A Few Words on Cardio

I can’t go anywhere without overhearing a conversation about how people are attempting to lose weight.

The common go-to lines I hear from women are almost always:

“I’m really going to start running.”

And

“I’m hitting the elliptical for an hour and a half every day.”

And then there’s the “bros”:

“Yeah I’m really going to start doing some uphill sprints to get shredded.”

Or,

“High Intensity Intervals pushing the sled is the only thing that works to get chiseled, bro!”

And the funny thing is it’s the people who look like they’ve never exercised a minute of their lives talking about how imperative cardiovascular activity is for dropping those dreaded 15 pounds of body fat.

I’m not too sure why it is, but folks have this general notion that in order to lose body fat, you have to be running or “doing cardio.” 

When in actuality, if you’re following a proper weight loss protocol, it should be the last thing required to get you down to your ideal weight.

CardioVascular System

Before we go any further, what exactly is cardio?

Cardio is short for cardiovascular; this relates to the bodies circulatory system that’s comprised of the heart and blood vessels that carries nutrients and oxygen to the tissues of the body and removes carbon dioxide and other wastes from said tissues.  

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Notice how nowhere in there was there any mention about burning fat?

That’s because there is NO DIRECT EFFECT from doing cardio to burning fat. 

Let me just repeat that once more for emphasis.

Cardio has NO DIRECT EFFECT on fat burning.

For folks who workout, the cardio they’re referring to is exercise that enables the use of aerobic respiration. 

Aerobic respiration is the process of producing cellular energy through the use of oxygen. 

So what these people should be really saying is “I DO AEROBICS” instead of “I DO CARDIO.”

Aerobics may make people think of Jane Fonda or Richard Simmons workouts.  Maybe that’s why it never caught on.

So Why Do People Say To Do Cardio?

Here’s the nugget of info you all are probably reading this for.

The ONLY WAY cardio can help someone lose weight is through the expenditure of stored energy, or as “burning calories” as many of you are familiar with. 

But hopping on the treadmill and burning a few hundred calories alone is not enough to shed some flub.

It is only when there is an ENERGY DEFECIT that the body will used stored energy in the form of fatty acids and you will start to see the scale move. 

So don’t expect to rationalize a diet of Chick-Fil-A sandwiches for lunch and a morning ritual of Caramael Machiados by telling yourself you’re going to be putting in work on the treadmill later.

What’s an Energy Deficit?

Simply put- when you’re body uses more energy than it consumes in a given timeframe (typically 24 hours), that’s an energy deficit.

Conversely, if you’re consuming more energy than you’re expending, that’s an energy surplus. And for most Americans, being in an energy surplus is a common occurrence.  If you ever want to see who these people are, just go to Wal-Mart one afternoon.  

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When Is Cardio Appropriate?

Cardio (Aerobic Activity) will only be most beneficial when, and ONLY WHEN, nutrition and training have been dialed in. 

The hierarchy of fat loss is as follows:

• PROPER NUTRTION
• WEIGHT TRAINING
• CARDIO
  

Effective fat loss is a function of proper diet and efficient training. 

Reducing the amount of calories you’re consuming, preferably from carbohydrates, is the most effective way to create a natural energy deficit for your body. 

By monitoring the overall consumption of calories and macro nutrients you consume, you can easily manipulate your diet to create a 500 calorie/day defecit for example.

To put it in perspective, this means passing on a serving of pasta at lunch  and opting for a salad instead of a baked potato at dinner. 

If one insisted on burning 500 calories only in the form of cardio, they’d find themselves slaving away on the elliptical machine for about 3 hours.

Now which scenario sounds like the better and more sustainable choice?

Type of Cardio

For folks who really dread doing cardio, deciding on which method to use is like having to decide to being executed by firing squad or hanging: either way it’s going to suck. 

Aerobic Conditioning- Or more commonly refered to as “Low Intensity Steady State” cardio, which is the conventional method folks are familiar with.  Low intensity steady state is exactly what its name implies- keeping the heart rate low and the pace steady for an extended amount of time.  

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Anaerobic Conditioning- I mentioned the definition of ‘aerobic’ earlier, so I’ll go ahead and do the same for anaerobic.  You may have guessed since aerobic exercise involves the use of oxygen then anaerobic is the opposite of that in which oxygen is not used during the duration of the interval.  Think sprints. Or cycling on a bike as hard as you can for 20 seconds.  This method of cardio is known as High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT.  

If you're looking for some ways to change up your cardio routine, check out How to Get the Most From Your Cardio for some more helpful tips and insight about your cardio. 

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So which one’s better?

Well just like everything I ever talk about, this topic is no different.

IT DEPENDS.

Depends on your current condition, physique goals, body composition, mobility, age, nutrition, weight training program, daily activity, amount of sleep you get, etc. 

I could go on, but I’m sure you get the point. There’s a lot of variables to consider.

So I’ll leave you with this.

USE WHICHEVER METHOD YOU PREFER MOST.

If you’re somebody who has a good amount of body fat to lose and are still eating a decent amount of food to support your weight training and energy levels, then by all means do HIIT.  You’ll have the energy for it and it won’t hinder your training and recovery.  Most athletes who train will also benefit most from HIIT.

This is also a preferred method for those short on time.  HIIT shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes at most to complete and should only be performed 3 times a week as it takes a toll on your central nervous system and ability to adequately recover.

Now if you’re somebody who has been weight training for years and is relatively lean to begin with, low intensity steady state cardio may be a better choice.  This goes for someone who is dieting pretty hard as well.  Steady state cardio will not be as detrimental to your recovery and energy levels like HIIT would.  It may take a bit longer to perform, say roughly 45-60 minutes per session, but wear and tear you save on your body in the long run will be worth it. 


So before you start logging those 11 mile a day road-runs in an attempt to find your abs this summer, remember this:

You can’t run your way into abs. 

If you’re determined to get ripped, or even just lose a few pounds of body fat, you’ll benefit so much more by employing proper nutrition and training before doing any type of cardio work.

Save yourself the heartache of frustration by doing a little homework on training and nutrition first. 

Or hire me to map out your fat loss and physique goals and save yourself some time. 

As always, you and you alone have the choice to decide on how you look and how you feel.

Happy lifting (and cardio-ing?), folks!