LISS, MISS, HISS, HIIT, or some other JSF-exclusive acronym?:lol:

I ask this because in another thead, I was told that MISS only maintains cardio endurance. So, what kind of cardio would help me increase endurance?

LISS, MISS, HISS, HIIT, or some other JSF-exclusive acronym?:lol:

I ask this because in another thead, I was told that MISS only maintains cardio endurance. So, what kind of cardio would help me increase endurance?

The best endurance training is a blend of mostly high intensity stuff which is in intervals (HIIT qualifies but is not the only thing of this sort) and then some long LISS workouts.

You sort of have to tailor the program to your current state. So if you have very poor endurance, you might have to work on MISS until you are comfortable doing HIIT. Once you can do HIIT (or equivalent high intensity work) then that is usually the best way to increase endurance both for VO2max and for lactate threshold (which are both important).

But eventually, you can get the VO2max up quite a bit and maybe the lactate threshold is lagging. That is when you add a small number of very long LISS workouts. These are to expand the mitochondria.

The way this works is that the high intensity work stresses your aerobic carbohydrate metabolism, but the adaptation which that produces increases things which contribute to both the aerobic carbohydrate metabolism and the aerobic fat metabolism.

Except for the low intensity very long work that prompts mitochondrial adaptation.

Now the key is to get to a pretty high condition going so that the long LISS you do for mitochondria is actually quite a bit of work. If you do long LISS before you get in shape, it still does what you want it to, but it doesn't burn as many Calories, etc.

I ask this because in another thead, I was told that MISS only maintains cardio endurance. So, what kind of cardio would help me increase endurance?

What do you mean by cardio endurance? Are you talking about performance or cardiovascular fitness? Having great cardiovascular fitness is different from performing great at a given cardio activity. A great runner, for example, won't necessarily be a great swimmer or bicyclist (or vice versa).

What do you mean by cardio endurance? Are you talking about performance or cardiovascular fitness? Having great cardiovascular fitness is different from performing great at a given cardio activity. A great runner, for example, won't necessarily be a great swimmer or bicyclist (or vice versa).

Sorry, i'm talking about cardiovascular fitness.

Sorry, i'm talking about cardiovascular fitness.
Just checking. :) Pay heed to what zens has said. He is definitely the man to talk to about that. :tu:

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Sounds groovy. Isn't the theory that training at or slightly above your lactate threshold is optimal for cardiovascular fitness? At least for most of us.

I know that elite endurance athletes have a sort of polarised training routine. As in they rarely train at their lactate threshold. A small amount of training above the LT, and a huge amount of LISS. But they're professionals and it's a fulltime job, so that small amount of training above the LT is probably quite a lot, and they do a lot of LISS so they don't overtrain and injure themselves. So that seems to correlate with:

The best endurance training is a blend of mostly high intensity stuff which is in intervals (HIIT qualifies but is not the only thing of this sort) and then some long LISS workouts.

Sounds groovy. Isn't the theory that training at or slightly above your lactate threshold is optimal for cardiovascular fitness? At least for most of us.

I know that elite endurance athletes have a sort of polarised training routine. As in they rarely train at their lactate threshold. A small amount of training above the LT, and a huge amount of LISS.

You seem to come from the point of view that cardiovascular fitness comes from endurance. It's sort of the other way around - cardiovascular fitness is one component of endurance. The two can be, and often are related, but not necessarily.

If you work the aerobic carbohydrate metabolism up, you will end up with excellent cardiovascular fitness, but not necessarily that much endurance. Think of sprinters, weight lifters, etc. In order to get long endurance, you need to work the aerobic fat metabolism. (Which is where that extra LISS you mention comes in.)

The biggest and fastest improvements in VO2max and lactate threshold come from the most intense exercise - how high above the lactate threshold you can get it. Not slightly above, but freaking hammer it.

On the other hand, that is also the least comfortable and possibly riskiest way to improve your cardiovascular fitness.

Now elite endurance athletes have a very high lactate threshold, so it can be debilitating (and not necessarily that possible) for them to go up much higher than the lactate threshold.

But other elite athletes who have a pretty high lactate threshold, and who are looking to increase VO2max, will use really hard work.

What is optimal for "most of us"? Optimal for anyone depends on a lot of personal things. But high intensity is typically where the big gains for VO2max and LT are.