{"id":68781,"date":"2017-10-11T01:33:51","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T01:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/\/\/uncategorized\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback"},"modified":"2021-11-22T01:16:36","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T06:16:36","slug":"cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardio Needs to Make a Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Intensity is sexy, and sex sells.<\/strong> Heaps of sweaty, heaving bodies on the floor after yet another burn-the-house-down workout invoke feelings of admiration and respect (and more than a few likes on Instagram). There\u2019s no denying that you showed up and did the work if you can\u2019t walk up the steps to your front door when you get home, right?<\/p>\n<p>But is that really what you\u2019re after? When you signed up at your gym and handed over the first month\u2019s dues, was the goal you had in mind to leave every day so exhausted you could barely spell your name? Are you getting any closer to the aesthetic or the level of performance you want to achieve?<\/p>\n<p>For the first few months, you probably were. <strong>Newbie gains are definitely a thing. <\/strong>But as the psychological and physiological novelty wears off, there\u2019s a good chance you watched your progress sputter. The common advice in this scenario is to work harder, but when you\u2019re already hitting max effort every time you lace up your shoes, where are you supposed to find another 2% to push?<\/p>\n<p>The hardest message to get through to my athletes is that they need to slow down. Not all the time, but at least some of the time. And I get it. Long, slow cardio isn\u2019t exactly the stuff people pay to watch on TV. For most people, it\u2019s absolute drudgery, right up there with folding laundry or getting your teeth cleaned.<\/p>\n<p>This has led to the \u201cas possible\u201d dilemma. People tend to train as hard, as fast, and as long <em>as possible<\/em>, every time they train. #AMRAP4LIFE, right? <strong>Then when they ask their bodies to go faster, or harder, or further, they can\u2019t.<\/strong> They have no way to elevate their performance over what they have already done, because their tank is constantly on empty, and they have never taken the time to build the foundation that can lead to greater levels of performance.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-trouble-with-endless-intensity\">The Trouble With Endless Intensity<\/h2>\n<p>Spending at least some of your <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/steady-state-aerobic-training-isnt-the-devil\/\" data-lasso-id=\"74972\">training time at lower intensity is crucially necessary for any athlete<\/a>. While it\u2019s true that interval training can provide a superior stimulus to increase your VO2 max (the holy grail of cardiovascular capacity),<strong> pulling that trigger every day is pretty hard on the body<\/strong>, not to mention the mind. If it takes you three days to physically and mentally recover from your last interval session and you do nothing in the meantime, you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/the-only-variable-that-matters\/\" data-lasso-id=\"74973\">sacrificing consistency for intensity, and that math does not work out in your favor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>You also can\u2019t hold the throttle wide open for very long. One of the problems surrounding the study design in a lot of the research comparing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and steady-state cardio (SSC) is that the researchers commonly choose to limit the SSC group to the same time or calorie domains as the HIIT group.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The first mistake is to employ two totally different tools using rules that apply to only one of them.<\/strong> Steady state cardio can (and in some cases, should) be conducted for up to 2-3 hours at a time. High intensity training, by its very nature, can only take place for a drastically shorter period of time, from 2-20 minutes, in most cases. After that, your muscles and nervous system are spent, and you need a considerable amount of time to recover.<\/p>\n<p>This concept matters because comparing the outcomes, when you haven\u2019t given the <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/low-intensity-training-for-high-intensity-sports\/\" data-lasso-id=\"74974\">lower-intensity work time to do its job<\/a>, is rigging the game in favor of high intensity. It\u2019s intuitively obvious that you\u2019ll burn more calories and get more adaptation if you work hard for 20 minutes, versus working less hard. What\u2019s less obvious is that you might get more adaptation (and burn a boatload more calories, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re after) at less physiological cost by going at a more moderate pace for 90 minutes. That flies in the face of our more-for-less culture, but it\u2019s no less true.<\/p>\n<p>The second mistake is thinking that you\u2019ll hit a sufficient volume of activity with just high intensity training. If you\u2019re hitting a 20-30-minute session five times a week (and I bet you aren\u2019t), <strong>that only adds up to a maximum of two and a half hours of training.<\/strong> When most people spend the other 165.5 hours each week sitting on their asses or sleeping, frankly, that isn\u2019t anything like enough volume to make a meaningful impact on your health or performance. Perhaps worse, you will have tricked yourself into thinking you\u2019re doing enough, sending your motivation into a tailspin when you don\u2019t get the results you\u2019re after.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, there are plenty of studies about how just a little exercise a couple times per week can make a difference in biomarkers and health outcomes, but those studies are about surviving. Just getting by. Not dying on your couch, covered in Cheetos-dust.<strong> Is that really what you\u2019re after?<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"get-off-the-hamster-wheel\">Get Off the Hamster Wheel<\/h2>\n<p>In the end, the <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/no-you-dont-hate-running\/\" data-lasso-id=\"74975\">strongest argument most people have against long, slow, unsexy cardio is that they don\u2019t like it<\/a>. Or that they don\u2019t have time, which is just another way of saying they dislike it to such an extent that they won\u2019t make time for it.