Episode 53Mar 27, 2026· 6:11

Wait, Is HIIT Just a Marketing Label? What Fitness Buzzwords Actually Mean

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About this episode

This episode covers the lack of standardized definitions behind fitness buzzwords like HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and LISS (Low Intensity Steady State), explaining them as marketing labels rather than scientific categories. Fitness expert Annie Landry breaks down what each term loosely means in practice, then explains why women over 35 face specific challenges with daily high-intensity training —…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You're a woman over 35 who keeps seeing HIIT, LISS, and 'metabolic conditioning' everywhere and can't figure out which one you're actually supposed to be doing for your body right now.

You've been going hard at the gym every day and your results have stalled or your body feels worse, not better, and you're wondering if your intensity is actually working against you.

You're a fitness instructor or trainer trying to explain to clients why class names like 'HIIT' or 'metabolic conditioning' don't mean the same thing across studios.

You've been skipping rest days because you feel like you'll lose progress, but you're starting to wonder if active recovery days might actually be the missing piece.

You're someone who keeps bouncing between trendy class formats — Zumba, dance fitness, circuit training — and wants a clearer way to think about what you're actually getting out of each one.

What you’ll learn

How to cut through fitness buzzwords: treat HIIT and LISS as loose descriptions, not strict categories

Why women over 35 shouldn't pile on intense workouts every single day

How to pair short high-intensity sessions with consistent walking instead of choosing one or the other

How Ashley structures active recovery days: walking, yoga, or stretching on Wednesdays and Sundays

Questions this episode helps answer

Are fitness class names like HIIT and LISS just marketing?

answered

Annie says yes — there's no universally standardized definition for these terms in the fitness world, and they function more like marketing labels than strict scientific categories. What one trainer calls HIIT, another might just call circuit training.

"here's the truth. There's no universally standardized definition of terms like HIT and LIS in the fitness world. There are more like marketing labels than strict scientific categories. What one trainer calls HIT, another might just call circuit training."

Is LISS just walking or is it something specific?

answered

Annie describes LISS as sustained, lower-effort movement — walking, easy cycling, inclined treadmill — but notes the definition gets tricky because some in the fitness industry also refer to running as LISS training.

"steady state. That's your sustained, lower -effort movement. Walking, easy cycling, inclined treadmill. something you can do while breathing through your nose and having a conversation. But some in the fitness industry refer to running as list training as well, so you can see how these definitions can get tricky. Now here's where this becomes"

Can working out too hard every day make things worse?

answered

Both Annie and Ashley say yes — piling on intense workouts every day can spike cortisol and actually defeat the purpose of what you're trying to do, which is strengthen your body.

"backfire. Whenever you're spiking your cortisol levels, it can actually raise your stress. And it not only raises your stress, sometimes it actually defeats the whole purpose of what you're trying to do, which is trying to strengthen your"

Should I be mixing intense and easy workouts as I get older?

answered

Annie recommends pairing short, intentional high-intensity sessions with consistent walking — the higher-intensity intervals help maintain muscle, power, and bone density, while walking supports recovery and stress management without spiking cortisol.

"walking, your LIS, supports recovery, blood sugar regulation, stress management, and overall daily expenditure without spiking cortisol through the roof. It's not about choosing one. It's about"

How should I work out differently now that I'm in my late 30s?

answered

Annie frames it as a shift in goal: "the goal isn't to train like you're 22" — instead, training should support strength, longevity, and feeling good for decades, accounting for the fact that recovery capacity changes and hormonal shifts become more dramatic after 35.

"isn't to train like you're 22. It's to train in a way that supports strength, longevity, and feeling amazing in your body for decades to come."

Setting expectations: This episode is not a deep dive into exercise science or a breakdown of how to structure a periodized training program. It's a short voice note from a fitness expert followed by Ashley riffing on how terms like HIIT and LISS are basically marketing labels — and why mixing intense sessions with walking and yoga has worked for her own body.

