LISS
Steady cardio that builds your engine without wrecking your recovery.
Conversational pace, on purpose
LISS stands for low intensity steady state cardio. Think brisk walking, easy cycling, swimming at a conversational pace, or the incline treadmill. The intensity sits low enough that you could hold a conversation the whole time.
Easy on the joints, easy on recovery
Because the effort is moderate, LISS is easy on the joints and doesn't compete much with strength training for recovery resources. That makes it a good fit for building an aerobic base without digging into the same fatigue that heavy lifting or HIIT creates.
Underrated because it's boring
LISS is often underrated because it's not exciting. But it builds cardiovascular efficiency, supports recovery between harder sessions, and is one of the few forms of exercise that's genuinely hard to overdo.
30 to 60 minutes
The typical session length. Long enough to count, easy enough to repeat.
60 to 70% of max
Where the heart rate sits, though it's fine to go by feel rather than tracking a number.
Hard to overdo
One of the few kinds of training where more rarely backfires.