What is cardio?
"I'm going to do 45 minutes of cardio." What does that mean?
A lot of people are saying that "cardio" will burn the most fat. Is this true?
Some new researches and experts think "cardio" is pretty much useless. While other give a specific recipe for the perfect cardio program with all kinds of promises.
Alright, what is this mysterious "cardio?" What kind of exercise are you thinking of when someone tells you that they did 45 minutes of "cardio" this morning?
Here is what it sounds like to me: a low to moderate intensity, aerobic activity performed typically on elliptical machine or treadmill, at a constant steady state pace. I know, that is a brutal generalization of what it really could mean but I do not think it is far from the truth.
Ok, is there something wrong with that then?
First of all, I don't think there really are a lot of bad exercises or movements. I DO think there is a great amount of poor exercise applications and inadequate movement assessments in use.
Just like any other form of exercise, cardiovascular exercise needs to be prescribed with a specific goal and adaptation in mind. This is where most of the "cardio" workouts are taking the wrong direction, I think.
Juan Carlos Santana brought up a great point a while ago, when he questioned the need of steady state cardiovascular workouts for combat athletes. You know, the running/jogging sessions at 6am down the streets...
Everyone agrees that a boxer needs to be in great cardiovascular shape to perform his/her sport. But should he/she be training like a runner? Could there be a smarter way of training for those specific demands?
On the other hand, for some reason the whole world thinks that the best way to lose fat is to do "cardio" as often as possible, for a specific amount of time, at a certain intensity, on a specific piece of equipment, etc. Well, it might be a PART of it as long as the tools are used correctly. There probably is a place for steady state low intensity cardio of some kind in everyone's training program, but it certainly should not be the main ingredient for most of us.
Both recretional exercisers as well as professional athletes are still utilizing too much vague and inaccurate goal setting when choosing activities that involve cardiovascular stimulation.
I know, I feel great after a nice run or a bike ride too,....endorphins are flowing and I am drenched in sweat.... and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. I utilize this type of cardiovascular training, just not every time I workout.
What I think is very important is to find out the reason and the goal behind each minute and hour of training. What is the outcome and goal of this specific training stimulation? What kind of adaptation do I need for my sport? Is this training more important than something else?
Thanks for reading and hopefully your wheels are turning too, whether you agree or not. Comments are always welcome!
Tommi
PS:In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it. Robert Heinlein