Tone & style

Annie Landry shares practitioner knowledge grounded in exercise physiology framing; Ashley adds her own personal routine as anecdotal reinforcement. Neither constitutes medical or clinical advice.

toneCasual & practical

focusDemystifying fitness buzzwords like HIIT and LISS as mostly marketing labels, and making the case for pairing high-intensity sessions with walking or low-effort movement rather than going hard every day.

stylesolo_monologue

energymedium

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Textureupbeat, conversational, grounded

Notable quotes

"here's the truth. There's no universally standardized definition of terms like HIT and LIS in the fitness world. There are more like marketing labels than strict scientific categories. What one trainer"

— Annie Landry

"calls HIT, another might just call circuit training. What someone else calls LIS might just be walking."

— Annie Landry

"isn't to train like you're 22. It's to train in a way that supports strength, longevity, and feeling amazing in your body for decades to come."

— Annie Landry

"labels. So is it Zumba or is it just Latin dancing? Is it Latin dancing or is it dance fitness? Is it dance fitness or is it just shaking your ass to the music? You know, it's funny thinking about"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"move every single day. But having the days on Wednesdays and Sundays where I walk or just do yoga or just more stretching, that's really beneficial to me. It makes me feel like my muscles are getting that break that they need so that, you know,"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 4 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:001. Intro and Annie's Voice NoteFamous Ashley Grant introduces the episode and hands it over to guest voice note contributor Annie Landry.0:192. Fitness Buzzwords Are Mostly Marketing LabelsAnnie Landry argues that terms like HIIT and LISS have no universally standardized definitions in fitness and function more as marketing labels, then breaks down what each term loosely means in practice.2:063. Why the HIIT and LISS Mix Matters for Women Over 35Annie explains that hormonal shifts and recovery capacity changes after 35 make daily high-intensity training risky, and that pairing short intense sessions with consistent walking supports strength, recovery, and longevity.3:174. Ashley's Reflection on Active Recovery DaysAshley riffs on the marketing label idea using examples like Zumba vs. 'shaking your ass to music,' then shares her own practice of taking Wednesdays and Sundays for walking, yoga, or stretching so her muscles get a break before the next hard session.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personAnnie Landry

Fitness expert who submitted a voice note to the show explaining that HIIT and LISS are more marketing labels than strict scientific categories, and advocating for pairing high-intensity sessions with walking for women over 35.

websitefamousashlygrant.com/fitness

Ashley's website where listeners can submit a voice note to appear on the show, either to share their fitness journey or offer a tip as a fitness professional.

productZumba

Ashley uses Zumba as an example of a branded fitness class name that could just as easily be called Latin dancing or dance fitness, illustrating Annie's point about marketing labels.

Key themes

Fitness buzzwords as marketing labels

Annie argues that terms like HIIT and LISS have no standardized scientific definitions and function more as marketing labels — what one trainer calls HIIT, another might just call circuit training.

What HIIT and LISS actually mean in practice

Annie loosely defines HIIT as short bursts of near-maximal effort and LISS as sustained lower-effort movement you can do while breathing through your nose and having a conversation, while noting even these definitions shift depending on who's using them.

High-intensity training every day can backfire for women over 35

Annie explains that after 35, recovery capacity changes and hormonal shifts become more dramatic, so piling on intense workouts every day can work against you rather than for you.

Pairing high and low intensity instead of choosing one

Annie's position is that short intentional high-intensity sessions combined with consistent walking is more effective than picking one approach — HIIT for muscle and bone density, walking for recovery and cortisol management.

Cortisol spiking from too much intensity

Both Annie and Ashley flag that always going high intensity spikes cortisol, raises stress, and can actually defeat the purpose of trying to strengthen the body or lose weight.

Ashley's personal active recovery routine

Ashley shares that she takes Wednesdays and Sundays for walking, yoga, or stretching specifically so her muscles get a break before the next hard session.

All class names are just different forms of movement

Ashley riffs on the marketing label idea by asking whether Zumba is Latin dancing, dance fitness, or just 'shaking your ass to the music,' landing on the point that it's all just different forms of movement.

Listening to your body

Ashley closes by saying that how you mix intensity levels depends on your body and that listening to your body is the underlying principle.

Training for longevity, not for being 22

Annie frames the goal of combining intensity levels not as peak performance but as supporting strength and feeling good in your body for decades to come.

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