Sprint training vs. HIIT vs. long-distance cardio: which is the best?

[Carl-Richard]

So I tried jogging 20 minutes 3 times a week sometime last year, but I stopped because it made me feel drained and weak, and actually significantly more anxious. I figured it had to do with increased levels of cortisol, which also decreases levels of testosterone (or so they say).

So I started thinking: how can I gain the benefits of cardiovascular exercise (e.g. increased blood flow to the brain) while limiting the systemic load that seems to cause elevated cortisol? Well, that is when I started doing 10-minute walks after every meal, but it's obviously not the same as vigorous cardiovascular exercise (but it has its own set of benefits), so I was a bit stuck for a while trying to find a suitable alternative.

Then just recently, I stumbled across the idea of sprint training. As the video claims, sprint training is associated with a massive increase in testosterone, rather than a slight decrease with long-distance cardio (according to some studies). So I started doing that recently, and it certainly made me more mentally sharp (but I probably should've eased myself into it, because I got a migraine and a lung infection the day after my 2nd sprint session; I never get migraines anymore and I rarely ever get sick either).

So there is a definitely a systemic load aspect, just by the fact that it likely weakened my immune system, but also I noticed a slight increase in anxiety. Maybe that is just how my brain is supposed to work. Maybe lifting weights without cardio puts me in a bit of a too mentally tranquil hyper-anabolic state, and that the place where my brain works the best is for some reason more prone to anxiety (and maybe it's just circumstantial and up to me to fix it, like social awkwardness).

On the other hand, I did not feel weak or drained like when I did 20-minute jogs. Another fun benefit is that you don't get that annoying burning sensation in your calves and soreness the day after (or at least I don't; maybe my fast-twitch muscle fibers are adapted to that level of strain from regular weight training).

I've also tried to think about why jogging for 20 minutes should lead to a higher systemic load in the first place, or the kind of systemic load that significantly elevates levels of cortisol, more so than sprint training (and weight training). I think it has something to do with rest times:

Let's say you run for 20 minutes straight, which involves a constant elevated heart rate, constant strain on the muscles, and constant recruitment of the respiratory system. It's essentially telling your body "this isn't going to end, we need more resources", hence you start tapping into the stress response; start secreting cortisol, increasing blood sugar levels, increasing energy to the muscles, etc.

On the other hand, if you sprint for 20 seconds and rest for 4 minutes (like suggested in the video), your respiratory system doesn't really engage before the last couple of seconds of the sprint, and then you let your muscles relax and let your heart rate drop almost back down to resting heart rate before the next set. It's similar for weight training, where you'll rest for maybe half of that time, but it's even less demanding for your respiratory system, so the stress response is even less.

And why should the recruitment of particularly the respiratory system lead to that type of systemic load and stress response involving particularly cortisol? Well, because the respiratory system is arguably the main system that feeds every organ in your body. If that system gets taxed, then you would need an equivalently global response to address it, which would be hormones like cortisol that e.g. elevate the global levels of glucose that impact all bodily tissues.

I'm of course not a physiology expert, so I would like to hear some of your guys' input: is my reasoning for why I prefer sprint training (and weigh training) over long-distance cardio scientifically sound? Is even the studies listed in the video scientifically sound? Was my negative reaction to the 20-minute jogs just because I wasn't adapted to it and that it's something I could've adapted to over time? What is the best option for cardiovascular health: sprints, high-intensity interval training, long-distance cardio, a combination, or something else?

By the way, I highly recommend walking 10 minutes after every meal. It's relaxing and refreshing, and my immune system has never been stronger (but a possible confound could be zinc tablets; take those too ).

Edited November 5, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[aurum]

@Carl-Richard

You’re definitely on the right track.

Unless your actual goal is to be a competitive marathon runner, forget standard cardio. Waste of time.

I prefer to get my cardio via activities like variable resistance training, walking, sauna or cold exposure.

If someone insists on during more traditional cardio like biking / swimming / running, than the tier list goes like this:

1) REHIT

2) HIIT

3) Zone 2 

The challenge with REHIT is that it tends to be difficult to actually correctly implement. Thus HIIT becomes the pragmatic winner. But I still prefer REHIT if I can get it.

[vishnusavestheday]

I sometimes run 6-8 mile courses once or twice a month, but right now I prefer hill sprints for cardio because of the minimal muscle fatigue and I work a lot right now on the ambulance.

