Girlwithnoname – Fitness at Home

6 Responses to “What Is Cardio?”

1. thefightgeek Says:
   November 7th, 2009 at 5:14 pm

   I think the whole anti-long-slow-cardio thing is just an ‘over-correction’… In my opinion, an understandable over-correction in certain disciplines (particularly amongst fighters). But the fact is—it works, particularly for fat-loss (bodybuilders and fighters have SUCCESSFULLY used it for years to keep the weight of). The problem is, it isn’t the only type of ‘cardio’ (as you mention).

   A dude I know (Eric Wong — ericwongmma.com) gave the best explanation of the different types of cardio I’ve heard …

   1. Long slow cardio (around 150 bpm) increases the amount of blood the heart can pump—it’s CAPACITY.

   2. High intensity cardio increases the thickness of the heart wall, thus improving the POWER of the heart to pump.

   3. Specific cardio (ie. fighters doing padwork, runners on a treadmill, rowers doing rowing etc.) increases the EFFICIENCY of the blood vessels associated with the movement patterns of a given activity … I found this one particularly interesting … the example often touted is Lance Armstrong … his ‘cardio’ was probably the best on the planet, but when he tried to do a marathon … he finished somewhere in the 800s … still a good achievement, but not what you’d expect if you put a lot of faith in the importance on ‘generalized cardio’.

   Anyway, I want ALL THREE! So I train all three.

   Now whether or not this explanation is totally accurate, I’m not sure … I’m no expert. But I’ve certainly found it useful when trying to set up my training programs …

   And when I’m training for a specific event (ie a fight) I’ll set up my cardio training to help improve my performance … six weeks before a fight I’ll be doing more long slow cardio, four weeks before I’ll be doing more ‘general’ high intensity cardio, and two weeks before I’ll be doing more high intensity ‘specific’ cardio.

   Anyways, hope you’re well :)

2. Girlwithnoname Says:
   November 7th, 2009 at 5:18 pm

   now THAT, my friends, is a COMMENT!!!

   haha!!

   thanks FightGeek for your insanely indepth explanation and helpful tips! you rock!!

   xo
   GWNN

3. Scott Stransky Says:
   November 10th, 2009 at 10:33 am

   This is an interesting topic, so I’ll only address it from my point of view….the perspective of someone intent on fat loss.

   My “cardio” in the past had, generally, been based on the slow and steady pacing model, which I think is what the general public believes to be “cardio.”

   The theory is that there’s an actual “fat burning zone” relative to heart rate, which I think is complete rubbish. The theory itself may be solid in logic, but, at least for me, it didn’t work in practice. Over a yearlong period that I actually paid close attention to it, my body fat percentage stagnated regardless of how much traditional slow-paced cardio I did (usually 45 mins on a treadmill, elliptical, treadclimber, etc) or how much lean muscle I packed on from lifting.

   Since July 09, 4 months now, I’ve shed about 3.5-4% body fat by adopting the HIIT model for cardio. And I finally figured out the appropriate analogy to explain it: my car.

   When I drive on the highway at a consistent speed, I get great gas mileage. But when I’m driving in stop-and-go traffic or short trips in the city, my gas-sipping vehicle suddenly becomes a guzzler. And my body operates in exactly the same manner.

   It’s a matter of simple physics, really, which I’m certain you already know. But, basically, your machine (either the metal one or the flesh-covered one) doesn’t burn as much fuel when it’s cruising along at a steady pace as it does when it’s forced to constantly accelerate and decelerate.

   For the majority of the population–those of us who aren’t professional athletes or otherwise in near perfect conditioning and in need of only a minor tune-up–this is a VERY important distinction. Most people wonder why after 5 hours a week on a treadmill they’re not seeing greater gains, while others who do interval training for fat loss are ecstatic with what we’re seeing.

   Slow cardio may be fine for maintenance and keeping off lost pounds of fat, but it’s certainly the wrong answer, in my opinion, for losing the fat in the first place.

   Love the site!

   Scott

4. Girlwithnoname Says:
   November 10th, 2009 at 10:41 am

   WOW!! What a totally excellent analogy Scott!! That was an awesome read. Thanks for the comment.

   GWNN

5. Husain Al-Khamis Says:
   November 16th, 2009 at 8:45 pm

   “Cardio Training” the since long time debated topic! but it’s very interesting and the more different ideas we have the more close we are to the true fact!

   Besides the benefits the one can get from pursuing certain type of Cardio training, it is known that Cardio is mainly used to help in burning fat. To me, I try to use Cardio training as an extra tool to burn fat, and I consider Weight training to be still the essential tool in either gaining muscles or losing fat! Usually, I incorporate Cardio training with my Weight training routines. This is all about Metabolism!
   The Bigger The Muscles You Have The Easier The Fat Burning Will Be! Because what consumes the fat is actually the muscle.

   Also, Cardio is not only for those whose goal is lofing fat, it can benefit even those whose goal is gaining muscles. It is known that when performing Cardio your endurance will increase, and the reason behind that is that the Mitochondria, where Glycogen the main body energy is stored, will be more dense and larger. Thus, a larger amount of Glycogen would be stored upon replenishment. Now, what does that mean? Simple, more fuel and energy for the next workout!

   Regarding getting bored at doing a steady slow Cardio, usually I don’t get bored if I perform it. Because motivation is the most important playing role here. I try to bring the image of burning fat into my mind while I’m doing it. So, I get very excited when doing it! But generally, I prefer the HIIT type of Cardio training!

   TheFightGeek, Thanks for sharing the 3 points. They are new to me!
   Scott Stransky, I liked the Car example. you indeed right!

   Jackie, thank you for sharing your ideas in this aspect!

   Best Regrads
   Husain

6. Girlwithnoname Says:
   November 18th, 2009 at 10:51 am

   thanks for a great comment Husain, very interesting read.
   GWNN