Skip Traditional Cardio and Still Get Lean
Let’s talk about cardio. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of traditional cardio (for the purpose of this post I am defining traditional cardio as medium pace and medium duration) and I know that many people feel the same way. The way I see it there are three major issues with traditional cardio.
It's pretty boring and monotonous to hop on a cardio machine and motor along at a relatively comfortable pace for any length of time.
Traditional cardio sucks for fat-loss. Your body adapts to traditional cardio pretty quickly which means that the only way to keep making gainz is to go longer and faster!
I have it on good authority that time comes to a slow crawl the second you get on a piece of cardio equipment (Einstein actually came up with his theory of relativity while on a treadmill...true story).
If walking or running on a treadmill/elliptical or some other stationary device continuously for any appreciable length of time makes you feel like you're on a giant human hamster-wheel, pay attention because this post is for you! We’re going to cover how to get most benefit out of your "cardio" and a sneak peak into how we train our students to get the best results with the time that they have. A more virtuous approach to cardio if you will.
Before we go down the cardio rabbit hole it’s first important to note why you SHOULD be doing cardio. Cardiovascular based training is great for training the most utilized muscle in your body which is your heart. Your heart beats well over 100,000 times a day which is incredible and we want to train that muscle to be as efficient as possible. You SHOULD NOT be doing cardio as a primary driver of fat-loss. Your nutrition will always be the driver of fat-loss anyone telling you to “just do more cardio to lose weight” may have good intentions but, they are WRONG.. Your workout is not a punishment for your eating choices so stop with all the junk miles and focus on keeping your heart healthy while cleaning up your nutrition and I promise that you will see the scale move in the right direction.
Looking for help getting your nutrition back on track?
From a health and fitness standpoint, all of the benefits of cardio are found on the extremes. When cardio training is performed in the medium range you develop more wear and tear on your joints and hormonal system without gaining any additional benefits in performance, health, or body composition. In fact, if your goal is to lose body fat and gain/maintain as much muscle mass as possible medium type cardio may be counter productive for you because of the negative hormonal impact and wide fluctuations of appetite that accompany this kind of cardio.
When you stick to the opposite ends of the spectrum in regard to cardio you get the most benefits to your health and fitness. On one end of the cardio spectrum we have short and intense sessions. This kind of training is great for maintaining as much muscle as possible, building top end power output, time efficiency, and mental toughness. On the other end of the spectrum we have long and slow sessions. This style of training is beneficial for stress reduction, becoming more efficient at utilizing fat as a fuel source, building endurance for extended efforts, and improving recovery from other workouts.
Here are some examples of what a cardio workout might look like on each end of the cardio spectrum. The time that you have to devote to your training will determine the frequency and type of cardio workout that you perform on a weekly basis.
15-20 minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) session. Perform 10 seconds of all out effort on a spin bike and spend the next 50 seconds riding SLOWLY to recover as much as possible and repeat that process up to 20 times. The benefit is that this method is very time efficient and you spend a lot of time afterwards with your metabolism spiked through the roof. The draw back to this that it's harder than just hopping on the bike and pedaling at a medium pace. Other forms of cardio that are conducive to this type of workout are sled or hill sprints, battling ropes, the versa climber, or even the treadmill. Based on your fitness level and experience be cautious with what you choose, if you haven't worked out in a while stick to something lower impact.
45-60 minute nature walk. As the weather finally becomes hospitable here in the southern United States, getting outside for some sunshine, fresh air, and movement will do wonders for your body. Bonus points for bringing the pooch, spouse, or kids with you. The benefit to doing this form of cardio is that it's low impact on your body and reduces stress levels. Other ideas for this kind of cardio workout are stand-up paddle boarding, hiking, and riding a bike at an easy pace. The key is to be able to pass the talk test which means that you should be able to have a conversation with someone while you're doing your cardio.
Both sides of the spectrum are important and should be trained but, some busy parents may gravitate towards HIIT while others my find that they gravitate towards the slower more relaxing end of the spectrum. Let’s break down how to incorporate both ends of the spectrum into your workout week and how you would determine when to add in the different kinds of cardio to your day. When it comes to HIIT
Finally I encourage you to remember that technically as long as your heart is beating during the day you are "doing cardio." Look for opportunities to move more during the day by parking further away your destinations than you normally would or taking the stairs instead of the escalator. It all counts. Cardio training isn't confined to the gym or a specific mode of exercise.