Steady-state cardio isn't pointless.
The problem with the SS vs HIIT argument is that there doesn't need to be one. One isn't better than the other. Both have their place, and their uses.
I recommend checking out Lyle McDonald's Body Recomposition site - bodyrecomposition.com - he is one of the best in the business for looking at the actual research behind the claims that get made about exercise and diet.
He has a series of articles that discuss ss vs hiit that are quite interesting.
A couple of points drawn form these articles:
1. professional athletes who do hiit do it for short periods of time - 4-6 weeks - then go back to a more moderate programme. Hiit isn't intended to be a constant thing. If top athletes can't keep it up forever, why should an extremely overweight person be expected to?
2. Walking has been demonstrated to be one of the most effective forms of exercise among very overweight people.
Jynus makes what I think is a critical point above: focussing on resistance and hiit training is very effective "
if you're trained in technique enough to be able to push yourself at an intensity that effectively makes use of your bodies atp-cp and lactic acid based systems in the body."
What I think is the important point here is that the average person trying to lose weight isn't going to push themselves like that, whether through lack of proper training or lack of desire. Most people, particularly those who are very overweight, just can't workout at that intensity.
What they often can do is a lower-intensity exercise. Often that is what it takes for them to get the ball rolling. As they become more active and more fit, then they can step up the intensity for even more effect. But you have to start somewhere.
It is true that heavy resistance training and hiit are more efficient per unit of time, but that doesn't make them best. All different types of exercise have their role.
Resistance training is very important, however, in maintaining muscle mass and improving strenght and fitness. So it shouldn't be ignored. But that is not the same as saying that you should only do heavy lifting and ignore ss-cardio.
I do both, although my lifting isn't particularly heavy yet.
Mike -
any form of exercise is going to be of minimal effect for weight loss if your diet isn't in check. That doesn't just apply to ss-cardio. That is because, as you correctly state, nutrition is the critical element of weight loss.
My apologies for being somewhat rambly and disconnected here. I'm typing this at work, which means type one sentence, work for 5 minutes, type another sentence. Means this post took me almost 2 hours to complete. Hard to maintain a coherent train of thought. But maybe someone will find something useful in here.
