As the gyms in our region are finally opening up again I'm overjoyed at being able to get to some workouts that will have more impact.
I've managed to design some excellent home-based workouts with the help of a bench and a pair of adjustable dumbbells that go up to 55 pounds each; let's face it though - these items plus your own bodyweight can certainly open a new world of exercise, but they can't compare or compete with what can be done at the gym.
The sheer variety of equipment and weights available at most gyms just make the task of physical improvement far easier.
One of the types of exercises I missed the most during what seemed to be never-ending lockdowns at times was my cardio sessions.
Although you can be forgiven for thinking that a walk or a run or almost anything outdoors except for sitting would count as some fine cardio, the most effective form of cardio for me is ideally done in a gym.
Ok, it’s story time again!
I used to work relatively close to home and I took this opportunity to walk to work every morning. And I mean every morning. Rain, snow, winds or anything else that nature could throw at me could not deter.
The walk was half an hour in length at a good, steady pace. When I got to work, I frequently used the stairs instead of the elevator to get to my 10th floor office.
We are always told to walk instead of driving or transit or take the stairs instead of the elevator - basically perform the more physically challenging of the choices you're presented with - so it certainly sounds like I was doing everything right, right?
As it turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong (based on my goals that is).
Some years ago, during my very first orientation session with my potential trainer, just after I explained what body type I am aiming for and what type of exercise I am doing currently, he asked me to stop walking to work. I was quite surprised at this because I thought that in my vast track record of fitness misses, my long walks were a rare hit.
I was perplexed.
My trainer explained to me that he wanted me to move to a HIIT cardio routine instead of all the walking (which had become a convenient comfort zone), and in retrospect and with further research into the subject it became crystal clear as to why.
HIIT or LIIT
HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training cardio is truly the current gold standard that is well-researched and supported by quite literally countless people who have used it to great success. This is not to say that running, jogging or walking for extended periods of time is bad cardio – they all have their time and place, but HITT is an absolute must for me.
HIIT cardio combines short bursts of intense exercise with periods of low-intensity exercise or even rest. Let’s pretend we’re sitting on a stationary bike. After a proper warm up to prevent injury, we would hit the pedals at all-out intensity for 30 seconds, then immediately after, we’d slow it down for a minute. Going between these two intensities would repeat until about 20 minutes are up. We would end the workout with a cool down.
Please note: there are many methods of HIIT. The above is a simple example.
The main benefits of this type of cardio are superior heart health impacts and greater fat-burning ability during the exercise itself. There is an “afterburn” aspect that is part of the HIIT cardio conversation as well in that long after you’re done this workout, your body continues to burn fat at a higher-than-normal level. This is due to the body’s elevated oxygen consumption post-workout that is not observed in steady-state cardio.
Last but not least is the fact that this type of cardio workout is shorter than its steady-state counterpart which makes it ideal for people short on time.
The more traditional of the two types of cardio styles - LIIT (Low Intensity Interval Training) or “steady-state” is – as the name suggests –where one level of intensity is maintained for a longer period of time (30 minutes to an hour or more in some cases). Although it doesn’t have the same “afterburn” effect on fat stores that its HITT counterpart produces, it is still a fine form of exercise for cardiovascular capacity and overall health. This is the running, jogging, walking, etc. group.
One advantage that LIIT has over HIIT is that it can be gentler on joints and is a simpler task. There really is no need to time your intervals and you can take in your surroundings more.
So which one is best for your goals?
Here's the simplest and most popular way to compare the two: look at the body of a marathon runner and then look at the body of a sprinter.
Controversy Alert!
Ok, so some of you reading this with a fitness background and knowledge will probably think to yourself that this is a bogus comparison because when we compare the two body types, we only see the end result of a vast background of training and preparation for the two sports that aren’t taken into consideration when we just look at side-by-side pictures.
While I absolutely acknowledge that there is a lot more to these pictures than meets the eye, I will still use this comparison as a strictly visual and very high-level representation of the two types of cardio in this post.
The marathon runner, using purely steady-state running for extended times and distances looks very lean and generally lacks muscle mass. Perfect for their chosen sport, but not the look most people who trudge through rain and snow to get to the gym want.
Sprinters on the other hand are usually more muscular, with some participants positively thick with muscle. They are built for powerful, short bursts of speed.
What I didn’t realize until I met my trainer was that a lot of my frustrations over my inability to gain muscle stemmed from my 5 days/week steady-state walk to work being my only form of cardio. I was essentially a “Marathon Walker” (only with more flab). Whatever muscle I managed to gain, I was essentially burning it off almost daily.
So the question of which body type you would like to have will determine what the bulk of your cardio should look like.
Notice I said “bulk”.
My best results have come from including both types of cardio into my program, not eliminating one in favour of the other.
At the end of the day, any cardio activity has excellent health benefits overall. Blood pressure drops, metabolism improves, and the maximum amount of oxygen your body can process also increases. All wonderful stuff.
What does matter more is that for effective fat burning and muscle sparing, you minimize the LIIT cardio and maximize the HIIT cardio.
What I do these days is quite simple. When I’m trying to gain muscle, I reduce my cardio down to anywhere between one HIIT and one LIIT session per week to 2 HIIT sessions per week.
When it’s time to shed some fat, I go up to 3 HIIT sessions plus one LITT per week (this being in the form of a hike).
If you’ve never done a HIIT cardio session before, here is one to get you started. You can find many variations online for more advanced stuff.
Choose a piece of cardio equipment
Do a 2-minute warm up to get your body ready for the workout and prevent injury
Perform the exercise for 30 seconds at an intensity level that is very challenging – something like running as fast as you can
For the next 30 seconds, slow down to almost a crawl
Alternate between the high and super low intensities as outlined above for a total of 10 minutes
After the 10 minutes of going back and forth, spend the next 10 minutes at a steady state
End the session with 2 minutes of cool down (again, to prevent injury and to give your heart a chance at a gentle landing so to speak)
And there you have it. Keeping in mind what each type of cardio does, you can manipulate them in any combination that will keep challenging your vascular reserves and hold on to any precious muscle that is so hard to gain (you can just sense a future post about this huh?).
Your heart and bathing suit will thank you.
Happy Shredding!
I remember you sharing this advice with me years ago when I was feeling the same and walking 5K to work and 5K home five days a week. Good advice then and good advice now!