You can do ZERO cardio and still lose weight. Everything you need to know about cardio.
Cardio? What language is that?
Ah yes, ‘cardio’ is one of the few words that still make people shiver when they hear it. But before we talk about how we can effectively use cardio (or perhaps NOT even use it at all in some cases) to build a robust fitness program, let’s quickly define the term itself within the context of weight / fat loss goals. Cardio (also known as aerobic exercise) is any low to high intensity physical endurance exercise that involves the use of oxygen to meet the energy demand required to perform. We rely on cardio as a tool to help support our energy deficit (consuming less calories than we expend) in order to lose fat over an extended period of time. Here are a few examples of cardiovascular exercise:
Walking, jogging, and running
Cycling
Swimming
HIIT workouts
…and much, much more. Yes, even DANCING counts!🕺
It’s important to differentiate cardio/aerobic from anaerobic, where anaerobic exercise is typically short yet high intensity exercise that is done to promote strength, speed, and muscle growth (e.g. weight training).
Now that we have a good idea of what cardio is vs what it is not, let’s talk about the different types of cardio you can do.
Not all cardio is created equal. Here are 3 different cardio types to choose from.
That’s right. Just like a good pair of jeans, there’s a cardio type (or mix of them) right for your needs and preferences. Below are 3 different cardio formats (in no particular order) that you can consider implementing into your weight loss phase:
Low Intensity - Think brisk walking or cycling. Low intensity does not put a large demand on the body and won’t hinder your anaerobic performance (ie weight training) relative to other cardio types. These sessions do take longer to burn calories so it might not always be the best option for people with busier schedules.
Moderate Intensity - Jogging or exercise where your heart rate is slightly elevated would be good examples here. Moderate intensity meets in the middle of being shorter in the time it takes to complete while still not placing too much stress on your body and training performance.
High Intensity - Exercise such as sprinting with short rest intervals - where heart rate is at its highest relative to low/moderate work. This format will require less time to burn desired calories but places a greater demand on your body which can impede muscle recovery, performance, and growth.
As you can see, each type of cardio has their own benefits and drawbacks. However, knowing your options allows you to be flexible in terms of finding cardio that you can ENJOY (seriously, dancing can be cardio) within the scope of what is available and feasible for you.
Does it matter when cardio gets done?
Scheduling your cardio sessions AFTER or completely separate from your resistance training can help reduce the potential interference in performance (especially after high-intensity bouts). However, cardio timing is far less important than your ability to adhere to doing each session consistently through the week. So be considerate of the effects that cardio timing can have on your body and then find a system that works best for your schedule.
How do you track cardio?
A good way to track your cardio session(s) is by tracking the amount of calories you’ve burned. The problem? Tracking your calories burned can be extremely inaccurate and might not match the ACTUAL amount of energy you burned.
For example, just because you burned “150” calories on the stair master machine does NOT necessarily mean you can eat 2 Oreo cookies (~140 calories) without gaining any weight. On top of this, the “150” calories burned on a stair master might yield a different calorie burn on a treadmill even if the number is the exact same. This is because our caloric burn is highly individual so relying on this number for accuracy will not be optimal for our weight loss goals.
Sounds like a bummer but at least there’s a way around it! We CAN instead use the number of calories burned (whether it be recorded on a cardio machine or smart watch / technology) as a “reference point.”
Let’s explain this concept with another example:
For the first two weeks, let’s say you decide that you’re going to do 4 total cardio sessions (per week) and burn 150 calories each session.
After the two weeks, you notice your average bodyweight has stayed just about the same from week 1 to week 2.
You cry and quit. Just kidding! Instead, you recognize you are likely not in a calorie deficit (assuming your diet remained unchanged). For week 3, you can either a) reduce the amount of calories you’re eating or b) increase the amount of cardio (e.g 4 sessions of 250 calories burned, 5 sessions of 150 calories burned, etc.)
Assess your progress again for the following week and make adjustments as needed (if any)
In summary, you will reap the most benefits from tracking your calories burned when using the data as a consistent reference point in order to make proper adjustments that align with you weight loss progress. If you do not have a way to track the number of calories burned, you can alternatively keep track of the intensity type / duration (in minutes) and repeat the steps from above.
Don’t tell anyone, but you might not actually need to do cardio at all 🤫
Before we trigger the masses, it should be noted that cardio is more than just a tool to support weight loss. It’s extremely important for endurance athletes and most people will benefit from what cardio can do for overall health. With that, it’s very possible to still achieve your weight and fat loss goals while doing little to no cardio.
This takes us back to energy balance (calories in, calories out). You do need to be in a caloric deficit (eat less calories than you burn) in order to lose body fat, however, you can still solve this by closely monitoring your nutrition / calorie intake OR by being relatively active outside of normal exercise (consider your job’s daily tasks, household chores, fidgeting etc.)
Key Takeaway: Cardio may not be necessary for fat loss if a caloric deficit exists without it BUT is still important to practice for overall health.
You can’t spell SWEAT without EAT. Closing thoughts on cardiovascular exercise.
By now, it should be quite clear that cardio is not the main driver for fat loss but rather a useful tool that you can implement to support your progress. Most of your fat loss should be guided by the intelligent and balanced nutritional choices that you eat (aka the diet).
Cardio may not always be seen as the ‘funnest’ form of exercise, but at least you can be comforted knowing that you have options to consider in order to make it more enjoyable for you long-term. So lace up your sneakers, put your headphones in, and let’s go!
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Hope you found this helpful! If you ever want to pick my brain or chat about tackling your own fitness goals, feel free to send me an email at coachcudi@gmail.com or message me on Instagram @jhon.luke
CUDI out ✌️