Why cardio is important!

Many of the people that love the gym, or fitness can fall in love with the weights. Just like a combat athlete that falls in love with one combination or one submission; it can become your Achilles heel. In this article we are going to look what “cardio” is and what it isn’t, why it is important for your gains in the gym, recovery, overall health and dare I say your longevity. Just stick with me until the end it may get a little scientific, maybe a little silly, but hopefully you see the importance of cardio. 

What is Cardio?? It is defined as aerobic exercise that stimulates and strengthens the heart and lungs. This is correct but like an old boss used to say the reality is its so much more then that See the sidebar for what cardio actually is :

Cardio can be fun, should be geared in some way toward energy system development. Buckle up for some science talk…….One of the most importance concepts in training/working out is the SAID principle specific adaptations to imposed demands. The body responds to a given demand whether it be neurological, biomechanics or physiological with a specific predictable demand. 

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In order to meet said demand, you see what I did there. ;) Our bodies demand energy or fuel for each action. Basic Break down of Energy systems.

Another important concept is the VO2 Max. The VO2 Max is an index of the body’s efficiency at producing work. It is expressed in milliliters of oxygen consumed per minute, and adjusted for body weight in kilograms.  Some of the influences on VO2 max are genes, training, age, gender and body composition. Also of note is that it will generally decline 2% per year after age 30, that a higher VO2 max allows us to produce more energy equalling more work. The biggest take away from VO2 max is its importance in the effect on mortality. The silver lining is you can change it, as cardiorespiratory fitness is a modifiable indicator of long term mortality. Going from just being low to being below average is a 50% reduction in mortality over a decade. If you go from low to above average its a 60-70% reduction in mortality. 

Now that we have shed some light on the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness. Lets look at resting heart rate (RHR) and the heart rate zones this is like the RPE for the heart. This is one of the  key points of aerobic capacity and heart health. A normal RHR is from 60-100 bears per minute, most health adults range between 55-85 beats per minute. Some of the factors that affect the RHR are 

Stress 

Anxiety 

Hormones

Medication 

Physical activity level

I would take my resting heart rate upon waking over the course of a week and use the average as to avoid the above complicating factors. 

What’s your Max bro??? 

An easy equation determine your max 

heart rate is 

220- your age in years= Max Heart rate 

This leads us to the heart rate zones. They are based off of percentages of the maximum heart rate See below 

Zone	% of Heart rate rage	Example Duration
1 Very Light	50-60%	20-40 minutes
2 Light Conversational	60-70%	40-80 minutes
3 Moderate	70-80%	10-40 minutes
4 Hard	80-90%	2-10 minutes
Maximum	90-100%	Less than 5 minutes

You are probably thinking thats a lot of information you just gave me. What does it mean for me? Yes it is and likely it's only the tip of the iceberg. All of this information means is we need a fully encapsulated approach, cardio, resistance training, balance, nutrition stress management, sleep management. So as to balance out what we are attempting to do; one thing that really drove it home for me was difference in the physiological adaptation of cardio vs lifting weights faster. Performing cardio works in the heart  like blowing up a balloon and allowing air to come out, with the rise and fall of blood pressure. When you lift weights faster or really just lift weights its like a hot air balloon it keeps going up and up, the walls of the heart will thicken due to the lack of relief in blood pressure. 

What it means in terms of your workouts is simple vary them, use the different energy systems as a guide. Put this into perspective with your profile age, gender, training age, sport application ETC. General guidelines would be using the Cardiac Output method 2-3 times a week 40-60 minutes in zone two, and High Intensity intervals 1-2 times a week 15-20 minutes in duration with work/rest intervals. The work to rest intervals should change as you get into better condition 1-1, 2-1, 3-1. One of the other methods you can use would be the Strongman Endurance method this is essential loaded carries farmers carries, sled work, odd object carries, for timed sets of 60-90 seconds with  a rest to work ratio of 1-1 for a total of 20 minutes. 

I hope this helps to demonstrate the need to at minimum explore your cardio fitness with the different methods.  As well as shine a light on the vast benefits it can provide in longevity, health, increased muscle, increased energy, and quality of life. The people who are my go to in this are Joel Jamison author of Ultimate MMA Conditioning and creator of Bioforce Conditioning. Jason Brown Author of Lower Body Training,  Elite FTS and T Nation Contributing author and creator of Conjugate X Conditioning. They are phenomenal resources who both have a knack for taking tough concepts simplifying them to digestible points. I will be posting a follow up where we look at some ways in which we can program cardio for ourselves and our clients.

Why reverse may be your best option!!!!!

 

How many people have you seen lose weight only to put it back on over time? They get into that weight loss cycle: losing and gaining. The prospect of yo-yo dieting is troubling; when you layer it over the physiological damage that occurs it becomes scary. One issue with people that lose weight is that many times they lose their way back to a normal diet. They don’t know what to eat, or even how much to eat, and that leaves them to go to their default eating habits – which leads them to gain weight. The other problem they can face is being on andextended diet with a dwindling calorie count, which is unsustainable and unhealthy.

