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If you’re a
typical guy who loves to lift big weights, but
considers anything over 3 reps to be "endurance"
training, you might not be interested in this
article. However, if you can bench press a Buick
but get winded when you bend down to tie your
shoes, maybe I have an audience.
Look, we all do
what we LIKE to do, but only the most successful
among us find a way to also do what we NEED to
do. If you think you’re in the latter category,
listen up. I’ve got a quiver full of fun,
challenging, cardio workouts that help you lose
fat without losing strength or muscle.
Why You Need Cardio
Don’t fall
into the trap of thinking that cardio will turn
you into a wispy, estrogen-soaked shadow of your
former self - too many guys use this mindset as
an excuse to avoid what they know they should
be doing. In fact, the benefits of smart cardio
training are too numerous to ignore. They include:
- Cardiovascular
Health: This might not sound so exciting,
but believe me, a heart attack or stroke won’t
help you lift bigger weights, will it? Good
health is the foundation of everything else,
including your weight workouts.
Think back to the parable of the farmer who
discovered a goose who laid golden eggs - after
a while, the farmer lost patience, and killed
the goose to get all of the eggs all at once.
Of course, when he opened the goose, there were
no eggs inside. Don’t kill the goose (your
health) that lays golden eggs (a lifetime of
productive workouts).
- Fat Loss:
If I still haven’t convinced you by using
the health argument, then this benefit should
catch your attention. While it’s POSSIBLE
to get super lean by lifting alone, it’s
a lot easier if you add a cardiovascular component
to your program.
Cardio workouts create a greater energy deficit,
elevate metabolism, and initiate the secretion
of important fat-mobilizing hormones. Don’t
worry, you won’t lose muscle or strength,
if you follow my suggestions in this article.
- Active Recovery:
We’ve known for a long time that ANY form
of "contrasting" stress promotes a
faster recovery from your primary training activity.
For guys who primarily lift weights, that means
cardio. Now if you’ve tried this approach
before and it didn’t work, it’s almost
certainly because you failed to carefully integrate
the cardio into your existing program. More
on that later.
- Injury Prevention:
Cardiovascular exercise mobilizes joints, increases
blood flow to various tissues, and generally
improves overall functioning. Really. Just trust
me.
- Everyday Function:
I hate to be the one to clue you into this,
but there are some very important everyday functions
that require more than the ability to exert
maximum force for 1-2 seconds. Things like walking
across the street, playing with your kids, taking
a shower, stuff like that.
Now, you might not have terrible endurance capacity
now, but after a few decades of cardio avoidance,
you will. So don’t even go there - you
really CAN have it all - impressive muscularity,
scary levels of maximum strength, and a healthy
heart to boot. Follow along...
Four Principles Of Effective Cardio
Training
Before I introduce
you to my favorite cardio tricks, I’d like
to share a few general principles that will make
your cardiovascular sessions a lot more fun and
rewarding:
1) Variation Prevents Injury, Boredom,
and Dropout:
Here’s a little
analogy that I use with my athletes: unfurl a
paper clip into a straight piece of wire, and
then start bending it back and forth, eventually
you’ll break it. Think of your body that
way.
There’s no
need to use a single activity (such as running
or biking) for your cardio workouts. After all,
your heart, lungs, and circulatory system don’t
know what exercise activity is taking place -
but your joints sure do. If you use running for
all your cardio workouts for example, your knees
and feet take a heavy beating. But if you distribute
the workout among 2-3 activities, such as running,
swimming, and cycling, you’ll be less prone
to overuse injury, and you’ll have more fun
to boot.
2) Quality Before Quantity:
We all pay lip service
to this principle, but how few of us actually
employ it! Make sure your exercise technique is
consistent at all times, no matter what. Know
your best times for the various distances you
cover and then, in your workouts, always stay
close to those times. Finally, a quality performance
is a pain-free performance. If you’re experiencing
elbow pain during a swim for example, change gears
until you determine what’s wrong.
3) Challenge Yourself And Have
Fun:
I have a neighbor
who’s simultaneously fascinated and disturbed
by my devotion to physical training. He’ll
often walk past my garage while I’m lifting
and exclaim “Better you than me” or
words to that effect. I always respond that I
only train because I love it.
Look - if you can’t
find some fun in your training, you’ll never
last. So if you hate cardio, you’ll need
to play some games with yourself to get in the
mood. I think the best way to accomplish this
is to challenge yourself. Keep a detailed training
journal and record your PR’s for everything
you do. This adds purpose and excitement to your
training.
4) No Fuss Gets The Job Done:
I think the reason
that a lot of people find exercise so tedious
is because of all the pre-workout preparations
- getting dressed in your “workout gear,”
waiting for the perfect weather conditions, and
taking your pre-workout supplements, just to name
a few.
Try to adopt a “no
preparation” attitude toward training. Don’t
worry what your hair looks like, if it’s
raining out, if you’ve got your running shorts
on, or if you’ll be sweaty while you’re
at the grocery store afterwards.
People often tell
me that they dread the thought of doing cardio,
but once they’re doing it, it’s not
so bad. If you can relate, try to minimize the
pre-workout gyrations. Just get out and do it.