<\/p>\n<p>Looking around, it\u2019s no wonder people hate cardio. <strong>It\u2019s as if they go out of their way to make it the most miserable experience imaginable. <\/strong>You couldn\u2019t pay me to spend an hour on a stationary bike or an elliptical, and even as a runner, there is no clearer picture of hell to me than a line of treadmills covered in various visages of human suffering.<\/p>\n<p>If cardio makes you feel like a hamster on a wheel, here\u2019s my advice: get off the hamster wheel. Get outside. Break out those expensive running shoes you promised yourself that you\u2019d use one day, or that bike that\u2019s collecting cobwebs in the garage, or those rollerblades that you begged for three Christmases ago. Connect with all of the things around you, especially nature. You will scarcely even notice cardio is happening as you <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/psa-they-arent-your-trails\/\" data-lasso-id=\"74976\">cruise through the woods<\/a>, or around a park, or along the beach. Most of us could go right out our front door and do hours of cardio without ever seeing the same thing twice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>While you\u2019re at it, <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/the-fitness-technology-inside-your-head\/\" data-lasso-id=\"74977\">leave your headphones at home<\/a>.<\/strong> Your need to be <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-many-crutches-do-you-need\/\" data-lasso-id=\"74978\">constantly entertained is a crutch that is getting in the way of your training<\/a>. Having your hearing back will help you make that connection with nature, or the cute girl or guy you pass by. It might even keep you from getting hit by a car, or attacked by a cantankerous squirrel. In any case, when you stop making such a production out of trying to keep yourself optimally equipped and amused, you will have one less obstacle to just getting the thing done.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"training-slower-wont-make-you-faster\">Training Slower Won&#8217;t Make You Faster<\/h2>\n<p><strong>While it\u2019s true that training slower won\u2019t make you go faster, it will help you go longer, more often, and with less recovery.<\/strong> Training the aerobic system allows your metabolism to become more fat-adapted, increases the efficiency of every heartbeat, and can even induce beneficial changes at the vascular and cellular levels. Those changes, in turn, will make you go faster, and add some longevity to your athletic career, or even your life. Seems like a pretty good tradeoff, to me.<\/p>\n<p>As with any <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/dont-waste-time-on-base-training\/\" data-lasso-id=\"74979\">training tool, there are diminishing returns from an excess of long, slow training<\/a>. You should also be lifting heavy, running fast, and pushing yourself into the pain cave on a pretty regular basis. But if you\u2019re doing it every day, you\u2019re ignoring the motor that powers 99% of your life.<\/p>\n<p>Take an honest look at your recent training history. How many days in the last ten have your workouts left you flat on your back? If the answer is ten, or if you find yourself sucking wind for several minutes after everyone else has recovered, or you just don\u2019t seem to have the motor you wish you did, <strong>maybe it\u2019s time to can your excuses and give cardio another look.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Intensity is sexy, and sex sells. Heaps of sweaty, heaving bodies on the floor after yet another burn-the-house-down workout invoke feelings of admiration and respect (and more than a few likes on Instagram). There\u2019s no denying that you showed up and did the work if you can\u2019t walk up the steps to your front door when you get&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1217,"featured_media":68780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4642],"tags":[247],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cardio Needs to Make a Comeback - Breaking Muscle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cardio Needs to Make a Comeback - Breaking Muscle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Intensity is sexy, and sex sells. Heaps of sweaty, heaving bodies on the floor after yet another burn-the-house-down workout invoke feelings of admiration and respect (and more than a few likes on Instagram). There\u2019s no denying that you showed up and did the work if you can\u2019t walk up the steps to your front door when you get...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Breaking Muscle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/breakingmuscle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"PeteHitzWriting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-11T01:33:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-22T06:16:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/cardio1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Pete Hitzeman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BreakingMuscle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BreakingMuscle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Pete Hitzeman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Pete Hitzeman\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/15257e32b0a3fb812fdeeedccca18f8b\"},\"headline\":\"Cardio Needs to Make a Comeback\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-11T01:33:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-22T06:16:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback\/\"},\"wordCount\":1397,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"cardio\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Fitness\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/cardio-needs-to-make-a-comeback\/\",\"name\":\"Cardio Needs to Make a Comeback - 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Raised in a household of engineers and musicians, he was introduced to athletic training only after joining his high school wrestling team on a whim. The ten years after graduation were filled with more cigarettes, pints, and cheeseburgers than he cares to remember, until he rediscovered mountain biking as an adult. In the years since, he has steadily developed into a pan-athlete, flinging himself headlong into cycling, running, and CrossFit. Despite being physiologically ill-suited for any of those endeavors, he has competed in a variety of endurance events, including the marathon, 6-hour road bike time trials, and a 100-mile mountain bike race. His pursuit of his own physical potential is far from over, but his greater desire is to inspire others to find theirs. He has become a race director, fitness media consultant, and a coach and mentor to the athletes around him. 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