Cardio Quick Hit

Do the following and you will be healthier

I was posting on Instagram recently (go follow me) about changes Ive made in my training over the years, and the biggest change has been the incorporation of dedicated cardiovascular training.

Throughout my 20s, I did very little in the way of cardio. At most I would go for long walks, or get on the treadmill for 30 minutes and walk at a 4mph pace on a 4% incline.

But aside from a brief exploration of running, cardio was not something I did.

After being drawn towards combat sports around age 30, spending time training in Thailand in 2020, and having spent the last 3 years doing Muay Thai, cardio is now a regular part of training regimen.

This begs a question that you might have, and many others had…

What do you do for Cardio?

I keep cardio SIMPLE. Im not going to get into a long discussion on the physiology of cardio and why its important.

Lets keep it practical.

There are THREE cardio prescriptions I recommend to people.

Option 1 (when you want the Ocam’s razor approach)-Walk 10,000 steps a day

This is not doing any specific cardiovascular zone workout, its simply walking a lot each day. This by itself will generally keep someone in “fair” cardiovascular health, obviously you’re not going to an elite athlete, but if you walk this much, you a minimal level of stamina and you are unlikely to be overweight.

This would be my plan for people wanting general health improvement. Or people wanting to gain muscle and strength. Or people who want to lose bodyfat. Or anyone really who wants to be healthy.

When in doubt, WALK A LOT. Do not overcomplicate this

Option 2-(when you need aerobic endurance)-Actual Cardio 3-5x Weekly

This is rucking, jogging, running, or cycling at least 3 times weekly, for at least 30 minutes, and up to 60 minutes if you choose to.

This is the “Zone 2” and Zone 3 workout that my good friend Mike Cernovich often talks about, and Ive covered in several twitter threads.

This cardio is not complicated.

Your goal is to select something that you can do sustainably for at least 30 minutes, and will take your heart rate in zone 2 and above, and you keep this up for the entire duration.

For people who objective improvement in cardiovascular performance, with an emphasis on AEROBIC endurance.

You will assess heart rate and distance covered, and aim to improve both over time.

It is difficult to overdo Zone 2, the more you do, the healthier you will be.

I would advise doing this SEPARATE from lifting. Space them out by at least 5 hours. If you do them together thats a long workout and Id hope your pre and post workout nutrition are dialed in. Intraworkout as well.

Option 3-Cardio for those who HATE Cardio but still want to do cardio and walking alone is not cutting it

Some people despise doing anything long duration, maybe walking a lot is not happening,

but they still want the physiological benefits of cardiovascular training, they want a higher level of endurance, and they are efficiency minded.

For these people, I recommend HIIT training. Hight Intensity Interval Training.

Now, here is a caveat that must be pointed out-Some people can doing nothing but HIIT training and they will be in fantastic cardiovascular shape. Others can do HIIT, and it does NOT yield the same level of benefit.

So do not think HIIT is a 1:1 substitute for programmed aerobic training. It is not. But its close enough for many people who want general health benefits

For HIIT Workouts, I recommend the Airbike, specifically the Assault, Echo, or Airdyne.

My suggested workouts are as follows (and to be clear, these are intended to be done on AIRBIKES, not on any other piece of equipment)

• 5-8 rounds of 1 minute sprints, 1-2 minutes rest in between.
  or

• 10-15 rounds of 10 second sprints, 50 seconds of rest
  or

• 30 second sprints, 90 seconds of rest, repeat 5-8 times

Both of these workouts can be done frequently, I suggest 3-4 times per week, never more than 2 days in a row, and while metabolically demanding, they are not so draining that they wipe someone out completely.

I suggest programming this type of cardio BEFORE lifting weights. With the exception of leg day. Dont do cardio on leg day (aside from walking). Lift only.

I am not a proponent of HIIT workouts longer than 20 minutes. HIIT should be short, brief, and intense. Anything longer than 20 minutes is too long, in my professional opinion.

Option 4-Some Combination of the above

Choose your own adventure on this one. There is no perfect formula.

Any questions? Post them in the comments