Lose The Fat, Keep The
Muscle: My Favorite Cardio Training Methods.
The following 8
training methods have a few things in common:
They’re efficient, fun, challenging, time-efficient,
practical, and most of all, they deliver.
1) Out & Back:
This is both a training
method and an assessment tool, especially for
beginners or lifters who haven’t done any
cardio in a while. The idea is to cover a measured
distance (you can run, bike, swim, skate, or whatever
form of locomotion you happen to like) such that
the “return” trip is performed in the
same time (or less) than the “out” trip.
Let’s say you
decide you’re going to go out for a jog for
example. Your goal is to jog to a nearby park
and then turn around and come back. With the out
and back method, your goal is to establish a pace
that enables you to complete your return trip
in the same time as your out trip. If the return
trip takes longer than the out trip, it indicates
that you’re fatiguing faster than you should
be - in other words, you’re running beyond
your current abilities.
You can even use
the out and back method with cardio machines in
your gym - if, for example, you plan to use the
elliptical trainer for 20 minutes, notice how
much work you do in the first 10 minutes (usually
this will be displayed as distance, or, alternatively,
in watts). Then strive to equal or surpass this
workload in the remaining 10 minutes.
2) Timed Miles:
If you haven’t
done any running in a while, you might be surprised
at how much you suck at it. In fact, if you go
out and try to run one mile, chance are you won’t
be able to finish at all. So don’t even try.
Instead, measure a one mile course (maybe 1/2
mile out, and 1/2 mile back), and go out and cover
that course, through a combination of walking,
running, jogging, whatever.
The main thing is
to record your time, no matter how bad it might
be. Then, the next time you go out, simply beat
that time. And you will. Gradually, workout by
workout, you’ll be running more and walking
less. And you’ll experience a steady stream
of PR’s to keep your motivation flying.
3) 400’s:
400’s are one
of the best fat-loss workouts you can ever do
- just look at the physiques of top 400-meter
sprinters if you still need convincing! Get on
out to your local high school track (if it’s
close to home, walk instead of drive - that’ll
be your warm-up). Once around is 400 meters.
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The current
men’s World record is less than 44
seconds, which will soon strike you as un-Godly
as you try your hand at this simple but
punitive track & field event! So first
time out, go VERY easy for the first 200
meters, and then pick up the pace for the
final kick if you still have anything left
in the tank.
Record your
time. After about 4-5 minutes rest, run
one more and try to beat your PR. That’s
it for the first workout. You can run 400’s
about twice a week, but start small and
increase your reps very gradually. After
several months, you’ll find you can
do maybe 5 repeats per workout.
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4) Hills:
Running hills is
a fun but intense cardiovascular workout with
important strength-enhancing benefits to boot.
Best of all, the inclined surface minimizes impact
and spares your joints.
Find a moderate
slope that tapes you about 10-20 seconds to climb
at maximum effort. First time out, limit yourself
to 3-5 reps. Gradually increase to 10-12 reps
after several weeks. And of course, time every
sprint and always seek to beat your PR’s!
5) Tabata Protocol:
Recently, Dr. Tabata
in Japan conducted a study in which he investigated
the benefits of high intensity anaerobic exercise.
Tabata discovered that a protocol consisting of
20 seconds of all-out cycling followed by 10 seconds
of moderate cycling for a total of four minutes
(8 repeats) was just as effective as forty-five
minutes of aerobic exercise.
Interestingly, and
perhaps surprisingly to some, the Tabata Protocol
increases aerobic fitness in addition to its anaerobic
benefits. This finding is consistent with my "ladder"
paradigm that states that higher intensity training
develops a wider spectrum of fitness benefits
than lower-intensity exercise.
Clearly, the hallmark
of this method is it’s time-efficiency, but
there is a price to pay in pain and sweat - choose
your poison!
6) Dot Drill:
I realize that
most weight-trainers think they own the market
on pain-tolerance, but the dot drill makes 20-rep
squats look like a trip to Baskin Robbins by comparison.
Particularly insidious is the fact that, unlike
resistance training, repeated exposures to the
dots will not make subsequent exposures any easier.
First conceived
by basketball coach Adolph Rupp in the 1940’s,
and then later popularized by Bigger Faster Stronger
Inc. a few decades later, the dot drill is both
a remarkable agility, foot strength, and anaerobic
conditioning exercise, as well as a superb and
easy-to-administer testing tool.
It is unique in
that it creates not only a high level of fatigue,
but also a high quality of fatigue- fighters in
particular will be able to relate to the feeling
of panic that ensues when your heart rate soars
to about 120% of age-predicted maximum.
The dot drill is
a battery of 5 separate drills, performed in rapid
succession, with each drill performed six times
in a row before proceeding to the next drill (please
refer to the diagram as you read the description).
Dot Drill Schematic
D E
C
A B
The dot drill features (5), five-inch diameter
dots orientated in a pattern similar to the five
dots on a pair of dice, expect that the “square”
is three feet by two feet. Use a solid surface
such as weight room matting, and tie your shoelaces.
Tight.
