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Aerobics Cardio Information |
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Cardio Enthusiasts: Discover a More Effective Training Method for Fat Loss and Heart Health!
It is common to hear fitness professionals and medical doctors prescribe low to moderate intensity aerobic training (cardio) to people who are trying to prevent heart disease or lose weight. Most often, the recommendations constitute something along the lines of "perform 30-60 minutes of steady pace cardio 3-5 times per week maintaining your heart rate at a moderate level". Before you just give in to this popular belief and become the "hamster on the wheel" doing endless hours of boring cardio, I'd like you to consider some recent scientific research that indicates that steady pace endurance cardio work may not be all it's cracked up to be. First, realize that our bodies are designed to perform physical activity in bursts of exertion followed by recovery, or stop-and-go movement instead of steady state movement. Recent research is suggesting that physical variability is one of the most important aspects to consider in your training. This tendency can be seen throughout nature as all animals demonstrate stop-and-go motion instead of steady state motion. In fact, humans are the only creatures in nature that attempt to do "endurance" type physical activities. Most competitive sports (with the exception of endurance running or cycling) are also based on stop-and-go movement or short bursts of exertion followed by recovery. To examine an example of the different effects of endurance or steady state training versus stop-and-go training, consider the physiques of marathoners versus sprinters. Most sprinters carry a physique that is very lean, muscular, and powerful looking, while the typical dedicated marathoner is more often emaciated and sickly looking. Now which would you rather resemble? Another factor to keep in mind regarding the benefits of physical variability is the internal effect of various forms of exercise on our body. Scientists have known that excessive steady state endurance exercise (different for everyone, but sometimes defined as greater than 60 minutes per session most days of the week) increases free radical production in the body, can degenerate joints, reduces immune function, causes muscle wasting, and can cause a pro-inflammatory response in the body that can potentially lead to chronic diseases. On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training has been linked to increased anti-oxidant production in the body and an anti-inflammatory response, a more efficient nitric oxide response (which can encourage a healthy cardiovascular system), and an increased metabolic rate response (which can assist with weight loss). Furthermore, steady state endurance training only trains the heart at one specific heart rate range and doesn't train it to respond to various every day stressors. On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training teaches the heart to respond to and recover from a variety of demands making it less likely to fail when you need it. Think about it this way -- Exercise that trains your heart to rapidly increase and rapidly decrease will make your heart more capable of handling everyday stress. Stress can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to increase rapidly. Steady state jogging and other endurance training does not train your heart to be able to handle rapid changes in heart rate or blood pressure. The important aspect of variable cyclic training that makes it superior over steady state cardio is the recovery period in between bursts of exertion. That recovery period is crucially important for the body to elicit a healthy response to an exercise stimulus. Another benefit of variable cyclic training is that it is much more interesting and has lower drop-out rates than long boring steady state cardio programs. To summarize, some of the potential benefits of variable cyclic training compared to steady state endurance training are as follows: improved cardiovascular health, increased anti-oxidant protection, improved immune function, reduced risk for joint wear and tear, reduced muscle wasting, increased residual metabolic rate following exercise, and an increased capacity for the heart to handle life's every day stressors. There are many ways you can reap the benefits of stop-and-go or variable intensity physical training. One of the absolute most effective forms of variable intensity training to really reduce body fat and bring out serious muscular definition is performing wind sprints. Most competitive sports such as football, basketball, racquetball, tennis, hockey, etc. are naturally comprised of highly variable stop-and-go motion. In addition, weight training naturally incorporates short bursts of exertion followed by recovery periods. High intensity interval training (varying between high and low intensity intervals on any piece of cardio equipment) is yet another training method that utilizes exertion and recovery periods. For example, an interval training session on the treadmill could look something like this: Warm-up for 3-4 minutes at a fast walk or light jog; The take-away message from this article is to try to train your body at highly variable intensity rates for the majority of your workouts to get the most beneficial response in terms of heart health, fat loss, and muscle maintenance. Copyright ©2005 - truthaboutabs.com Michael Geary, NCSF CPT, AFAA CPT; Visit http://truthaboutabs.com -- free bonuses and free articles are available!
