Do You Really Need "Cardio" Workouts?
Are cardio workouts or weight training more effective for losing fat...
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
What you will learn in this article, I have an intriguing discussion about doing cardio workouts, which by the end of it, I hope to get you thinking differently and trying new things.
You may know I've been labeled the anti-cardio guy before, but this week I'm posing the question back to you... is cardio training needed to get you into great shape and a lean body? By the way, you'll see in a minute that I'm not really "anti-cardio", just "anti-traditional cardio" method.
Most fitness gurus, weekend warriors, and your neighbor are trying to get in shape or lose body fat, they consider doing "cardio" exercise as a must-have workout. According to them, this sort of thinking will never be questioned.
So am I. I'm not questioning it, I'm going to refute it! In fact, you may be shocked to know that some of the leanest and ripped looking people I know (men & women alike), NEVER set foot into doing any type of normal or traditional cardio. I have seen it all, over my 15 years of working out in babies genes and hanging out with athletes of all sorts.
But What Exactly Is "Cardio"?
When first mentioned "cardio workouts", most people would have the image of pumping away mindlessly on the treadmill, riding nonstop on the stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical machine, in front of the TV screen at the local state of the art gym. If that is what's called "traditional cardio", no wonder the majority of people get bored with their workouts and throw in the towel after a couple of months seeing little to no results.
But if you look closer at the definition of cardio exercise, they can be considered any type of exercise or activity that strengthens the cardiovascular system. I'm not going to get into the technicality such as increasing your VO2 max or strange jargons you wouldn't understand. No, to keep it simple, if it gets your blood running, heart pumping, full of huff and puff, it's cardio. I don't care if you're holding barbells or dumbbells or wearing weights around your ankles... everyone calls it a weight training exercise... it's still conditioning your heart.
Let's take a look at a few examples. Take a barbell (or dumbbell) Clean and Press for example, which involves lifting the barbell from the floor to the level of your shoulders, then pushing it upward overhead. Here's a tip for the ladies: just because this exercise is seen as a manly exercise, it doesn't matter if you're not lifting 250lbs; if 35 lbs is challenging to you, this exercise will still benefit you just as much.
At first glance, most people think of the barbell Clean and Press only as a weight training type of exercise. However I throw you a challenge to do a hard set of around 10 to 15 repetitions on the Clean and Press. If you have challenged yourself to use enough weights, what you'll find is your heart rate will go up to about 80% to 90% of your recommended maximum heartbeat rate. You will be huffing and puffing like you have ran the 100m sprint! (Which by the way, if you have a choice between sprinting and jogging, choose sprinting as it is the easier way to loose the flab).
Try the same exercise for a set of 20 repetitions of of one thumb catch snatches or swings with each holding a dumbbell, and proof to me that your legs aren't burning, heart pumping, and totally out of breath. How about experimenting five minutes straight of body weight squats, lunges, and push-ups with little to no rest. Once again, no peace your heart pounding, sweat pouring off you and your chest trying to catch up with you.
Try and convince me you're not conditioning your heart with this style of training! Conventional traditional thinking saves that these are weight or strength training exercises. However, due to the rapid burst of shocked and intense exercises, you are fulfilling your cardio workout needs as well as saving time.
In short you are getting more done with lesser time, but you are strengthening and conditioning almost every muscle in your entire system with its full body exercises if you do them with enough intensity... this cannot be said for the same boring stationery bike ride or treadmill grunts while reading or watching a movie.
Reading or watching TV While You Workout is a Joke!
Seriously, if you are reading or watching TV while doing any exercise, you're not putting enough concentration on what you are doing, plus you're not working out hard enough to see any significant results.
I challenge you to give the "traditional cardio" a good burial and start training the way I explained in my internationally selling Truth about Six pack Abs Program, and see how you will really start to get more lean, more defined, and watch your six pack show true what used to be stubborn stomach fat deposits.
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