What is Cardio?
Cardiovascular training, also known as cardio, is exercise that raises your heart rate. There are many forms of cardiovascular exercise, but they can be categorized into two groups: aerobic and anaerobic training.
1. Aerobic Training means “with oxygen.” It is exercise that can be sustained for longer than 10 minutes because your body has enough oxygen to sustain the energy needed to carry out the work. Most aerobic exercise is “steady-state cardio” which is when your level of intensity doesn’t fluctuate much through a 20-60 minute workout.
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- Cycling
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Walking
- Any activity that you can sustain while elevating your heart rate
2. Anaerobic Training means “without oxygen.” It’s exercise that can only be sustained for a few moments and requires more oxygen supply than the body can support. While all these exercises fall under the umbrella term “high intensity interval training”, here’s the break down of different formats:
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- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – HIIT fluctuates between short bursts of intense activity and “recovery” periods of less intense activity. The objective is to go as hard and as fast as you can during your work intervals to get the greatest health benefits you can. Your work periods are short so this is not the time to pace yourself – give it your all and earn your rest.
- Tabata – Shorter in time, and more extreme than HIIT, a typical Tabata routine will alternate 20-second intervals of intense work with 10 seconds of recovery, eight different times, for a total of four minutes.
- Plyometrics – Explosive cardio known as jump training and can be incorporated into HIIT to improve power, speed and agility but also increases fat loss, endurance and strength. These workouts are the most effective for reducing fat while building muscle and aerobic capacity.
Most activities can be performed aerobically or anaerobically. For example, you could walk briskly on a treadmill at 3.5 mph and feel warm and slightly out of breath (aerobic), or you could walk very briskly at 4.5 mph and feel very out of breath (anaerobic). The same is true for biking, swimming, or virtually any other activity. The intensity of the workout determines whether an activity is aerobic or anaerobic, and all you need to do is pace yourself to elicit the type of training you desire.
How Often Should I Do Cardio?
Both aerobic and anaerobic training are effective in their own way. Studies show that combining both types in your exercise regimen is the best way to get maximum benefits out of your workouts.
- To burn fat (while building or maintaining muscle) – mix 2-4 days of HIIT sessions with your strength training. Studies show that combining HIIT and resistance training elicits the greatest fat loss and muscle gain.
- You can also add strength movements or use weights in your HIIT workouts to reap the benefits of both types of training.
- To maintain or add muscle (and not burn significant fat) – combining steady-state cardio a few times a week with your strength training is the perfect set-up to support your heart and maintain muscle mass during training.
Combining anaerobic and aerobic workouts is a great way to consistently challenge your muscles and improve your overall fitness. Diversity in your fitness routine will train your cardiovascular system to perform well at different levels of intensity and increase the overall function of your body.
-Paulina Le
Health Fitness Specialist
Sources
- https://exercise.wsu.edu/cardio/default.aspx
- https://aaptiv.com/magazine/hiit-and-strength-training-workout