Leah, I want to start by thanking you for making such an awesome and inspiring collection of workout videos! You're so smart, creative, and talented! I joined the site in the fall and recently completely the first round of Ballet Body workouts, and I can't sing their praises enough. I can't believe how much time I used to waste on long runs and bike rides, when I have noticeably better muscle tone in much less time with your workouts.

Anyway, I've been reading about the benefits of HIIT and wanted to get your thoughts. Is there a way to incorporate HIIT cardio 1-2 times a week with your workouts? Or should I just steer clear to avoid overtraining? I like the stress-reducing benefits of doing a tough HIIT workout and have read about it's metabolism-boosting benefits, but I'm not sure how to add it consistently without overtraining (my legs, in particular). Thanks, I really value your time and thoughts!

Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm so happy you have enjoyed the ballet body workouts. Yes, HIIT is a great form of cardio. There is a lot of conflicting information on whether HIIT ellicts a greater EPOC and fat burning potential post workout when compared to steady state cardio. Advocates for HIIT have promoted that it is better for metabolism, but the research so far has not shown that it is superior for metabolism or it isn't significant enough to make a difference. HIIT will take less time though to perform than a steady state cardio session. I would incorporate HIIT on the off days from your training. Judge how you feel with 2 HIIT sessions a week. If your body isn't feel recovered for your training workouts, definitely consider one steady state cardio session and reduce HIIT to 1 x a week. Steady state cardio is helpful with muscle recovery and reducing the stress on the body from resistance training.