HIIT vs Cardio: How to Choose the Right Training Style for Your Routine

This makes it possible to use different intensities throughout the week.

For example, a person could perform an interval workout on one day and use walking or easy cycling on another.

A weekly routine does not need to contain only hard workouts.

Can You Combine HIIT and Cardio?

Yes, and there is no reason to treat the two methods as competitors.

Combining HIIT with traditional cardio can provide different forms of aerobic training while making a weekly routine more flexible.

A person might include:

• Two moderate cardio sessions
• One HIIT workout
• Two strength-training sessions
• Regular light physical activity

The exact schedule depends on the person's goals and recovery.

For Canadian adults, the important weekly target is accumulating at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The guidelines do not require those minutes to come from one specific type of exercise.

Statistics Canada reported that 46.2% of adults aged 18 to 79 met the physical-activity recommendation during 2022–2024.

That makes consistency an important consideration. The most useful workout is one that helps a person remain physically active throughout the week.