MORE RESOURCES: Water Aerobics: Why You Should Consider Aqua Cardio Alameda Post 10 resistance band exercises you can do at home British Heart Foundation Alzheimer's disease: Why aerobic exercise may have protective effect Medical News Today The Best Cardio Exercises To Boost Your Endurance as You Age Eat This Not That The Decade That Changed Fitness Forever The New York Times How to improve your mental health using physical activity Mental Health Foundation Weight loss: Modest results possible with 30 mins of exercise per week Medical News Today Treadmills are out, barbells are in: why gym-goers are abandoning cardio for weight training The Guardian Exercise Is Good for Everything. Even Hangovers. The New York Times Moderate, vigorous exercise boosts cognitive abilities for 24 hours Medical News Today 11 reasons why you need to do aerobic exercise Healthshots Can You Exercise When You Have COVID-19? Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials Safe Cardio Workouts for Seniors: Heart Health After 60 | Journee Journée Mondiale Aerobic exercise: a powerful ally in the fight against Alzheimer’s University of Bristol Colorectal cancer: Exercise in the morning and evening may cut risk Medical News Today How to Incorporate Quick and Easy Exercise into Your Daily Routine for Better Health - HealthCentral Demi Moore gave up 'hard exercise' after years of 'obsession'. Here's how she works out now Women's Health Best Exercises to Start With When You’re Living With Obesity Everyday Health Exercise Equipment for Seniors Healthline Exercise May Ease COVID-19 and Long COVID Symptoms Yale Medicine I asked scientists about the best exercise for longevity - and they all said the same 3 workouts Woman & Home Engage Your Core with a Top-Tested Exercise Ball Good Housekeeping Endurance exercise can help the body store healthier fat Medical News Today Experts on how to find the best mix of exercise for your age as a woman Australian Broadcasting Corporation How to Optimize Your Workout to Boost Your Mood The New York Times Hate Exercise? We Made This 10-Minute Workout Just for You. The New York Times Health Benefits of Water Exercise Cleveland Clinic Newsroom All you need is a chair to get a great burn at home Women's Health Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Exercise Restrictions HealthCentral 10 Best Exercises for Women Over 50 To Live Longer Eat This Not That ‘Cardio drumming’ is the hot, new exercise trend to purge your daily anger and frustration New York Post Aerobic Exercise: Randomized Controlled Trial Data Suggest Qualified Benefits for Erectile Dysfunction Psychiatrist.com The Right Shoes Can Level Up Your Workout—Here Are Our Top Picks for Every Type of Activity SELF Magazine Dr Hilary Jones reveals the two 'ideal' exercises for losing weight and keeping it off for good Woman & Home At 67, Denise Austin Demonstrates ‘Fun’ Calorie-Burning Move to ‘Work Your Waistline’ Prevention Swimming & Aquatics City of San Antonio (.gov) A 30 (ish)-Minute, Low-Impact, Cardio Pool Workout Everyday Health New research finds half-cardio, half-strength training reduces cardiovascular disease risks • News Service Iowa State University The impact of physical activity and exercise interventions on symptoms for women experiencing menopause: overview of reviews BMC Women's Health Massive study uncovers how much exercise is needed to live longer American Medical Association Forget The Wind-Down Routine: New Study Shows Light Exercise Before Bed Results in 30 Minutes’ Extra Sleep Men's Health The Full-Body Pool Workout That Doesn’t Involve Swimming (Published 2023) The New York Times Resistance Exercise Training in Individuals With and Without Cardiovascular Disease: 2023 Update: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association | Circulation American Heart Association Journals The best exercise equipment for seniors National Geographic High-intensity Exercise May Reverse Neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease Yale School of Medicine Why Walking Isn’t Enough When It Comes to Exercise Time Magazine The Great Debate: Cardio vs. Strength Training RWJBarnabas Health UTSW studies clarify link between exercise, risk of heart disease: Newsroom UT Southwestern Medical Center How Exercise Can Lead to a Healthy Gut Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials Clown Cardio Doesn’t Take Exercise Seriously (Published 2024) The New York Times Fitness brandeisjudges.com Women may realize health benefits of regular exercise more than men National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov) The best strength-building exercise to lower blood pressure? Harvard Health Short bursts of exercise may offer big health benefits Harvard Health 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week reduces liver fat, study finds Penn State University New study explains how exercise reduces chronic inflammation Harvard Gazette Mayo Clinic Minute: Is your exercise program heart-healthy? Mayo Clinic News Network Researchers create a bodywide map of molecular changes linked to exercise and health Stanford Medicine |
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