I don't really think HIIT is that good of an idea for people who just want to get into better shape. I got much leaner after switching from sprints to distance

I don't really think HIIT is that good of an idea for people who just want to get into better shape. I got much leaner after switching from sprints to distance swimming in high school and had the fastest weight loss of my entire life when getting into distance running after a few years of sedentary computer work. I dropped 50 pounds in 3 months. I know HITT is a fad amongst body-building circles at the moment but even for them, how many are as lean as Arnold was when he was regularly doing hour-long runs? And how potent are the drugs and supplements they are taking compared to what 70's body-builders had access to? The way I see it, if you want to be fast in short bursts, train in short, fast bursts; if you want the endurance to handle a huge volume of work, then do a huge volume of work in training. You are what you do.