 

I have this hill up my street. I live in San Francisco, where there are plenty of uphills. My hill is about 167 feet sustained over 0.5 miles, so I can do a couple laps up, then walk down, then I'm good for the day.

[hyruga]

2 min HIIT training is probably the best. Neither too short like 20 seconds nor too long.

Do around 3 to 5 rounds of HIIT.

 

[Carl-Richard]

On 5.11.2023 at 6:47 AM, hyruga said:

2 min HIIT training is probably the best. Neither too short like 20 seconds nor too long.

Do around 3 to 5 rounds of HIIT.

I've heard other people also say this; that it's "too short". Too short for what? It's too short for HIIT, or long-distance cardio, but for sprint training, it's just perfect. If your goal is to run at maximum speed continuously for a short period, 20 seconds is perfect.

There is also something very special about sprint training that I haven't mentioned. At the very end of your sprint, the intensity of your breathing skyrockets I think many times higher than the average intensity of long-distance cardio, maybe also HIIT. It's so intense that you have to stop, or else you'll become sick. This level of intensity, even though it's for a short period of time, surely must have interesting benefits for the cardiovascular system.

Besides, why should breathing at medium intensity over 20 minutes necessarily produce a stronger/healthier cardiovascular system at baseline than shorter alternatives? Likewise, why should HIIT be better than sprint? It's kind of like saying that you should only lift medium weights with many reps to build a strong body that can support your everyday activities, not heavy weights with few reps. What kind of logic is that? Obviously, heavier weights = stronger body. Does it then not follow that more intense breathing = stronger cardiovascular system? Or is it the case that your lungs have a kind of Goldilocks zone of long-term medium intensity stimulation for maximizing lung capacity?

Edited November 6, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[LoneWonderer]

Do like Bryan Johnson. Stregth training + cardio this is the best healthiest thing to do period. Do whatever combination of those two things you like but get your muscles engaged and your cardio in.

[Carl-Richard]

4 hours ago, LoneWonderer said:

Do like Bryan Johnson. Stregth training + cardio this is the best healthiest thing to do period. Do whatever combination of those two things you like but get your muscles engaged and your cardio in.

I do strength training too. It's the main thing I do. I asked about which type of cardio is best. Certainly, doing the type of cardio that makes you look like a twig (e.g. long-distance running) wouldn't go well with strength training (but apparently sprinting does; just look at sprinters and how buff they are)... or could anybody provide a counterargument?

Edited November 7, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[The0Self]

Just for cardiovascular health? You’re overthinking it. Incline treadmill walking — very easy on the joints; you’ll thank yourself when you’re 70. Hit target heart rate for desired time. A good starting point is probably 140bpm for 30min. Something like 8-12° incline at 2.8-3.6mph. Listen to whatever on airpods, or not. Higher HR will produce more adaptations but the stimulus to fatigue ratio is a lot lower the higher you go past 140-145bpm, which would be fine if it’s all the exercise you’re doing, but since resistance training is far more beneficial anyway (not that you shouldn’t do both cardio and weights/calisthenics), you might want to spare some fatigue reserves for that. I wouldn’t go below 130bpm though, because even though the s/f will be ultra high, the adaptations will be quite slow.

Edited November 8, 2023 by The0Self

[hyruga]

Why such a title?

There's no best training in this short life we have (less than 130 years).

You decide on what you want to be: a weight lifter, a marathoner, someone healthy and fit or a sprinter etc and then you train based on what you want or need.

Obviously, a weight lifter should not be running marathons monthly but he can still run long distance once in a while to keep his other muscles and stamina healthy. But to do well in his sport, he would still have to focus a large amount of time on weight lifting.

 

 

[Carl-Richard]

15 hours ago, hyruga said:

Why such a title?

If there was a best way to train, would you not choose that way?

 

15 hours ago, hyruga said:

There's no best training in this short life we have (less than 130 years).

You decide on what you want to be: a weight lifter, a marathoner, someone healthy and fit or a sprinter etc and then you train based on what you want or need.

Let's say I want to optimize blood flow to the brain at rest. How should I train?

[The0Self]

12 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

Let's say I want to optimize blood flow to the brain at rest. How should I train?