One successful solution that I’ve used in the past with my clients (and myself) is reverse dieting. Huh? Yes, reverse dieting is a method of slowly and strategically increasing food intake over the course of several weeks or months, typically increasing your calories by 50-100 calories per week.  This is utilized to increase your metabolism. This method was created by renowned prep/physique coach Layne Norton as a way of mitigating the damage that athletes take over the course of a season, and giving them the ability to regain conditioning easier. In this article we will look at what reverse dieting is, the adaptability of reverse dieting, and who should be reverse dieting, as well as how to reverse diet.

My Spreadsheet 

About two years ago I was experimenting with time-restricted eating along with a severe caloric deficit, over the course of a couple of months, at varying intervals. This presented me with a major problem, which was my inability to reintegrate regular meals or calories.  This dieting regime begged the question: How the heck do I eat???  I did some research and found the solution through reverse dieting, which is increasing calories over the course of weeks.  Tracking my macros/calories/ratios on a spreadsheet showed how much and when I was eating.  This gave me the ability to lose a good amount of weight, retain muscle, and feel amazing.  In this article we will look at what the reverse diet is, why it’s beneficial, who it is for, and how it works.

My favorite thing about following directions is the magic formula: do X, Y, and Z...then there’s the magic leap to actually making it happen.  How do we make the magic happen with reverse dieting?  We all know the basic premise of calories in and calories out, and having to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight.  If you want to gain weight you have to be in a caloric surplus, and if you want to lose you have to cut calories.  A number of other factors come into play, including food choices, activity level, calories burned while working out and at rest, stress levels, and the quality of food and nutrients absorbed, as well as appetite.  If you are in a caloric deficit for a long period of time, several physiological reactions occur.  Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is reduced, low-energy exercise becomes more difficult (meaning less calories burned), you may have reduced energy for any activity, and you have slower digestion.  Due to these systemic responses you need less calories to maintain your weight, and if you’re seeking even more weight loss then you require even less calories.

Reverse dieting is basically metabolic adaptation (the magic formula), meaning it gets your metabolism to start working to your advantage.  When you make the changes your BMR will raise more energy, drive an increase in work capacity, and burn calories outside of exercise – plus your digestion will go back to normal.  The caveat is that calories have to be added back in slowly, and there are some BMR percentage numbers that can be above your maintenance number while still losing weight.  Say what???

Reverse dieting is a thing???

Remember the word s-l-o-w-l-y.   Each person’s body adapts differently, and there is no perfect answer.  Have patience with yourself, and recognize that each person is burning a different amount of calories outside of exercise.  As we age our metabolism will slow down naturally, so different protocols have to be used with different age ranges.  The biggest issue is compliance with tracking your food, because have to be reasonably sure about what your calorie & nutrient counts look like.  This is an imperfect practice to say the least, and we are looking at small changes daily.  Some key factors are eating around the same amount daily, tracking/measuring your food and daily activity, and watching the bottom line.  Consulting your primary physician is also recommended practice, so that any medical conditions can be taken into account.  No diet/regime is for everyone, and if it’s not working then you need to stop.

This technique has been popular in the bodybuilding community for years.  Does that mean regular people should use it?  The answer is yes, but we have to consider a couple of things.  How long have you been in a deficit?  Are you losing weight?  What’s the goal?  How are your energy levels?  Take a look at the sidebar below for more Information.

Let’s assume you have now decided to try this out, whether it is out of medical necessity, personal confidence, regaining energy, or a myriad of other reasons.  It is important to have an intimate knowledge on how the process works.  Let's take a look at one way you can go about implementing this process.  Phase One is to decide how to track what you are eating either through calories/macros or through the portion method.  The part that is non-negotiable is the data – how you go about getting it is completely up to you.  Phase Two is calculating what your maintenance calories are by using an online calculator Calculator Link.  As this is not an exact science, experiment with the maintenance number prior to adding calories, watch for weight gain or loss, and adjust accordingly.  In using both methods, calculating and experimenting will give you a personalized number of calories.  Phase Three is adjusting your macro nutrients to be more in line with recoup numbers, which will give you a range on your protein levels.  As this a re-composition method protein is king; the range for men is 0.65g to 1.5 g per lb of body weight and 0.6g to 1.35g per lb of body weight for women.  This will be driven by your goals.  Your carbs and fats will be driven by what you want your long-term meal plan to look like.

Onto the fun phase!!! How quickly you are going to progress is driven by how long you have been dieting and what your fat tolerance is (weight gain), as well as the stage of the goal you are in.  Once you make your determination the stage is set.  The last phase is like any transformation process – you track with measurements, pictures, or workout performance and make adjustments as needed.  Some of the adjustments you may need to make are extending or shortening the reverse dieting process.  What’s next is returning to regular eating and using the method of tracking that works for you.

This is an effort to shed a light on a process which can help people who are struggling to regain control over their lives. On a daily basis, grand symphonies are taking place in our bodies.  When we change one note or section, over time this can bring about immense changes.  A diet/meal plan is usually a means to an end: goal-driven and specific.  When executed properly this can be life-altering on many levels.  A reverse diet is a road back to homeostasis and the ability to progress to your goals.  It is very much an advanced corrective measure and as such it should be used judiciously. 

If you are interested in learning more about topics like this and other health and fitness related topics, you can follow this blog or sign up for my newsletter mailing list.