fitness level, you can start by alternating between jogging/walking instead of sprinting/jogging.

It supposedly gives you a better workout, and burns more calories, than regular cardio; more efficient, I guess you'd say.

 

[cyclistca]

High intensity workouts also train you body to recover quicker from a high intensity effort. Good for stuff like bike racing.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: TheChort

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: everman
I think it depends on your heart rate, % of maximum heart rate over a certain period of time.

yeah but difference does it make from the fitness perspective?

I think,
high intensity = build muscle
low intensity = tone

but I've been wrong before 🙂

Cardio does not build muscle.

In general high intensity is better because it elevates your metabolism in the hours following the workout, causing you to burn more calories even at rest.

 

[tcthetank]

high intensity you should only be done for a short period of time, it doesnt burn as much calories as low-medium intensity (because you can only do high intensity for ~15min or so, whereas you can do low-med for a couple hours) but it will increase your metabolism more, so you burn more calories the next few hours overall