Let's talk about misuse of cardio! I found an article that you might find interesting! And listen I have been guilty of this more than once. I get sucked into the cardio world all the time and then I remember that it doesn't work for me or my body or my hormones. Post questions in the comments below! ~xoxo Sara “Cardio” is short for “cardiovascular”, which refers to the lungs and heart, and their associated systems. I assume when someone asks about “cardio”, they are referring to longer, steady state, low to moderate intensity sessions of a repetitive movement. This can be easily done on any “cardio” machine such as an upright bike, rowing machine, elliptical trainer or Stairmaster but can also be done with no equipment, such as walking or jogging (depending on the individual’s level of conditioning). For most folks, then, “cardio” means something like “go outside and run for a while to get your heart rate up”. That’s not wrong, but it’s not as accurate as it could be. An example would be someone who is doing three days a week of 30 minute resistance training sessions (weight) and five 40-minute cardio sessions a week. I would flip that and have them do five 40-minute strength training sessions a week and follow each of those with 12 minutes of either steady state or interval training (anaerobic) “cardio” sessions. This results in much less total “cardio” time, plus more metabolism and hormone boosting strength training – thus, better results in less time! Abusing cardio: two examples Here are two examples of cardio abuse. I think they exemplify some of the ways in which people can develop unhealthy attachments to cardio, and keep abusing it despite knowledge and evidence about the consequences. AN EXAMPLE of wrong cardio A very tall, thin and lean female client was doing 60 minutes of steady state cardio at 40% of her heart rate almost every day, even though her goal was to look more toned, lean and muscular. In fact, she was an ultramarathon runner who raced every 3 weeks on average! In her case, she misused cardio because she was trying to lose weight. She also consumed far too few calories to support this activity — about 1500 on an average day — and her carbohydrate intake was very low. It’s amazing to me that her body still functioned after all this abuse! Ironically, she didn’t even lose weight. Neither the choice of activity, the duration, nor the intensity were appropriate for her goal, but she had a very hard time giving it up — even despite all the data and information showing would be more appropriate and why. She still could and would not give up nor change her running duration nor frequency. What does cardio change look like? Here is an actual Biosignature profile comparison of a client who was initially misusing cardio. The first report shows her starting stats as a cardio misuser. The second report shows the progress she made after 1 month of implementing a system that uses cardio optimally. In her case, that was a mere 6 to 12 minutes (!) of postworkout cardio after each of her five weekly strength training sessions. Start After 1 month Difference Weight 120 lb 116 lb -4 lb Body fat % 12.1% 9.1% -3% Lean mass 105 105 0 BMI 21.5 21.1 -0.4 Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) 0.9 0.8 skinfold comparison start to month 1 Not only did she lose fat, she improved all of her hormone correlations – increases in androgens, improved thyroid function, and carbohydrate tolerance. Her face filled out. Long cardio sessions can give the face a gaunt appearance. (Ladies, pay attention. If you’re grinding out the cardio hours to look good, you may be achieving exactly the opposite!) All in one month. How’d she do it? Simple. She cut her cardio from one to two hours of “cardio” weekly to less than one hour total time of aerobic and anaerobic combined. Again: Less time, better results. Sweet! Read these questions below and see if you Are a cardio abuser? If you answer “yes” to three or more of these, then consider yourself a potential cardio abuser. See above for “cardio rehab” ideas. 1. Do you try to negate a bad food choice or less than stellar nutritional day with extra steady state cardio session to “even out” the calories? 2. Is the duration of the session more important to you than intensity (e.g., you’ll choose 50 minutes lower intensity over 20 minutes of intervals)? 3. If time is short, do you scratch off resistance training before cardio sessions? 4. If you want to drop some weight, is your first choice a 10 km or half marathon event? 5.If a coach gives you a goal-specific program, are you quick to ask “where’s the cardio?” or “when will we be adding in cardio?” 6.Do you track and record “calories burned per session” on a stationary piece of equipment? 7.Do you feel fat or out of control when you go a day or more without a cardio session? 8.Do you find your cardio time inching up and up… are you putting in more than an hour a day trying to lose weight or make progress? 9.Do you find yourself progressing to longer endurance events — eventually hoping that events such as ultramarathons will help you lose fat? Do half-marathons seem like not enough and a full marathon just getting warmed up? 10.Do you keep using cardio well beyond when it stops being useful or productive — for example doing cardio many times weekly for months and even years with little or no change in stimulus? 11. Does the thought of dropping cardio make you feel distressed, fearful, and/or anxious? 12.Have you even refused to stop doing it after a trainer or health professional expressed concern about what effects so much cardio may have on you? 13.Have you had blood test results that suggest you’re under significant physical stress (e.g. depressed sex hormones, disrupted thyroid, very high or very low cortisol, etc.)? 14.Are you afraid or reluctant to do resistance training, or increase the intensity or frequency of resistance training, in case you “get too big” or “bulk up” — even though endless cardio sessions haven’t helped you accomplish your goal (of reduced weight, body fat and/or girth measures)? Above all, ask yourself: Why am I doing this? Am I using cardio properly? Is what I am doing truly helping me reach my goals (as demonstrated objectively by evidence such as body fat tests or tape measurements)? Was I misusing cardio simply because I did not have enough information? Or do I have an unhealthy attachment to cardio that I need to examine more deeply?
