Welcome back everyone!
Now that we have gone over the very basics of nutrition and building muscle I want to dedicate a post to cardio, well actually conditioning. Being a lifelong athlete, I much prefer the word "conditioning" to the word "cardio". Why? Because athletes do conditioning, and conditioning sounds way more bad ass than cardio does, but this topic is already set aside for another post. What I wanted to give you today are my Top 3 cardio/conditioning workouts so you can get an idea of what I really believe will help with any weight loss of body composition goals.
1. Interval Training
If you come to me and tell me you want to lose body fat, I'm probably going to tell you to do interval training. Of course I mean HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training and it usually involves a bike or rower (if you have one). Here is a basic workout that I would start someone on for a stationary bike...
15 seconds HARD
45 seconds easy
Repeat 20 times
Obviously the 15s and 45s make 1 minute intervals so this workout will take 20 minutes. The hard portion should be as hard as you can. Everything you've got. The easy portion is still pedaling but at whatever pace you need to do to recover for your next sprint. This would progress by adding work time and reducing rest time each week. For example, week 2 could be 20 hard, 40 easy instead.
If you're doing this on a rower, I would switch to "On" and "Off" where you pull as hard as you can on the On portion and rest completely on the Off. Also, if you're running there are a couple options as well. Running outside would be recommended and in that case I would sprint and walk, but if you need to use a treadmill I would sprint and rest, leaving the treadmill running at sprint speed while you step off on the sides (Note: Be very careful with that last one, if you've never tried to get up to speed on a moving treadmill it takes some practice and is not for beginners, you don't want to end up on the internet).Another great option for running is 1 min sprint and 2 minutes jog or walk. Fits with a great 2:1 work to rest ratio and can be more fun and effective than just a long run.
2. Hill Sprints
This is an all time favorite of strength coach and personal trainer Jason Ferruggia. Jason has been one of my biggest inspirations in the fitness coaching world as far back as my Sophomore year of college and his views on hill sprints have never wavered. It's really easy too; find a hill, run up it as fast as you can, rest and walk back down, repeat. Do this anywhere from 6-10 times or even more if you like (probably more if the hill is small) and make sure you get enough rest. The run should be an all out sprint so you need to make sure your rest time allows for that. If you don't know of a good hill then you can push or pull a loaded sled, but since it's practically Summer maybe it would be better to get out a find a hill.
3. 2 Mile Treadmill Incline Walk
This one is obviously much closer to the side of "cardio" in the traditional sense, but it's still something I recommend often. It's low intensity, low impact, and will definitely still burn some calories. One of the biggest reasons I use this over moderate intensity cardio is because of the muscle sparring benefits. It's no secret that "regular cardio" can have some muscle burning effects due to cortisol production (among other things) and while they may be minimal for most people, I would rather just avoid it. More detail on that later. This muscle loss is not something you need to worry about with walking, though, because the intensity is too low.
2 miles is my normal recommendation and will take somewhere around 45 minutes for most people. If you want to up the difficulty try adding a weighted vest for some extra core and upper back work. If you're a real sadistic bastard try carrying a 20lb medicine ball while you do it also. This one seriously caught me by surprise with how difficult it was, You're upper back, arm, and lungs will be screaming quick.
So there you have it, 3 of my most recommended conditioning sessions that are primed and ready to help you shred some fat. Don't forget, if you want to be the first to hear about new posts, new programs, and get discounts on paid services, make sure to leave you email in the space above and join my Newsletter list! The list is growing rapidly so don't miss out!
See you tomorrow!
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