Steady and Long or High and Short?

[brendazzzz]

I'm at intermediate level and just wondering... Is it better to maintain a steady heartrate for a long period or to have a high heartrate for a shorter time? I would imagine the first choice is better. A lot of Cathe's stuff just kicks my butt though. My heartrate goes high quickly and I can't finish most workouts. How else am I going to condition myself though, right?

 

[gogigi]

I think both have benfits and others here can give you a much better answer, but I would say both are important. With Cathe's cardio add one more interval or one more minute or one more tuck jump or whatever each time you do her workouts. I would alternate kick butt cardio days with longer or shorter workouts that don't take it all out of you though. Good luck and keep at it!
Angela:7

 

[hippahips]

The short bursts in interval training have allowed me to increase my lung capacity and cardiovascular endurance. I also noticed that as time went on, I would take less breaks when doing steady-state cardio, even though I was still taking lots of breaks during interval training (I'd stop every 3 intervals). Eventually I got to the point where I'd take a break only halfway through the Imaxes. Imax 3 is a different story altogether. I know Cathe doesn't take any breaks, but I still take a break halfway through.

Pinky