Over the last couple of decades or so, fitness has been revolutionised. Driven by research from the labs, the way personal trainers program exercise has changed beyond measure. In the 1990’s an exercise program was usually a mix of steady state cardio with some resistance machines thrown in. The emphasis was on making the machines more technological than effective.
Modern day programming looks nothing like that.
A personal trainer now is likely to program a wide variety of exercises, movements and rep ranges. You’ll be using barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, battle ropes, bodyweight work etc, and achieving far better results in less time. Cardio is incorporated as part of the weight training workout, or as a high intensity interval element of the session.
This is a benefit of research. We can get much of the benefit in a lot less of the time.
So why did cardio change?
The one area that has changed more than others over the years is how we approach cardiovascular exercise. From the birth of the commercial gym, right the way through to the last few years, ‘cardio’ was seen as a staple. It was reflected in gym design - most gyms had row upon row of treadmills, cross trainers, exercise bikes etc.
A typical program would see people doing cardio for 20-30 minutes every single session. It was seen as the only way to lose weight and improve stamina, so that’s why it featured so heavily in most programs. It was a throwback from the jogging revolution of the 1970s, and research hadn’t caught up.
The tide started to turn in the early 2000’s, when people such as Charles Poliquin advocated against using cardiovascular exercise in order to increase fat loss. He argued (backed up by research), that you could lose fat more effectively by controlling your calorie intake and increasing you strength training.
This school of thought took hold, and by the mid-late 2000’s, many people in the fitness industry were advocating against cardio completely, arguing that all it did was shed muscle and wasn’t even that effective against fat. The pendulum had swung completely the other way, going from ‘do lots of cardio every session’ to ‘don’t bother with cardio at all’.
It found a middle ground in from around 2010 onwards.
The explosion of ‘conditioning’
By the 2010’s, CrossFit was really beginning to explode. The fitness world had been (and would remain so for a while) suspicious of this thing called CrossFit. It seemed to combine awful weightlifting technique with vomit-inducing cardio. One thing was certain though - it was revolutionary. Never before had people combined seemingly opposing approaches to fitness within a workout.
As the approach became more refined, a more appropriate version of cardio, ‘conditioning’ grew. It combined the heart rate and stamina benefits of cardio, with resistance training elements. It seemed to be palatable to both sides - the cardio bunnies and the lifters.
The results were impressive too. Shortly afterwards, the research endorsed it as an effective approach to cardio, calorie burn and fat loss.
The reality is that conditioning is the best approach we have for the general fitness enthusiast. It’s versatile, it ticks lots of boxes in terms of cardio improvement, strength improvement, muscle maintenance and exercise variety (therefore adherence). It has a low injury risk and can be done in almost any space, using as much or as little equipment as you need.
So is there a still a place for steady state cardio?
Absolutely there is!
There’s millions of people who enjoy cardio, whether that’s going for a 20-30 minute jog, or an easy bike ride. Bodybuilders the world over still use very low intensity cardio to help with their fat loss approach - there’s almost zero injury risk, the cost to the body in terms of effort is low, but the calorie burn is surprisingly high. When studied, a brisk walk burns around 80% of the calories of an equivalent distance jog, but at a fraction of the effort.
There are all kinds of benefits of cardiovascular exercise, such as…
Improved insulin sensitivity
Reduced blood pressure
Better control of anxiety and stress
Greater cardiovascular efficiency
Enhanced circulation
Improved sleep
Healthier, stronger heart
Reduced depression
These are a fraction of the potential benefits. The point remains the same - if you want to enjoy your steady state cardio, go right ahead! Do what you like, because the exercise you’ll stick to is better than the one you won’t!
The AdMac Fitness team approve!
The AdMac Fitness personal training studio is in Bow, E3. We have personal trainers with a range of specialities, so we can offer the ideal personal trainer to help you achieve your goals. For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!