Begin the drill
as follows:
1) First drill:
Starting position: your left foot is on “A”
and your right foot on “B.” Hop forward
and touch “C” with both feet simultaneously,
then continue forward so that your left foot lands
on “D” at the same instant your right
foot lands on “E.” (a total of 2 hops).
Now go back to the starting position by reversing
what you just did (hopping backward). That’s
one rep. Repeat for a total of six reps.
2) Second drill:
From the starting position, lift your left
foot in the air and with right foot only, hop
to “C,” “E,” “D,”
“C,” “A,” and back to “B.”
That’s one rep. Repeat for a total of six
reps.
3) Third drill:
Repeat the last drill but using the left foot
only (hop to “C,” “E,” “D,”
“C,” “A,” and back to “B.”)
That’s one rep. Repeat for a total of six
reps.
4) Fourth drill:
Repeat the last drill but using both feet, keeping
the feet together- this looks somewhat like a
skiing drill. Repeat for a total of six reps.
5) Fifth drill:
This is very similar to drill number one,
with a slight variation: When you reach the top
of the pattern (left foot on “D” and
your right foot on “E.”), instead of
hopping backward to get back to the starting position,
you instead jump-spin and land on the same two
dots (only now your left foot will be on “E”
and your right foot on “D.”), facing
the opposite direction. Then hop forward and touch
“C” with both feet simultaneously, then
continue forward so that your left foot lands
on “B” and your right foot on “A.”
Lastly, jump-spin again to assume the starting
position. That’s one rep. Repeat for a total
of six reps.
Errors: Subtract
.10 seconds for every missed dot from the total
time.
Once you’ve
done the drill a few times, you’ll notice
that you can’t help but be competitive once
you start. Even if you don’t feel terribly
motivated, you’ll bust a gut trying to get
a good time. Or maybe it’s just that you
want to get it over with. Either way, the dot
drill brings out your best (and I’m not referring
to your last meal).
Implementing
the Dot Drill
The five dots of
death (as my athletes refer to it) can be used
as a warm-up for a strength training session (one
drill will bring your heart rate to 100% and will
get you sweating big-time), as anaerobic conditioning,
and/or as a fantastic foot and calf strengthening
tool. One precaution however: I suggest never
doing more than 4 repetitions of the dot drill
on any given day, and not more than 12 dot drills
on any given week.
Dot Drill Standards
OK, you’ve
done the dot drill a handful of times and you
think you’re a stud (or studette) because
you finally broke the two minute barrier? According
to Bigger Faster Stronger, you’ll need to
break the 60 second barrier to be considered fast
(for a complete listing of the BFS dot drill standards,
point your browser to http://www.biggerfasterstronger.com).
7) Tethered Pool Sprints:
I live in Phoenix
and hot weather is fast approaching. It often
becomes tedious to get out there for sprints when
the temperature is well over 100 degrees. If you’ve
got a pool, and it’s never occurred to you
that you can use it for exercise because it’s
too small, try this: call around to some pool
supply and/or diving shops and find an elastic
cord with a nylon waist-belt. You attach the band
to one side of the pool, and attach the band to
your waist.
Attach the band
in such a way that you can just barely reach the
other side of the pool through an all-out sprint.
Once you touch the other end, relax as the band
pulls you back. Then repeat for the desired numbers
of reps. This is a brutally tough and effective
form of anaerobic exercise that delivers the fat
loss goods in spades.
8) Fast High Repetition Overhead
Lifting:
I’ve added
this last option for those of you who still have
a hard time stomaching any "non-lifting"
form of cardio. In this case we’re talking
about various forms of snatches - a fast lift
where the weight is "snatched" to an
overhead position.
Of course, the snatch
is one of the two Olympic lifting events, but
there are several one-arm variants as well, including
the one-arm dumbbell snatch, the kettlebell snatch,
and the one-arm barbell snatch. All of these lifts
create high levels of cardio-respiratory fatigue,
in addition to the obvious speed strength and
shoulder-function benefits. On top of that, snatches
are actually fun!
Integrating Cardio With Weights
One final note -
as you begin to initiate some of these cardio
workouts, realize that you’re significantly
increasing the demands on your body. I strongly
suggest cutting back on the volume of your weight
training exercises to make way for these new workouts.
The simplest way
to do this is to cut your sets in half - in other
words, if you normally do 4 sets of 8, cut it
back to 2 sets of 8 - at least for the first few
months. You’ll find that this approach will
allow you to maintain both your strength and orthopedic
health as you begin to address your cardiovascular
fitness needs.
Following the suggestions
I’ve presented here, you’ll enjoy the
health and fat loss benefits of a cardiovascular
exercise program, and, who knows, you might even
become a “former” cardio hater!
About
The Author
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His colleagues
call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker.
His clients call him “The Secret Weapon”
for his ability to see what other coaches
miss. Charles calls himself a “geek”
who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school.
Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods
are ahead of their time and quickly produce
serious results. His counter-intuitive approach
and self-effacing demeanor have lead to
appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show
and The CBS Early Show.
Currently,
Charles competes in Olympic-style weightlifting
on the master’s circuit, with a 3-year
goal of qualifying for the 2009 Master’s
World Championships.
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