Bodybuilding & Fitness Training
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Today, I have an intriguing discussion
about cardio training, which will hopefully get you thinking differently, and
trying new things.
You may know I've been called the anti-cardio guy before, but this week I'm
back posing the question to you... Do you really need cardio training to get
lean and in great shape? By the way, you'll see in a minute that I'm not really
"anti-cardio", just "anti traditional cardio".
Most fitness buffs, weekend warriors, or anyone trying to get in shape or lose
body fat, consider it a "fact" that they need "cardio"
exercise to accomplish these goals. They would never even question it. However,
I'm not only questioning it, I'm going to refute it!
In fact, you may be surprised to know that some of the leanest and meanest
people I know (men and women), NEVER do any type of normal or traditional
cardio. And I've spent over 15 years working out in various gyms, and hanging
out with athletes of all sorts, so I've seen it all. I will say that there can
be a place for low-moderate level cardio for really overweight or deconditioned
people, but even in those cases, there can be more effective methods.
Whenever someone comes up to me at the gym and asks me how much cardio they
should do to lose more body fat, my answer is always... NONE!!! You should see
the crazy looks I get...it's priceless!
But the fact is, just like the lean people I mentioned above that never do
cardio, I personally haven't done what most people would consider
"cardio" in years. Heck, I can't even remember the last time I
"jogged" on the treadmill, or glided away on an elliptical, or pedaled
away going nowhere on the stationary bike. Yet despite my lack of
"cardio", I maintain single digit body fat
percentages year round.
Don't get me wrong... Just because I say I don't do "cardio", doesn't
mean that I don't work my butt off in the gym.
But what exactly is "cardio"? Most people would consider cardio to be
exactly what I described above... pumping away mindlessly on a treadmill,
riding a stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical
machine, while watching the TV screen at their state of the art gym.
This is what I call "traditional cardio". Hmmm, no wonder the
majority of people get bored with their workouts and give up after a couple
months without seeing results.
But if you look closer, "cardio" can be considered any type of
exercise or activity that strengthens the cardiovascular
system. I'm not going to get into anything technical like increasing
your VO2 max or anything like that. To keep it simple, if it gets your heart
pumping, and gets you huffin and puffin... it's cardio. I don't care if you're
holding dumbbells or a barbell and everyone calls it a weight training
exercise...it's still conditioning your heart.
Let's take a look at a couple examples. Take a barbell (or dumbbell, or
kettlebell) clean & press for example, which involves lifting a barbell
from the floor up to shoulders, then push pressing overhead. And listen up
ladies, because even though this is usually seen as a manly exercise, it
doesn't matter if you're not lifting 250 lbs; if 45 lbs is challenging to you,
then you will still benefit just as much.
At first glance, most people think of the barbell C&P only as a weight
training exercise or strength exercise. However, I challenge you to do a hard
set of around 10-15 reps on the C&P.
If you used a challenging enough weight, what you'll find is that your heart
rate is probably up to about 80-90% of your recommended max, and you are
huffing and puffing like you just ran a 100-meter sprint (which by the way,
sprinting kicks the crap out of jogging any day if you want the easiest way to
lose the flab fast).
Try the same thing for a set of 20 reps of one-arm snatches or swings with each
arm with a dumbbell, and tell me your legs aren't burning, heart racing, and
you're gasping for breath. How about trying 5 minutes straight of rotating bodyweight
squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest between. Again, notice your
heart pounding, sweat pouring off of you, and chest heaving for breaths!
Try and tell me you're not conditioning your heart with this style of training!
Conventional thinking says that these are weight training or strength training exercises. However, they are
fulfilling your cardio needs as well.
Not only do you save time, but you strengthen and condition almost every muscle
in your entire body with these full body exercises if you do them with enough
intensity...something that can't be said for that boring stationary bike ride
or treadmill jaunt while reading or watching TV.
Seriously, if you can read or watch TV while doing any exercise, you're not
concentrating enough on what you're doing, plus you're probably not working out
hard enough to see any real results.
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