Dr. Ahmed If you’re dealing with obesity, it’s difficult to ignore two conflicting messages. One side says you should do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for “maximum burn”.
Meanwhile, their opposition recommends leisurely walks or gentle biking since they believe these are safer and more sustainable. Which camp should you follow?
Both will work. Exercise can improve your health, help you hold onto muscle while losing weight, and help reinforce habits that help you keep the weight off.
The best approach depends on your time, your joints, your preferences, and what you’ll do repeatedly next week.
What is HIIT?
HIIT alternates hard efforts with easy recovery. A common pattern is 30–90 seconds “on” at roughly RPE 7–9/10 (about 85–95% of max heart rate if you track it), followed by equal or longer easy work at RPE 2–3.
RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion.
It’s a subjective scale (usually from 0–10 or sometimes 6–20) that helps you gauge how hard you feel you’re working during exercise, regardless of your actual heart rate or pace.
In your example:
- RPE 7–9/10 → Feels like a hard effort (breathing heavy, can only say a few words, close to your limit).
- RPE 2–3/10 → Feels like light activity or easy recovery (breathing is comfortable, you could hold a conversation).
It’s a useful way to structure workouts like HIIT without needing a heart rate monitor.
Here is a simplified RPE Scale (0–10)
- 0 – Rest (lying down, no effort).
- 1 – Very easy (slow walk, hardly noticeable).
- 2–3 – Easy (light effort, can talk comfortably, warm-up/recovery pace).
- 4 – Moderate (breathing a little faster, can hold a conversation but not sing).
- 5–6 – Somewhat hard (steady effort, conversation possible but with pauses).
- 7–8 – Hard (breathing heavy, can only speak short phrases, sustainable for a few minutes).
- 9 – Very hard (close to maximum, only a few words possible, not sustainable for long).
- 10 – Max effort (all-out sprint, can’t talk, only a few seconds possible).
In your HIIT example:
- Work phase = RPE 7–9 (hard, breathless, near max).
- Recovery = RPE 2–3 (easy, relaxed breathing, able to recover).
RPE vs Heart Rate Zones
| RPE (0–10) | Effort Description | % of Max HR | Training Zone |
| 0 | Rest | — | Rest |
| 1 | Very easy, like sitting or strolling | <40% | Very Light |
| 2–3 | Easy, warm-up/recovery pace | 40–55% | Light / Fat-burning |
| 4 | Moderate, can talk comfortably | 55–70% | Moderate / Endurance |
| 5–6 | Somewhat hard, steady pace | 70–80% | Aerobic / Tempo |
| 7–8 | Hard, breathing heavy, only short phrases | 80–90% | Anaerobic / Threshold |
| 9 | Very hard, near max, a few words only | 90–95% | VO₂ max |
| 10 | Maximum effort, all-out sprint | 95–100% | Max Effort |
👉 For HIIT:
- Work intervals: RPE 7–9 → about 85–95% of max HR
- Recovery intervals: RPE 2–3 → about 40–55% of max HR
This way, if you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you can use RPE. If you do track HR, you can cross-check both.
Sessions usually include 10–20 minutes of work, not counting warm-up and cool-down, and can be done on a bike, rower, elliptical, in a pool, or on a treadmill. Low-impact tools are often best for larger bodies or sore joints.
What is Steady-State?
Steady-state (sometimes called moderate-intensity continuous training, or MICT) simply holds the same comfortable pace.
Think RPE 3-5/10 (≈64-76% max heart rate) for 20-60 minutes. Activities like walking, cycling, and swimming are ideal.
Walking up an incline, water aerobics, and recumbent cycling offer both cardio and low impact. This type of training recovers well, is easy to learn, and fits in nicely on most days.
HIIT vs. Steady-State Cardio: Which works best for obesity?
Fat loss and body weight:
When you equal total work and energy, HIIT does not reliably outperform steady-state for weight, BMI, waist circumference, or body fat, in adults who are overweight or obese.
A systematic review and meta-analysis from 2023 showed no significant differences in body-composition change between HIIT and steady-state, but HIIT showed a modest benefit in health markers of more significant insulin sensitivities. [Ref]
Overall exercise proposition for weight management accomplishes maintenance of lean mass, increased health markers, and ease of adherence to a caloric deficit. Dietary offset is mostly where the offset comes from.
Cardiometabolic Health:
Both training approaches improve fitness and lipid profiles. Studies on adults with overweight/obesity to suggest HIIT may be a time-efficient behavior for improving aerobic fitness as indicated by VO₂max and vascular function – especially if the conditions matched intervals are ≥2 minutes, or the energy expenditure is matched across the training programs. [Ref].
For glucose control, low-volume HIIT in people with type 2 diabetes improves fasting glucose, HbA1c, and cardiorespiratory outcomes compared with non-exercising controls, with effects similar to longer steady work when adherence is solid [Ref].
