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Maximizing Your "Cardio" Exercise

By Mark Mancilla

Are you absolutely infatuated with cardio? Everyone seems to think that "cardio" is the most efficient way of getting in shape and losing body fat. In this article I'm going to explain to you why I disagree!

It's becoming very typical for a health professional (fitness trainer, doctor, etc) to prescribe low to moderate intensity aerobic training (cardio) to people who are trying to prevent heart disease and/or lose weight. They usually fall along the guidelines of…

"Perform 30-60 minutes of steady pace cardio 3-5 times per week while maintaining your heart rate at a moderate level."

Now, although this type of "cardio" is beneficial for the beginning exerciser, some people stay at this level constantly never pushing themselves farther. What is the result? A weight loss plateau and eventually a drop out if the cardio program. Many recent scientific studies indicate that steady pace endurance cardio work may not be all it's cracked up to be.

You have to understand that our bodies are designed to perform physical activity in short bursts of exertion followed by recovery (Stop-an-Go). Therefore, why shouldn't we train in accordance to how our bodies were designed?

You can find the Stop-and-Go tendency throughout all animals. Actually, it seems that humans are the only creatures that attempt to do "endurance" type physical activities.

Let's examine the effects of two similar sports with different training principles.

Sprinters vs. Marathon Runners

Sprinters- lean, muscular and powerful looking.

Marathon runners…not so much. They often times look very withered and sickly.

So ask yourself…which physique would you rather have?

Besides the physical benefits, scientist have also noted that steady state endurance exercise, performed for longer than 60 minutes, actually can damage joints, reduce immune functionality, burn up existing muscle, and potentially lead to chronic diseases.

Also, Steady state cardio only trains the cardiovascular system at one level not preparing the body for potentially greater stressors.

An important aspect of variable cardio training that makes it superior over steady state cardio training is the recovery period in between bursts of exertion. The recovery period is very important for the body to elicit a healthy response to an exercise stimulus.

As a fitness trainer, my favorite thing about variable cardio training is that it is much more interesting, therefore leading more people to stick to the program longer.

To summarize, some of the potential benefits of variable cardio training compared to steady state endurance training are as follows: improved cardiovascular health, increased anti-oxidant protection, improved immune function, reduced risk for joint wear and tear, increased muscularity (versus decreased muscularity with endurance training), increased residual metabolic rate following exercise, and an increased capacity for the heart to handle life's every day stressors.

There are many ways you can reap the benefits of stop-and-go or variable intensity cardio training. Most competitive sports such as football, basketball, racquetball, tennis, hockey, etc. are all naturally comprised of highly variable stop-and-go motion.

But if you're not involved in sports and would rather stick to the gym.

Here is a beginner interval training session on the treadmill or stationary bicycle:

Warm-up for 3-4 minutes at a fast walk or light jog And you would repeat the 2 intervals for 8 rounds and of course following it up with a 5 minute cool down (slow pace).

The take-away message from this article is to try to train your body as it was made to train and reap the benefits of a leaner physique and healthier heart.

About the Author:

Mark Mancilla is a certified personal trainer located in Huntington Beach, CA. For more information check out his Website!