5 Reasons “Slow-go” Cardio Sucks

Hey Joel,

As I love running, I usually do at least 5km 3x a week. BUt I do complement, at least 2 or 3 times a week once I get up from bed, some high intensity cardio.
Personally, I think I do very well with both types, but I totally understand your point, and for long term success I’m sure you’re right.

Hi Joel, I just want to know one thing. My husband believes jogging is the alpha and omega of exercise. He wants me to go jogging with him, and I hate it. Should I have some time to waste to keep him happy, would jogging be bad for me? As an addition to weight training on öff days”? I would like to know your thoughts on this

Hi Joel,
A loud and clear message – wonder why so many of the slow/steady-state cardio folk never listen? They can be seen every week – 20 mins on the stepper, then 20 mins on the treadmill, then 20 mins on the cycle/X-trainer – with little effect on their body size.
Keep up the good work!
John

I have embraced the concept of high intensity interval training because of two reasons: I am getting good results and it doesn’t trash a ton of time! My work outs usually last around 30 minutes or so and I end up working out 2 or 3 times a week. That said, I also pay attention to what I eat, though I am not as good at this as I’d like to be, and I have dropped 2 dress sizes in 4 months. Not too shabby, by my book. My results would be better if I were better at staying on track with my diet, but chocolate is a vital food group!

Hello Joel,

I use to do lonnngg cardio sessions but after doing some research I came upon the high intensity intervals…and let me tell you..it works haha. It’s short, it’s intense and you see results. So i definitely agree on this one!

Great advice. I run 10k fairly hard once a week, do one speed/intervals session with a group and apart from that try to do a long run at the weekend. I’m beginning to believe the run is taking more out of me than it’s putting in – and wonder if I’m training long more than training smart… I run a slowish half mara (21km) a couple of times a year no prob (1:48:00) so I can do the distance I need, and maybe don’t need the long slow run as much as I maybe need to go out and get more from my weekend session – maybe by doing long intervals (15 mins hard + 5 recover repeats?) or similar for 90 minutes if I want to spend so much time??? I do NO gym… Maybe I should…. I’m 47 with four kids 15-7 so have to scramble for time.

I’m all for the short-duration high intensity workouts…first and foremost, it takes up the least amount of time (who has it today)…second, higher intensity means more HGH released which translates into more gains….third, apparently high intensity is linked to increased metabolism and energy for the rest of the day…finally, you get a hell of a high when you’re done! Short on time to workout one day? Try a circuit of squats & pull-ups or rows for a couple of sets with a few minutes rest…and then old-school barbbell deadlift with b.press for a couple of sets. You’ll be out of the gym in 20 minutes and feel like you worked out for an hour!

Hi Joel
I joined a gym and see all these people on treadmills and bikes for hours at a time. I am on for about 20 minutes doing interval training, great way for the time to go quickly. 2 minutes slow, 2 minutes fast etc. Love it. Then I do some resistance training and then I am out of there. And still some of them are on the same treadmill or bike. I know my way works as I can feel it in all my muscles.

I love the efficency of high intensity interval training.
More time to live with the extra energy created by exercising and eating right!
Thanks for the Science to back it up, Joel :-)

Joel (or anyone else),

Big time question here and i hope you see this and can hit on this…..I know that HIIT (high intensity interval training) is way better than slow cardio, HOWEVER why then do all bodybuilders do the slow cardio? Walking on treadmills for 45 minutes pre/post workout? I’m not just talking about the roided out guys, natural bodybuilders do it too, and these guys are 10x as ripped most guys. I know diet is obviously huge for them, but what gives? I can’t believe they are all just stupid and want to be wasting their time – they are all about getting results

I usually do Beachbody’s Turbo Jam or Shaun T’s Dance Party for cardio days. Right now I’m doing ChaLEAN Extreme for weight training. Are Turbo Jam and Shaun T considered to be slow-go cardio or interval? I need examples of high intensity cardio.

Agreed. It just makes sense!!

I think similar to the concept of high velocity interval training, I have converted my weight training sessions from target muscle group days (Chest & Tricepts…Back & Bicepts) to high intensity circuit training in which I move from exercise to exercise with little rest, as well as work in cardio between sets to increase my heart rate (jump rope works great). The end result is that I am bigger and more defined in far less time (warm up + 30 minutes), as well as need to do less “boring cardio”, since I am working it into my weight circuits. I have been working in a 2-3 mile run a couple of days a week also. Would you recommend turning that from a steady jog to intervals? Perhaps 2 minutes fast run, 2 minutes brisk walk?

I am all for high intensity interval training, yet only when you have achieved a certain fitness level. When I accelerated it too early, the only new thing about my appearance I saw after a couple of weeks were swollen knee joints. I had to rest 3 weeks to restore and had to start from the very beginning – short low intensity cardio training, 10 min a day maximum, 3 days a week. Even now, after 5 months, I prefer to have a 20 min LI training 6 mornings and a 20 min HI training 3 afternoons (on a stationary bike) with three 30minutes resistance workouts in the alternative afternoons.

@Diane – Do interval training on a bike at the gym (or treadmill). Example: warmup for 5 minutes, 30 seconds of high intensity at about a level 8/9, 45 seconds at about a level 3, repeat as many times as you like. I usually do that for about 20 minutes (+5 warmup).

