Why I don’t do cardio

August 23, 2011

Let me start with the obvious -- cardio is boring! Doing the same thing over and over for 45 minutes every day will put you to sleep, not get you in better shape. I would also argue that cardio is a made-up modern invention. Think about it: There is nothing in our daily lives that mimics or requires us to repeat a motion ad nauseum, except cardio. On the other hand, most of us find ourselves out of shape and gasping for breath when we are challenged anaerobically--like chasing your child down the street or moving the old freezer out of the basement. These are the times where your cardio training doesn’t help. In fact, it might even be harmful and keep you from achieving your fitness goals. Here are my top 4 reasons for not doing cardio:

1. It doesn’t help you lose body fat. Unless you’re very fat and unconditioned, doing steady state cardio won’t help much. In fact I’ve had clients get fatter when they started training for their 10Ks and triathlons.

2. It decreases power output and coordination. A basketball player who uses running for conditioning will decrease his ability to jump higher, and his ability to shoot accurately, if he does too much cardio. This is why I get very frustrated when athletes come to me and explain that their coach assigned them 3 days a week of running 3 miles for conditioning.

3. It increases oxidative stress. If the body gets too much oxidative stress, free radicals form, which damage the body and cause premature aging. In fact, studies have shown that elite level athletes that did the highest volume of endurance training had the highest incidence of cognitive disorders in later life.

4. You don’t need to do cardio to get more aerobically fit. If you train your anaerobic system correctly, you get better at sprinting and also improve your cardiovascular system (measured in VO2 max). It’s like a 2-for-1 sale!

So what to do if you can’t have your treadmill? Strongman training is my favorite mode. It’s not as intimidating as it sounds. Essentially we use ropes and sleds and heavy objects to condition people anaerobically, which improves strength, coordination, power, and your cardiovascular system (shocking, I know). Lucky for you we offer classes Mondays and Fridays.

Classes are by no means the only option. As an alternative, I often take clients outside to the track to do sprints. The longest distance we go is 400 yards, which doesn’t seem that far, but one of my best clients, an avid triathlete, was looking for his spleen after our first track workout this year.

The reason most people will never do this type of training is because it’s insanely hard. That’s why we’re so impressed when we see someone with a great set of abs. We know they worked hard for them. But keep in mind that anaerobic exercise is only part of the equation. You also have to clean up your eating habits, because you can’t outsprint a crappy diet.