The lazy girl workout

While the popularity of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) continues to soar, there’s a new workout method that’s been doing the rounds lately. We’re talking about Low-Intensity Steady State (LISS) cardio. While HIIT involves intense bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by varied periods of low-intensity active rest, or complete rest, LISS is any form of low-intensity cardio exercise (walking, swimming, cycling and jogging) performed for a prolonged period of time, usually for up to an hour. The fitness trend has earned the nickname of being the ‘lazy girl workout’ as it doesn’t build strength or muscle as high-intensity exercises do. But some fitness mentors claim it helps strengthen the heart. We asked experts to shed more light on this kind of a workout.

Old wine in a new bottle

Don’t get fooled by its name thinking it’s a modern day concept. “LISS is definitely an old but useful technique. When fitness equipments like treadmill and other gym equipments weren’t present, then walking, cycling, swimming were the modes of cardiovascular fitness. Even when people were not aware of the term fitness, these modes were prevalent and that’s perhaps, is one of the reasons why our forefathers were more fit and healthy than the present generation,” informs Shalini Bhargava, Director, JG’s Fitness Centre, adding that it is still very popular among people in the form of morning/evening walks, cycling, etc which are gaining huge popularity.

LISS vs HIIT

In terms of avoiding potential injuries or in the case of people who cannot participate in HIIT, LISS can be better than HIIT. The former is the answer to aerobic fitness. Also, it can be done without the guidance of a certified specialised trainer. Having said that, the benefits of HIIT has its share of benefits, opines Bharagava. One cannot say LISS is better than HIIT or vice-versa. Each one has its own benefit and it will vary from person to person, says Swapnil Hazare, senior fitness consultant, Prosport Fitness Centre.

Whom is it ideal for?

Hazare says, “LISS is good for improving your cardiovascular fitness levels and overall fitness, especially for beginners, base level fitness enthusiasts, overweight people and people who are looking to drop some fat percentage. Many sportsmen do it in their off-season to improve their cardiovascular fitness. I personally recommend it to people who are just getting started in to fitness, so that they can build a good base of cardiovascular fitness before introduction to new or advanced training methods.” Bhargava says it’s ideal for people who cannot participate in HIIT like senior citizens, people with cardiac problems or other predispositions, high blood pressure or high risk people, pregnant women, people with injuries, and people who do not have access to HIIT classes.

Limitations of LISS

There are pros and cons to everything, and having mentioned the pros above, Hazare mentions its limitations. People who are already into fitness for a long time will not reap much benefit from this as their bodies are already well-conditioned. Also, LISS involves doing workout or an activity for an extended period of time. Nowadays, people are crunched for time and aren’t able to dedicate much time towards this workout. For them, LISS is not practical and they might end up avoiding or skipping exercising.

BENEFITS

SHALINI BHARGAVA MENTIONS SOME POINTS

• It can be done everyday and anywhere.
   
• It can be done by everybody, unless contraindicated by a doctor due to some health concerns.
   
• Is a good modality for non-training days as it helps in muscle recovery from heavy training days, by increasing the flow and supply of blood and oxygen to the muscles and surrounding fascia (fascia are densely packed collagen fibres that wrap around individual internal parts, allowing them to slide easily with your movements). 
   
• It’s least stressful to the joints. 
   
• No equipment required.
   
• Stable for special population.