What is Cardio?

 

• Cardiorespiratory training refers to anything that trains the ability of your respiratory and circulatory systems to get blood with oxygen in it to your muscles. 

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• The focus can be on efficiency (like with HIIT), endurance (like with jogging), or any combination thereof. 

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What are the Benefits of Cardio? 

 

• Having a healthy and strong respiratory and circulatory system is proven to help protect you from pretty much every health problem, especially cardiovascular diseases. It is one of the strongest predictors of longevity.  

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• It can also help with many practical aspects of everyday life, and help you get more enjoyment out of many recreational activities. (And I don’t just mean sports… if you want to have more energy for things like travelling and partying, cardio will help.) 

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• It can be great for weight control, as it tends to burn a lot of calories. 

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• Many people find it cathartic and/or relaxing. Especially with endurance related cardio, there is a “meditative” element combined with what’s essentially forced breathwork. 

 

Types of Cardio 

 

• Most people will group cardio modalities by intensity, aka low, medium, and high. Say, walking is low, jogging is medium, sprinting is high. 

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• The form your training takes will depend on your goals. A workout that can be done on your break, to the goal of general heart health, is going to look a lot different from a workout meant to help you train for a marathon. Intensity, frequency, length, and cross training are all going to vary based on individual goals and needs. 

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• The “Cardio: Getting Started” article has a short list of popular cardio modalities and some general information on them. 

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• This is going to be a shorter article, because the way it worked out is that most of the information is there. 

 

FAQs

 

• I want to run, but I also want to still have knees when I’m 40. Can I do both?

• Yes! See [this article] on common chronic injuries for runners and how to avoid them 

 

• I started running this summer, but now it is winter, and I hate treadmills. What do I do? 

• Read [this article] on winter running! In addition, consider adding in some cross country skiing if it is feasible for you. 

 

• What is the best way to combine some of these different types of cardio? 

• See [this article] on cross training.

 

• What is the best type of cardio for weight loss? 

• Weight loss is about sustaining a caloric deficit; ultimately, you must be doing the math for that regardless of what kind of exercise you’re doing. But in terms of what burns the most calories the fastest, running, intensive cycling/aerobics classes, and cross country skiing tend to be the best. 

 

• Is it true that cardio kills your gains? 

• No. Excessive cardio + insufficient calories kills your gains. [Link to common myths article?] Unless you’re an advanced weightlifter/bodybuilder in a specific stage of competition prep, it should not be a problem as long as you’re not overtraining and your nutrition is good. Though it might not be advisable to do your longest run of the week the day before leg day! Arrange your workout schedule intelligently. 

 

• Can I do cardio while bulking?

• As long as you like eating. 

 

• Will it always feel this awful? I feel like my lungs are on fire.

• No, it’ll only feel like that for a few weeks at most. 

 

• Is the “runner’s high” thing real?

• It’s very real, and the best thing ever. 

 

• Can I do cardio if I have asthma? 

• Yes; it is in fact a reliable treatment for asthma. However, if you are severely asthmatic, you should consult with a medical professional on the best way for you to begin. 

 

• Will cardio make me lose weight? 

• It can definitely help. But ultimately, weight loss comes down to calories in/calories out, so you still need to be doing the math for guaranteed results. 

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• I smoke; is there any point? 

• Absolutely. It will be harder, but you can still make gains, as well as offset the negative effects of smoking somewhat. 

 

Sources

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Clark, Micheal A. NASM Essentials of Corrective Exercise Training. Burlington Jones & Bartlett, 2014.

 

Heyward, Vivian H. Advanced Fitness Assessment Exercise Prescription. Champaign, Ill. Human Kinetics, 2010.

 

Williamson, Peggie. Exercise for Special Populations. Philadelphia, Wolters Kluwer, 2019.