All cardio training tends to get lumped together in one big bucket. There’s the misconception that whether you’re taking a SoulCycle class, going on an easy run, spending some time on the elliptical machine, or logging laps in the pool, cardio is cardio.
In reality, though, not all cardio is created equal, and different types of cardio work different systems in your body. And it’s not so much what you’re doing to get your heart rate up that matters, but how intense that activity is.
One type of training you’re probably not getting enough of: steady-state cardio, which involves working at a sustained moderate intensity, and that in today’s fitness world often gets sidelined for the sexier and more-exciting interval training.
But steady-state cardio has major benefits—and it doesn’t have to be boring. Here’s what you should know about steady-state cardio, and how you can incorporate it into your fitness routine.
What is steady-state cardio?
Steady-state cardio is aerobic activity (as opposed to anaerobic), meaning your body is utilizing oxygen, and using fat as energy rather than carbohydrates, says Heather Milton, RCEP, CSCS, an exercise physiologist at NYU Langone’s Sports Performance Center.
What that actually looks like: a sustained, moderate-intensity effort, where your heart rate is staying relatively stable throughout. Often that’ll involve repetitive exercise like running, cycling, swimming, rowing, or even hiking.
HIIT vs. steady-state cardio: What’s the difference?
High-intensity interval training, on the other hand, is an anaerobic activity (meaning without oxygen), which involves pushing yourself upward of 80 percent of your maximum heart rate to become breathless. “It’s at such a high intensity that your body can’t sustain it, and you have to stop and recover,” says PJ Stahl, CSCS, a Los Angeles-based personal trainer.
So, unlike with steady-state cardio, your heart rate will fluctuate between the intervals and periods of rest. This could look like an indoor cycling class where you’re pushing hard for a minute and then taking a minute to recover, or a sprint workout on the track.
Interval training “helps with our ability to recover and reduce our sympathetic nervous system, meaning it helps return our heart rate back down after high intensity exercise,” Milton says. It can also be efficient for those who have very limited time for exercise and may not be able to fit in those longer sustained efforts. Ideally, though, Milton recommends one to two days of higher-intensity interval work and two to three days of steady-state cardio.
The benefits of steady-state cardio
Steady-state cardio, done consistently, comes with lots of benefits, from increased muscular endurance to increased aerobic capacity to increased overall strength, Stahl says.
“When we’re doing aerobic exercise, we’re improving our heart’s contractility, and our blood vessels’ ability to distribute blood flow across the muscles we’re using,” Milton says. It can also increase mitochondria density, which helps muscles utilize and process oxygen, and capillary density, she says.
“Overall your immune system will be improved because your internal cell strength is increased,” Stahl says. There are also potential brain health and cognitive benefits, he says, like increased hippocampus volume and increased brain blood flow.
One major perk of steady-state cardio: You’ve got lots of options.
The drawbacks of steady-state cardio
The main drawback of steady-state cardio is that it often involves lots of repetitive motion, which can lead to overuse injuries. “If you’re repeating the same motion over and over again, and that’s your primary source of exercise, there’s a chance of overtraining and overuse syndromes like tendinitis and aches and pains,” Milton says. “That can ultimately lead to injury.”
But your steady-state cardio routine doesn’t have to be all one thing. In fact, Stahl points out that a benefit of it is that “as long as you’re hitting those heart rates and those intensity levels, if you have a knee problem, you can go swimming, or if you have a shoulder problem, you can go biking.”
Examples of steady-state cardio exercises
Steady-state cardio can truly be anything that gets your heart rate up and that you can maintain for at least 30 minutes: Running, cycling, swimming, rowing, elliptical, hiking, and stair climbing are common activities that fall into the steady-state cardio category.
But it also doesn’t necessarily have to be a repetitive form of exercise. Stahl created his own steady-state class a few years ago after noticing the lack of workout classes dedicated to steady-state cardio. “A lot of people aren’t doing steady-state training, specifically in classes,” he says. “I was like, how can I make this not boring?”
The resulting class incorporates primarily bodyweight exercises, plus some light weights. The key to keeping it steady-state? What he calls a “heart-rate holder”—a simple exercise, like high knees or jumping jacks, that people can use to keep their heart rate steady if it’s spiking too high, or in moments of transition so it doesn’t dip too low.
How to maximize the effectiveness of steady-state cardio
One way to make sure you’re getting the most out of your steady-state cardio workout? Make sure it’s actually steady-state cardio. That means keeping your heart rate at around 60 to 80 percent of your maximum.
Don’t know what that means? Milton recommends getting an aerobic capacity test that’ll tell you your true maximum heart rate (the information from your fitness watch is really just an estimate). But you can also just go by your perceived exertion, which should be moderate-to-somewhat hard, she says, or breathy but not breathless.
Milton says that especially at the gym on machines like the elliptical, there’s the risk of working at too low an intensity, especially when multitasking with television or a book. “It’s still steady-state, but it isn’t a high enough level of stress on the body to create the adaptations we want to see those benefits,” she says.
Similarly, if you’re taking breaks, you’re missing out on the benefits of steady-state training, Stahl says. If you feel like you have to take breaks, it’s possible you’re going a bit too hard.
Also, remember to warm up and cool down, Stahl says. “You want to slowly increase your breathing rate, slowly start utilizing the oxygen delivery system, slowly work your way up to that 60 percent of max heart rate,” he says. “If you rush into it, you’re actually going to spike your heart rate, and then you’ll have to come back down for recovery, so giving yourself five to 10 minutes to ramp up your intensity level is extremely important.”
Tips for starting a routine
In order to reap all the benefits of steady-state cardio, aim to do it at least three times a week for 30 minutes, Stahl says. He recommends incorporating it into your existing fitness routine, especially after your strength-training sessions.
“You’re already warmed up from your strength training, so it isn’t going to take as long to get your heart rate where you want it,” he says. One major perk of steady-state cardio: You’ve got lots of options, so find one (or more!) that you enjoy doing.
