Are you a Cardio Bunny?

Have you seen those people at your local gym who are constantly doing cardio? On the treadmill and elliptical walking and jogging for hours on end. There are some people at my gym that the only piece of equipment I have ever seen them on is some form of cardio machine. And they are on it from when I walk through the door and they are still on it as I leave.

The rub of it is, I never notice a change in how their body looks. And I have never taken a fat caliper to them either, but some things you can just tell. People think that they can do endless hours of cardio and that will get them a 6 pack, or that just because they are running for hours they can drink a 6 pack and still get results. Don’t get me wrong cardio is a necessity to make sure our strength and conditioning routine is balanced and that we are as well rounded as possible from a fitness standpoint. But, unless you’re training for a race or specific event it would be to your advantage to mix in a variety of cardiovascular training. Now, I thought about doing a deep dive into energy systems and getting all nerdy…that will come at a later time. For the time being I want to hit on some areas of importance and give you some tools to add to your tool belt right away.

So, first of all…

What are the benefits of cardio?  

10. Strengthening the heart and improving cardiovascular function.

9. Improved recovery, regeneration and performance.

8. Reduced risk of heart attack, diabetes and some cancers.

7. Reduces chronic pain and help manage chronic conditions.

6. Helps lower blood pressure and regulate blood sugar.

5. Improved sleep quality and stress management

4. Improves cognition, enhances mood and reduces anxiety.

3. Strengthens the immune system and boosts metabolism.

2. Aids in fat loss and maintenance of healthy weight.

1. Improved overall health, wellness and longevity.

Cardio sounds like a no brainer…

I’ m all about simplicity and here is a great way to make this easy. Let’s say your lifting weights in some capacity 3 days a week, do some sort of cardio training 3 days a week and then take one day off a week from both, I like to do that on Sunday’s.

There are three types of energy systems the body utilizes and they are all being used simultaneously throughout the day depending on what you are doing.

First is the ATP-PC System. This system provides you with energy for all out max effort for 6-10 seconds. So think of 1 rep max if your strength training or a 60 yard sprint from your office to your car in the parking lot on Friday’s.

The next is the Glycolytic Pathway. This gives us enough energy to perform 30-75 seconds worth of work. Not at an all-out sprint like the ATP-PC, but one gear lower. Think of running 400 meters if you’re a track athlete or it’s Summer time and your hear the dinging of the ice cream truck and you have to run 3 blocks to catch it so you can get that BOMB pop. If you’re running hard enough, you’ll notice the burn starting in your legs. That’s the influx of hydrogen ions building up in your legs. You can only perform that intensity for 30-75 seconds before your body has to downshift again.

The Aerobic Pathway works in low to moderate intensity situations that can be performed for minutes to hours. Think of a nice brisk walk or a slow jog that you can do for an extended period of time while having a conversation with someone.

I’m not a huge fan of doing the traditional methods of cardio. For one I enjoy strength training and I want to have as much muscle on my body as possible. So, I focus my training around that first. The other is I’m busy, like we all are. I don’t like my time wasted as I’m sure you don’t either. I want to get the most out of doing the least :)

I like to keep my rest times short when I am working with weights, which acts as a form of cardio.

For me I love doing Interval/HIIT training 1-2 days a week. I use kettlebells whether that is swinging or snatching them, sprints, battle ropes, assault bike, bike sprints, row machine and jumping rope. I perform 15-20 seconds of work at max intensity and then rest for the remainder of the minute. Do 10-15 rounds and I am done in about 15 minutes. Interval work really helps to preserve your lean muscle and torch body fat. It’s my favorite.

The other type of cardio I do is walking. Yup, you read that right. Walk. I enjoy this because it’s something that I can do anywhere at any time, especially outside. Fall in Minnesota can’t be beat. Put on a podcast or some tunes and walk. Mentally it helps me work through things. And what I have found is that if you work the extreme ends of the energy systems that middle one gets strengthened as well and improves.

 Cardio Traps to Avoid

You’re doing cardio, but not moving the rest of the day. Just because you are getting after it hard, doesn’t mean you can be lazier the rest of the day.

You’re doing too much. This can happen more than you think and can lead to burnout. More isn’t always better. Studies show that you get benefits at 30 minutes of cardio. Longer sessions of 60-90 minutes are rarely needed unless you are training for a specific event or race. When in doubt cap it at 30 minutes. Quality over quantity.  

Making all of your cardio sessions the same. How boring is it to do anything that is the same over and over? Your body gets bored too and you need to keep changing it up to keep your body from hitting plateaus.  Utilize as many energy systems as you can in a week, variety is the spice of life.  

You cannot eat extra calories without consequence just because you do some cardio. Sure the treadmill says you burned 500 calories, but that doesn’t me you can go eat or drink 500 calories and justify it. Especially if you’re trying to drop some body fat or crush some goals. I mean you have a $5,000 credit card limit…does that mean you max it out all of the time and then pay the minimum? The correct answer is NO! And if you answered yes, you are probably struggling financially as well.  You can’t out run poor food choices.

So, to put a bow on all of this... Have fun, mix it up. Don’t do something because you feel you have to, or you see everyone else running for hours on end.  Challenge yourself. Choose a variety of methods to get that heart rate up. Compete against yourself. Shoot for just 1 second faster each time or one more rep in your allotted work time if you’re doing interval work.

Don’t forget. This is a game, games are supposed to be FUN!