Those of us who are old enough to remember exercise in the early 2000’s will know that ‘cardio’ went through a bit of a decline. Like most things, fitness goes through phases and fashions - some approaches become the ‘in’ thing, and others fall out of popularity.
It was cardio’s turn to suffer in the early 2000’s, when coaches like Charles Poliquin suggested that cardio wasn’t a great tool for fat loss.
Consequently, amongst a certain generation of exercisers cardio fell out of fashion. Instead, people used stricter dieting coupled with intense weight training to get themselves in shape. It was an approach that worked (and continues to, because physiology doesn’t change), but was the criticism aimed at cardio fair?
In this article we’ll look at cardio, define the different types and see what the value is in each approach. You’ll be able to decide what’s best for you.
Why was cardio shunned in the first place?
Amongst a certain subset of people who trained (mostly young men), cardio gained a reputation for shedding muscle. The more cardio you did, the more muscle you lost was the thinking. There was also an assertion that muscle was a really ‘metabolically active’ tissue, meaning it burned a lot of calories even at rest. The theory was that if you got rid of muscle, you’d reduce your body’s ability to burn fat.
Ultimately, if fat loss is your aim then it’s a case of calories in versus calories out. If you want to lose fat, simply eat fewer calories than your body needs. It’ll make up for its shortfall by using up your fat reserves.
You don’t need to do cardio to lose fat. But then assumes that the only reason to do cardio is fat loss, which is utter nonsense.
Benefits of Cardio
Once people understood there was more to cardio than just losing weight, it began to increase in popularity again. The evidence began to prove that it didn’t shed muscle in the way people thought it would, so that worry eased.
The positive impact on heart health, brain function, blood pressure, hormonal profile, sleep, calorie burn, bone density, connective tissue health etc associated with cardiovascular exercise became even more clear. When these benefits of cardiovascular exercise were proven beyond all doubt, the voices of the naysayers quietened.
Cardio started to gain popularity again, only this time with a twist.
Cardio in it’s Current State
Fast forward a couple of decades and cardio is back on the menu, only this time the menu is much bigger!
To explain what I mean, I’ll run you through a few of the more common types of cardio, their unique points and how they are best used. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’ll certainly help you learn more about the different types of cardio exercise…
Steady State
This is what most people think of as cardio. This is where you pick a particular exercise (running, swimming, cycling, rowing etc) and perform it for a given period of time at a relatively low intensity. This is the one the gym bro’s turned their backs on. It might not be the most interesting or varied approach, but there’s a lot of benefit to it.
It’s a simple way to exercise, it burns a lot of calories, improves cardiovascular health markers and a version of it can be done anywhere.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is an approach that has really exploded in popularity over the last 15 years or so. It’s set periods of very high intensity training mixed with periods of low intensity work. This can take any form - running, cycling, rowing etc. You can vary the length of the work and rest intervals for different purposes, but they tend to be set for a workout. They also have to be very high intensity. That’s where the benefit comes in - the overreaching of your capabilities.
The calorie burn is very high and the workouts are typically very short on account of the intensity. Your cardiovascular fitness will improve very quickly with the approach. It’s fantastic when you don’t have much time either.
Interval/Fartlek Training
This is another form of interval training, but the difference here is that the intervals are less ‘prescriptive’ - they can be more fluid, so you can mix in periods of super high intensity with super low intensity and something in between. Think of a run where you’ll jog for 5 minutes, sprint for 3 seconds, walk for 2 minutes, then sprint for 20 seconds, job for 3 minutes etc. The point is to mix it up as you see fit.
This approach also burns a lot of calories, is a great way of keeping interest and motivation high and it improves cardiovascular health markers. Additionally it’s really beginner friendly because it can be mixed up to suit abilities and fitness levels.
Metabolic Conditioning (MetCon)
This is the new kid on the cardio block, which has been born out of the CrossFit explosion. Met con workouts are usually done with resistance training (occasionally with cardio mixed in) at a high intensity. You’ll typically lift light to medium weights, perform lots of reps and keep your heart rate and intensity high throughout the session. The plan is that it will burn a lot of calories whilst training muscle, meaning you’ll benefit from weight training and cardiovascular improvements.
Metcons are great for when you don’t have much training time available but want a tough workout. They’re not as effective as pure cardio for improving the cardiovascular system, but the overall health benefits are likely better.
Cardio - final thoughts
There’s no doubt at all that cardio has its place in a general fitness regime. Whichever approach you take from the above, your health and fitness will benefit, so you can’t really go wrong. Just make sure you add some into your workouts - it’s too beneficial to neglect!
If you want your health and fitness journey to be guided by the best personal training team in East London, get in touch with us at AdMac Fitness. We operate from our private personal training studio in Bow, E3. Contact us on 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
