Cardio Workouts: Why You Should Do Them
Anyone who knows me knows that if someone asks me what they should do to transform their physique, I never tell them to go for a run. I’m a proponent of weight training because, when done correctly, it delivers results that nothing else can. For a beginner, a properly structured weight training program leads to increased muscle mass and, at the same time, reduced body fat—which is essentially the key to body transformation…
(This is particularly important for beginners; as you become more advanced, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve, which is precisely why it’s not worth striving for.)
At the same time, I’ve often encountered situations where weight training isn’t an option. This isn’t about health issues—it’s more about a person’s life circumstances or personal preferences, such as not liking weight training or not wanting to go to the gym. You can still lose weight and look good—I was and still am certain of that—and in such situations, properly applied cardio training can be a great option.
Not to mention that research clearly shows that the most important factor when it comes to health is physical activity itself. Not weight training, but any kind of physical activity. In other words, as long as you’re moving, you’re doing yourself a favor.
Let’s take a look at the potential benefits of cardio exercise…
1.MORE EFFICIENT HEART FUNCTION AND BETTER ENDURANCE
It comes as no surprise that endurance training leads to improved endurance. If this doesn’t happen, then your training plan is flawed. What many people don’t realize, however, is that endurance training improves heart function—making it more efficient, so to speak. Thanks to this, and the increased parasympathetic tone following exercise, your resting heart rate drops, potentially as low as 60 beats per minute.
2. ENHANCED RECOVERY
Supplying the muscles with fresh blood is essential for recovery after workouts. The oxygen and nutrients (amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids) delivered by fresh blood help the muscles recover and restore homeostasis, which has been disrupted by the workout. During cardio exercise, blood circulation and blood supply to the muscles increase, leading to accelerated recovery.
3. CALORIES BURNED
Cardio workouts can help increase our daily calorie burn. (Of course, strength training also burns extra calories.) A significant portion of our daily energy needs is simply used to maintain our body temperature. Another large portion covers our daily activities. The more we move, the more energy we burn. A brisk walk, a 30-minute bike ride, a good swim—these can all further increase our daily calorie needs.
4. WE BURN MORE GLUCOSE
During a true cardio workout, we don’t primarily burn fatty acids for energy, but rather glucose. However, the glucose we burn can help keep our blood sugar in check and boost fat burning (after the workout, recovery will be fueled by energy from fat stores).
5. IMPROVED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE
Not only do we burn a significant amount of glucose during cardio exercise, but the levels of proteins in our muscles that are responsible for breaking down glucose and converting it into energy also increase. In addition, the muscles’ uptake of glucose is enhanced. Overall, these effects lead to improved glucose tolerance.
6. REDUCED FAT STORAGE
Fatty acids travel in our blood inside small protein packages. From these packages, they enter cells with the help of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, also known as LPL. There are several known types of LPL—some are found in muscle cells, while others are found in fat cells. As a result of cardio training, the activity of LPL in adipose tissue decreases. Consequently, fat storage in fat cells is inhibited at this time. In other words, our fat cells are unable to increase their fat stores.
7. BUILDING MUSCLE MASS
Everyone knows that running alone won’t turn you into Stallone. No one wants to build biceps by running. At the same time, cardio training works your so-called slow-twitch or endurance muscle fibers and can increase their size. Since these fibers contain many mitochondria, their increased mass boosts your body’s fat-burning capacity.
8. LOW-IMPACT EXERCISE
Certain forms of cardio exercise are gentle on the body while still offering all the other benefits of exercise. Someone who is 30–40 kg overweight may not need to go running, but a stationary bike and an elliptical trainer can be great options.
9. EASILY MEASURABLE PROGRESS
I’m a big fan of HIIT workouts because they’re short yet super effective. At the same time, I think they’re much harder to measure and quantify. Take the Wingate test, for example—you pedal on a stationary bike for 60 seconds as hard as you can. Great, but how do you know you did better than last week? In contrast, cardio is easy to quantify: for example, today I covered this distance in 2 minutes, tomorrow I’ll cover that distance, and so on…
10. NO EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
The simplest form of cardio/aerobic exercise is a brisk walk. It could be a brisk walk, hiking, or even running. You could also do jumping jacks or hop in place (though the latter sounds terribly boring…). The point is that there are many aerobic workouts you can do that require no equipment, or only a minimal amount.
SUMMARY
If your goal is to transform your body, weight training is the best tool at your disposal. However, it may be worth supplementing this with some form of cardio. And if you have nothing else at your disposal, no other options, then don’t forget: you can lose weight without weights. The key is diet and exercise—any kind of exercise. The key is to do it regularly, do a lot of it, and, if possible, continuously increase the intensity of your workouts.
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