So You Want to Start Doing Cardio 

 

In comparison with beginners to strength training, the most common mistakes I see cardio beginners make have less to do with what exactly they should be doing, and more to do with how often they’re doing it/how much effort they’re putting in. 

 

As with any other form of exercise, you will not improve- at least not for long- if you go all in every single time. Nor is it good to train every single day. [See my article on over training].

 

Like with strength training, cardio gains happen when your body is recovering. You need to give it that time to recover, and you don’t want to be pushing to the absolute limit every single workout. A good cardio program will have an undulating schedule- in any given week, you’ll be training at various different intensities, for various amounts of time. Pictured below is a sample 10k training program for a relatively new runner.  

 

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As you can see, you’re not running as long or hard as you possibly can every time. There’s easy days and harder days, easier weeks and harder weeks, which all GRADUALLY build up to increasing the amount of time you can run. This is the way that your body actually adapts to training. 

 

Whichever form of cardio you prefer, and whichever training program you choose, look for a structure like this.  

 

What Kind of Cardio Should I Do?

 

If you’ve read much of my stuff, you can predict the first answer: the kind you like the best and will actually stick to. 

It is ideal to do at least a couple different types. This will keep your body on its toes in terms of adapting to training, and prevent overuse injuries of certain muscles and joints (this is especially important for runners!) 

For your reading convenience, I have compiled a list of popular cardio modalities, and some pros/cons for each. 

 

Running

• Pros: convenient, cheap, many groups/events available, gets you outside, high impact exercise keeps joints healthy if not overdone. 

• Cons: extremely high impact; can exacerbate chronic injuries or muscle imbalances (this can be mitigated, however!)[link to article?] 

• Skill barrier for beginners: Basically none 

• Ideal for: people with no healthy joints or who’ve been cleared by a physio to run, who like being outside/don’t mind treadmills

 

Walking/Hiking

• Pros: convenient, cheap, many groups/events available, gets you outside, lower impact than running, but high impact enough to strengthen your bones and joints.

• Cons: time consuming once you get to even a moderate level of fitness. Can get boring if you don’t have access to enough different routes. 

• Skill barrier for beginners: None, unless you bite off more than you can chew as a new hiker. (Check the guidebook and learn to read a topo map.)

• Ideal for: people starting from a very low fitness level (start with regular walking); people who want to go hiking; people who consistently have the spare time to do it. 

 

Swimming

• Pros: extremely low impact, full body workout, relatively cheap 

• Cons: extremely low impact (doesn’t do as much for bone density) less convenient, more time consuming

• Skill barrier for beginners: High (even if you’re a confident swimmer, learning good enough form/building strength to the point where you can get a good cardio workout from it can take time)

• Ideal for: People with sensitive joints, rehab, people who enjoy swimming, people seeking a full body workout. 

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Cycling

• Pros: low impact, provides introduction to various different cycling sports, many relatively cheap indoor classes available

• Cons: potentially expensive if you’re buying a road bike/cross country mountain bike (though it is worth noting that a decent spin bike is MUCH cheaper than a treadmill) 

• Skill barrier for beginners: Low (assuming you can already ride a bike) 

• Ideal for: People who like spin classes; people interested in any kind of cycling sports; people who want a compact, quiet cardio machine for their home.

 

Aerobics Classes/Similar

• Pros: Often a fairly full body workout; options for various ability levels usually available; online classes usually available   

• Cons: High quality ones may not be readily available 

• Skill barrier for beginners: None

• Ideal for: People who find a group class environment motivating 

 

Miscellaneous Cardio Machines

• Pros: Provides variety from treadmills; lower impact; works different muscles

• Cons: Can aggravate specific chronic injuries/create muscle imbalances if overused, depending on the machine. Some require more skill/strength to use than others, meaning you won’t get as much cardio benefit until you have developed that. 

• Skill barrier for beginners: Varies depending on the machine

• Ideal for: people who want to do their cardio at the gym and don’t like treadmills/need to add some cross training to their treadmill program 

 

Cross Country Skiing

• Pros: Low impact, (relatively) full body workout, is outside, cheap/free after initial investment of equipment, many cheap/free events and groups available  

• Cons: Good location may be inconvenient 

• Skill barrier for beginners: moderate 

• Ideal for: People who like being outside in the winter; runners and cyclists who want some fun winter cross training ​​​​​

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So, With All That, How to Get Started?

 

Step One: Try a few different forms of cardio; find at least one you like enough to do a few times a week. (Mixing it up with different types is more than fine. Do whatever seems fun)

 

Step Two: Find a beginner training plan, or get someone to make you one. If you are extremely new/out of shape, you can also just begin with the goal of getting out there and doing it for 15-30 minutes every other day for a month. 

 

Step Three: Congrats, you’ve started. Don’t worry about being perfectly consistent; just keep trucking. If you want to switch to another form of cardio or add in some variety, by all means do so. Find what keeps it interesting/enjoyable for you and roll with it.

 

Common Mistakes

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• Starting with too damn much 

• I say this as a cardio junkie. It’s easy to overdo it, especially in the beginning. Follow a “couch to five-k” program (or the equivalent for your modality of choice). You shouldn’t be doing a hard cardio workout every single day, and especially not in the beginning. 

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• Only running and not doing anything else. 

• I’ve also done this. Running is incredibly convenient and cheap, and it’s easy to fall into a routine where it’s all you do. But once you’re at the point where you can be doing cardio five or more times a week- that’s gonna be rough on your joints. 

 

• Putting in a lazy half hour on a cardio machine and calling it a day

• Don’t get me wrong, this is infinitely better than doing nothing. If that’s all you have in you that day, then awesome. But you will not progress if this is all you do; so before you get discouraged, ask yourself how hard you’ve really been training. 

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