If HIIT is too intense, try Liss, the low-intensity option for beginners, the injured and the overweight
High-intensity interval training promises fast results, but isn’t suitable for everyone. The alternative is Liss (once known as cardio), which is a low intensity, more sustainable workout that is perfect for beginners
Sometimes it seems that all we hear about is the magic of HIIT – high intensity interval training. This protocol alternates short periods of intense exercise with longer periods of moderate recovery (eg sprinting 30 seconds, then walking or jogging at an easy pace for one minute, and repeating for about 20 minutes total) and promises results in a short time.
However, the concept can be daunting for anyone who is just starting a workout programme, recovering from an injury or surgery, or packing a little more weight than is ideal.
Liss exercise is any repetitive motion for 30 to 45 minutes at 50 to 60 per cent of your maximum heart rate (MHR), according to sports medicine specialist and physical therapist Kevin McGuinness, who works at Washington Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. This typically refers to such activities as walking, swimming, or jogging or biking at an easy pace.
China’s fitness revolution: young women getting that gym body, and showing it off in selfies is part of the experience
“Liss is any activity that gets your heart rate up a little bit and for a longer period of time,” McGuinness says. If it sounds familiar, that’s not surprising: before the recent popularity of HIIT, low intensity exercise was called cardio.