Steady-State Training: How Does It Benefit You?

This is an effective way for athletes like boxers, marathon runners and soccer players to build their cardiovascular endurance.

Activities such as running, cycling, and swimming for continuous periods of time are part of a steady-state training program.

The goal of SST is typically to get your heart rate up to about 50 to 65 percent of your maximum heart rate. You should be able to hold a conversation during steady-state exercise. This is in stark contrast to high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which aims to get your heart rate up to 80 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Although SST and HIIT are often compared, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest which training method is better.

Benefits of stability training (SST)

Like other forms of cardiovascular exercise, SST has many health benefits, such as improved brain function, reduced risk of heart disease, reduced stress levels, and improved blood flow.

Some other benefits of adding stability training to your workout routine include:

1) Effective way to burn fat

SST workouts improve the body’s ability to tap into stored fat for fuel instead of using glycogen stored in the muscles. Some studies have also shown that steady-state training leads to better fat distribution in the body.

2) Helps increase endurance

Steady-state training is an effective way to build endurance for endurance events like marathons. Training at a low intensity for a long period of time puts less stress on your cardiovascular system, allowing you to complete more exercise.

3) Perfect for beginners

SST is more suitable for people who are just starting out with regular exercise. The exercises used for stability training are gentler on the body and easier to perform. This makes them more suitable for beginners who need to build up their body before moving on to more difficult exercises like high-intensity interval training.

4) Shorter recovery time

Steady-state training puts less stress on your body, resulting in a shorter recovery time. This allows you to train more frequently than if all of your workouts consisted of high-intensity exercises. Steady-state training can also be used as a recovery session on the days following a high-intensity workout.

5) Opportunity to catch up on other things

Steady-state workouts are done at a conversational pace, so you can always invite a few friends to your workout to keep you company. Depending on the workout you’re doing, you can catch up with friends on the phone or listen to your favorite podcast while you work out.

Disadvantages of SST

While steady-state exercise has many benefits, it also has some disadvantages that you should be aware of. Some of these include:

1) Not as time efficient as high intensity training

SST takes longer to burn as many calories as a significantly shorter HIIT session. You’ll typically want to do the exercise you choose for your session for around 40 to 60 minutes.

2) Gets boring quickly

Doing the same thing for an hour or more on your workout days can get boring quickly. You can make things more interesting by working out with a workout buddy or listening to your favorite music or podcast. One trick to making these long workouts more enjoyable is to just listen to your favorite songs while you work out.
You can also break up your workouts into smaller segments with different activities. For example, you could run for 20 minutes, ride a stationary bike for 20 minutes, and use the elliptical for 20 minutes. You’ll still get the benefits of steady-state exercise if you don’t take breaks between stations.

3) More likely to lead to overuse

SST is more likely to cause injury if you do the same exercise too often than if you do it for a long time. For example, running several miles every day without a break will put a lot of stress on your knees.
 You can prevent overuse by adding low-impact stability exercise like swimming in a pool for an hour. This way, you can still burn fat and get cardio while giving your joints a break from higher-impact activities like running.

Who is SST ideal for?

Most people can benefit from adding stability training to their workout routine, no matter what activity or sport they are training for. SST is suitable for people of all fitness levels and helps your body target stubborn fat deposits more effectively than high-intensity interval training.

Steady-state training also gives those who enjoy high-intensity workouts a gentler workout for their active recovery days. Athletes preparing for endurance events like cycling, triathlons, and marathons.