Quote

Incline treadmill walking — very easy on the joints; you’ll thank yourself when you’re 70. Hit target heart rate for desired time. A good starting point is probably 140bpm for 30min. Something like 8-12° incline at 2.8-3.6mph.

 

[Carl-Richard]

@The0Self Ok, now let's say I also want to optimize testosterone levels. Does that lean more in favor of incline treadmill walking or sprints?

[The0Self]

30 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

@The0Self Ok, now let's say I also want to optimize testosterone levels. Does that lean more in favor of incline treadmill walking or sprints?

Neither would affect it much, but either would help if you’re sedentary. So I myself (if I were anywhere near sedentary) would not choose sprints, since the other option is far lower impact. Testosterone is very hard to significantly increase without resistance training of the sort that involves increased muscle mass over time (i.e. damn hard work) as the body responds with that to avoid future injury, as that’s when testosterone is actually, to the body, signaled as “needed.”

Edited November 9, 2023 by The0Self

[Carl-Richard]

2 minutes ago, The0Self said:

Testosterone is very hard to significantly increase without resistance training of the sort that involves increased muscle mass over time as the body responds with that to avoid future injury, as that’s when testosterone is actually, to the body, signaled as “needed.”

Maybe that is why sprinters are so jacked?

I'm not sedentary btw 😆

[The0Self]

13 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

Maybe that is why sprinters are so jacked?

I'm not sedentary btw 😆

Elite sprinters quite often squat 500-600lb. That takes an enormous amount of hard work under the squat rack. Usually they train with front squats or similar variations. Idk if they do SSB SQ’s but those are kind of similar to front squats but with way less (but still quite a lot of) technique involved.

And btw that’s actually way more beside the point because sprinters train like 10 hours a week minimum and get jacked as a mere almost insignificant (in relation to the work that went into their competitive sprinting goals) side effect of that (not just that but a lot of other work), but that side effect would not be available to anyone who isn’t literally a competitive sprinter themselves — the time it would take would be absolutely preposterous.

I mean some people do train like gymnasts because they want big biceps like gymnasts. It’s also dumb though since they could just directly expose the biceps to intensity+volume+frequency (the only reason the gymnasts are getting bigger biceps in the first place, albeit 100% coincidentally) and get results 20x faster.

In other words, imagine how much sprinting one would have to do to get jacked. It’s about the same amount a competitive sprinter does, in addition to all their other work. So if you want to get jacked (which would signal the body to produce more testosterone), do it, but sprinting would clearly be an incredibly time-inefficient method for that.

Edited November 9, 2023 by The0Self

[Carl-Richard]

11 hours ago, The0Self said:

In other words, imagine how much sprinting one would have to do to get jacked. It’s about the same amount a competitive sprinter does, in addition to all their other work. So if you want to get jacked (which would signal the body to produce more testosterone), do it, but sprinting would clearly be an incredibly time-inefficient method for that.

But it goes to show that choosing sprint as your choice of cardio at least wouldn't counteract getting jacked, meanwhile choosing a form of training where the top atheletes associated with that training look like twigs would, no? I'm not thinking about using sprinting as a sole method for getting jacked. I just want my cardio to go well with my already well-established weight training habit.

[The0Self]

3 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

I just want my cardio to go well with my already well-established weight training habit.

Then I’d choose a low impact variation that wouldn’t interfere with overall fatigue, like incline treadmill walking.

[Carl-Richard]

1 hour ago, The0Self said:

Then I’d choose a low impact variation that wouldn’t interfere with overall fatigue, like incline treadmill walking.

Is that true; that 140 bpm for 30 min leads to less fatigue than sprinting 20 secs x 4 with 4 minutes rest in-between? And are the cardiovascular effects comparable?

Edited November 9, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[something_else]

I guess it depends on your fitness goals. I really like being able to exercise for a long time and not get tired. I also like the feeling of freedom you can get from being able to run or hike long distances.

For me, I feel like being able to run 10k is pretty healthy and it's what I'm currently training for. I don't see much point in being able to run further than that though tbh.

[The0Self]

45 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

Is that true; that 140 bpm for 30 min leads to less fatigue than sprinting 20 secs x 4 with 4 minutes rest in-between? And are the cardiovascular effects comparable?

Yes almost certainly on both counts. As in the treadmill would be at least as good. The cardiovascular effects of tread would probably mog sprinting with that much rest.

Edited November 9, 2023 by The0Self