A Conversation With A Beginner - Meet Wolfgang Fitness Riddles Part 1"
Published by Marc David http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com Part 3 of a 10-Part eCourse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How Much Cardio Should I Do?
There are many frustrated beginners out there and if for one second you think you are alone, trust me... You are not alone. Anybody can be frustrated regardless of their education level. While this isn't rocket science, you do have to know the basics and follow them to effectively achieve your goals.
What is the biggest secre't of them all?
Actually doing it!
Some time ago I received a series of three question's from Wolfgang. He's a visiting research student working on his Ph.D.. He attends UC Berkeley on a student visa granted from Basle (Switzerland) to study Theology.
He had a few...
...Fitness Riddles...
He just couldn't figure out these fitness riddles. His question's were nothing out of the ordinary and really not unusual. In fact, being a beginner myself, I had the exact same question's. Technology wasn't what it is today, so the only answers I could get were from magazines and other sources that had no connection with their reader audience.
I couldn't wait to write him back, but I had to think about what I was going to say. It was vital to put myself into the beginner mind-set so that I could appropriately answer his question's.
In this short question and answer series I'm going to take each one of Wolfgang's question's and answer them.
So let's begin.
Question #1: What's the Deal With Cardio?
Wolfgang:
I've heard it for years: If you want to burn fat, keep the intensity of jogging etc. down because otherwise the exercise will turn anaerobic and no longer burn fat. Sounds logical enough. And at least 40 minutes, otherwise no effect.
Marc:
Don't worry. That's the same thing I heard for years as well. Low intensity, long duration cardio was the way to lose weight. This mode of thinking is just plain wrong!
Let me explain...
If you do low intensity work for long durations you really aren't increasing your aerobic capacity at all. After 30 minutes, all you've done is deplete your glycogen (energy) stores and now it's an anaerobic exercise. Your body looks to other sources for fuel which can be muscle.
If you do a very high intensity workout in the zone 3 and 4 levels (you'll learn about zones in the Beginner's Guide) then it can be anaerobic as well. You'll get much better cardio capacity improvements at these high durations, but you'll move out of the fat burning zone.
Needless to say...
Everybody was confused until now.
The secret is... Heart rate zones! It's a perfect combination of warming up, steady states for fat burning, high intensity for cardio capacity and then a nice cool-down. You don't want low intensity long duration cardio and you don't want long duration high intensity cardio. Here's what you want!
It's commonly referenced to as HIIT. (H)igh (I)ntensity (I)nterval (T)raining.
You can do this type of cardio 2-3 times a week for ultimate fat burning and aerobic capacity. Typical HIIT sessions last for 30 minutes to a top level of around 45 minutes.
Marc's HIIT Plan for Fat Loss:
HIIT style training 2-3 times a week. Any other cardio is zone 2, moderate intensity for 30 minutes. I vary between HIIT styles and just moderate intensity for a total combined cardio of 2 sessions a week if I'm bulking (trying to gain weight) and 5-7 days a week if I'm cutting (trying to los'e weight).
Wolfgang:
But no'w I read (Ed Byrd, Bob Greene, Bill Phillips) that one should exercise only 20 minutes (jogging, treadmill etc.) and with high intensity. Bob Greene and Ophra go into great detail to show that if the intensity is too low, nothing will happen (in their book "Making the connection").
Besides: Ed Byrd writes "the mistake most bodybuilding novices make is training with Low Weights and doing aerobics for more than 20 minutes". Reasoning: Do more than 20 minutes and you will los'e muscle along with the fat.
Both sound logical, but are totally contradictory.
Marc:
I know. I was there myself. In fact, my biggest fear being a hard-gainer was that doing ANY type of cardio would just eat up the muscle I worked so hard to get. Which is why I made a big mistake.
I didn't do any cardio at all. I hadn't done any cardio since high school track. Yup. I quit doing cardio. I figured I was getting bigge'r and gaining some muscle. Why would I want to do cardio and burn off muscle?
Of course there's the "nothing over 20 minutes or else it's over" crowd and on the opposite side is the "anything under 30 minutes and you get no effects" supporters.
My strong hunch is...
Again, HIIT is the answer. It's 30-40 minutes with variable intensity. You get the best fat burning and aerobic capacity workout without going into the low duration, marathon cardio sessions. And you avoid the too long, too high, anaerobic sessions that can burn up muscle.
My point is: Doing more then 20 minutes is not going to eat up muscle if your cardio is done correctly. I personally do an average of 30 minutes.
Your cardio shouldn't be at a very low intensity for a long time and it shouldn't be at a high intensity for a very long time. Which is why doing variable intervals for high intensity with moderate intensity is the best combination for overall fat burn and aerobic capacity. It is just short enough to use your glycogen for fuel and leave your precious muscle alone.
I'll talk to you again soon.
Your Friend,
Marc David
P.S. In the next issue of your Beginners mini- course, you'll discover one of the absolute biggest mistakes so many beginners and experienced people make. Do you really have to count the calories in order to gain or los'e weigh't?!
Of course, if you'd like to get your hands on all my most jealously-guarded bodybuilding secrets (most of which I can NEVE'R reveal in this mini-course, because of their lengthy nature)... and get them handed to you on a silver platter, all at once... simply go to http://www.beginning-bodybuilding right away.
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Well, I finished reading it earlier today. The book is nothing less than amazing, I couldn't think of anything else it could cover- I think you did a great job of answering all the question's beginners might wonder about, and get lied to about elsewhere. I think it's definitely what you originally intended- A great "Go to" book that can be referenced when you need info on something- And it's also just a great read in general- Nicely written, very well put together... Like I said earlier, I think anyone who's into fitness at all will find it hard to put this down before reading the whole thing.
Ian Broggy
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If you have a health, fitness or bodybuilding question for Marc, send your email to:
mrcd@beginning-bodybuilding.com
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If you don't have a copy of "The Beginner's Guide" yet, grab one today at: www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