Adherence and enjoyment:
Real-world success is based upon what you will actually do on a regular basis. Another study on insufficiently active adults and those with health conditions showed no difference in compliance to supervised HIIT vs. MICT (≈89% vs. 92%) and comparable adherence rates for unsupervised programs; adherence results were variable according to protocol and measurement. [Ref]
Another meta-analysis focusing on enjoyment in people with overweight/obesity reported similar affective responses for HIIT and MICT, with shorter HIIT sessions sometimes rated more favorably in time-pressed participants. [Ref]
Key Considerations:
Time efficiency:
HIIT compresses stimulus into shorter sessions. If your barrier is time, intervals are compelling.
But fat loss still follows energy balance and weekly minutes; you don’t outrun a surplus with clever programming. Steady-state can take longer per session, yet is easy to accumulate on most days.
Joint stress and learning curve:
Impact HIIT magnifies ground-reaction forces and requires good technique; low-impact machines reduce that load. Steady walking or cycling is simpler to execute and repeat.
Perceived exertion and recovery:
Intervals feel harder and usually require at least a day between them, especially early on. Steady work is easier to recover from, which may let you move more often.
Plateau management:
Progress comes from gradual overload: extra minutes, a small incline, a slightly faster pace, or one more interval. Change one lever at a time.
Who Benefits Most from Each?
• Beginners or deconditioned individuals often do best starting with steady-state at an easy conversational pace (RPE 3–4) and adding small interval “tastes” later.
• People with joint pain or higher orthopedic risk tend to thrive on low-impact tools; if you add intervals, keep work bouts short (20–40 seconds) and the recovery generous.
• Time-poor but motivated adults can use 15–25-minute low-impact HIIT sessions to bank fitness quickly.
• High-stress or poor-sleep lifestyles may favor more steady days to reduce overall arousal, with one modest HIIT day if you enjoy a hard effort.
• Older adults or anyone returning after a long break should build a base with steady-state and light resistance work; trial intervals once 30+ minutes at RPE 4 feel easy.
Pick the path that matches your goals, time, joints, and headspace. If you’ve got 20 minutes and like pushing hard, use low-impact HIIT and respect recovery. If you’re rebuilding capacity, need a calming routine, or have cranky joints—go steady and accumulate minutes most days.
If you want both benefits and enjoy variety, run a hybrid: two interval days and two or three steady days usually cover the weekly targets.
If you have cardiovascular disease risk, diabetes complications, or orthopedic red flags, get individualized advice and start with low-impact options, using prescreening tools to guide you.
Conclusion:
For obesity management, HIIT and steady-state are both effective. When total work is similar, neither clearly beats the other for fat loss; your diet and your consistency drive the scale.
HIIT often delivers bigger fitness and vascular gains per minute—especially with longer intervals and matched energy—but it feels harder and needs careful spacing.
Steady-state is available, joint-friendly, and simple to repeat, which frequently equates to more total movement over time.
The best plan is the one you’ll do: find the modality you enjoy, progress methodically, accompany it with good nutrition and sleep hygiene, and collaborate with your clinician if you have comorbidities.
- 97% Pure Berberine Powder – High-purity, plant-derived extract with a rich yellow color. Carefully processed and lab-tes…
- Naturally Bitter Taste – Berberine has a strong, naturally bitter flavor. Best enjoyed when mixed with smoothies, tea, c…
- 100g in Resealable Foil Pouch – Packaged in a premium aluminum pouch to protect from moisture and light, keeping the pow…
- 5 Delicious Flavors: Freeze-Dried Mango, Freeze-Dried Blueberry, Freeze-Dried Orange, Freeze-Dried Dragon Fruit & Freeze…
- Pure and Natural Ingredients: Our fruit powders are made without synthetic pesticides, GMOs, or harmful chemicals. Each …
- Health Benefits: Our carefully selected fruits are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and digestive enzymes to s…
- 🌿 4 Tangy Citrus Flavors in One Pack: Enjoy a delicious variety of Orange, Lime, Lemon, and Kiwi powder – 5 sachets of e…
- 💧Easy to Mix & Refreshing: Just add to water, smoothies, sparkling drinks, or tea for a vibrant citrus kick. Dissolves i…
- 🛡️Rich in Vitamin C & Antioxidants: Made from real fruit powders, this mix offers a natural source of vitamin C to suppo…
- VARIETY PACK – Includes 5 delicious organic berry powder flavors: Freeze-Dried Goji Berry, Freeze-Dried Strawberry, Free…
- PURE INGREDIENTS – Made with 100% natural, freeze-dried berries and absolutely no added sugar, artificial ingredients, o…
- CONVENIENT PACKAGING – Contains 20 pre-portioned 5g packets (100g total), eliminating the need for measuring and ensurin…