The high intensity/low intensity switch is what burns 3x as much fat as the normal cardio approach

I like the bike the best because you can follow your RPMs and make sure you aren’t trailing off towards the end when you start to get tired.

Level 1=barely pedaling
Level 10= pedaling as hard as you can

I have been doing Body For Life style HIIT training for several years now. However, HIIT training misses out on training your Aerobic System and does not let you build your Aerobic Base. This is done by training for longer periods of time at or below your maximum aerobic level (around 80% of max heart rate). By doing keeping your heart rate in the aerobic range, and not going into the anaerobic range (about 80% of max hr), you are training your heart / body to work more efficiently in that range, and over time you will be able to exercise harder, and still keep your heart rate in that range. This is a good thing!! Yes – it does take longer than HIIT, and you can’t burn as many calories in a short time like you can when doing HIIT. On the other hand, it is important to train your aerobic system to work efficiently, and doing only HIIT will not do that. I’m not sure what everyone means by low intensity, slow cardio, but if keeping your heart rate in the 70% – 80% of max heart rate is considered slow, it should not be ignored as part of your training. I’ll be interested in hearing what Joel has to say about this.

Hi Joel,

Finally I am on an exercise routine for the last 4 months that I actually love and have been able to stick to. I do weights and cardio for 1 hour 4 times a week. I watch what I eat, however I have not lost any inches in the midsection which is my problem area. Any suggestions specific to losing some inches here will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Aditi

I completely agree. But my question is why do so many trainers still not know this? I prefer the intervals myself but yet it seems many still want you to work for longer times at the cardio? I mean I love running so I still do my longer sessions but that is not with calorie burning in mind only that I enjoy it. But my intense times are much more satisfying.

I totally agree with you and I am living proof. I work out twice a week with a trainer who has me on high weight low reps to build my muscles and then I run 20-25 minute sprints on the treadmill after each session and i try to do those another twice a week if possible. 1 minute of walking then 30-35 seconds of hard as you can take it running. Along with your Cheat your Way Thin program, I have lost over 30lbs. On average, I workout with weights and cardio a total of about 3 hours a week. I went from a size 12 to a size 4 doing this aong with a great diet plan. Keep up the posts Joel. You Rock!!

Hi Joel
I’ve seen much people wasting time in treadmills and bikes and just after a lot of months they beegin to see some results, it really sucks!
It’s very boring to stay in these machines for almost an hour or maybe more time and not to see results and you just get your boody worn out.
I’ve run in treadmills and ridden on bikes looking for a great ripped body; I’m a thin person and it’s supossed I can get a lean ripped body quicker than fat people, but it doesn’t matter what I do, I’ve not been able to get that body.
If everything you’ve been saying about short duration high intensity workout really works, many people included me will thank you.
P. D. It was a very interesting your research about leptine; it’s so amazing to discover how pur very body looks for controlling its environment.
We’ll see again

Hey Joel, This is what efficiency is really about..instead of BOD. going into preprogrammed storage mode for—->>>> looong steady pace ‘dreadmill’ time.
High Intensity Interval Training provides–>>> eXcellent metabolic-muscle/conFusion at its best(!!).

Totally in sync. w/multi-feeding change ups as you have it in your “Cheat”-Nutrition

So many Long Steady Booorring Dread Miller’s out there. Every day 5:15 am on..Swinging the Elipticle handles.. pounding the tread..and climbing the ‘Step-way to heaven’.

Common sense & scientific eXpertise, is appreciated from you here. Thank you.. Good on your day.

Hey Joel,
I’m always confused how high the high intensity interval should be and how many intervals we should be doing and the same for the lows. I only have about 10-15 lbs to lose and I understand it is all relative to your current fitness level and ability but, should the high and low intensity bursts be the same amount of time each? Say, minute on, minute off, which is what I do now for about 20 minutes so, 8 intervals. Or 30 seconds on, minute off, etc? I want to know what in your experience has been most effective with your clients. Does it matter what you use (treadmill, elliptical etc.)? Should that high interval be so high you don’t think you can do it anymore when it’s almost over? So many questions! :) Thanks,
Katy

I do weight training four times a week, and I follow each session with 20min of inteval training on the treadmill. Alternating 1 minute sprint with 1 minute fast walk.

Leaves me pleasantly wrecked by the end of the session :)

What would you consider a good guideline for “high-intensity exercise”? What percentage of maximum heart-rate, for example? There is serious discrepancy about this at my gym. The trainers there recommend 70-75% but a famous TV trainer has recommended 85% on her website. I want effective, efficient exercise that brings the best and fastest results.. there’s more to life than exercise.

Hi Joel,
I only do steady state cardio maybe twice a week. I do it on an elliptical machine and I burn over 1000 calories in an hour. Now granted, I do not maintain the same pace for that hour. I vary it several times by doing hills or just picking up the pace slightly. I also do a 20 minute high intensity workout 3 times a week after I lift so I always change up my intensity and duration. I also change the machine too. Upright bike, recumbant bike, stair climber, treadmill, and elliptical.

Hey Joel,
I appreciate what you are saying. But, I have some problem knees and I can do the Eliptical Stryder whith little to no pain on my knees. I am looking forward to what you have to say on High Intensity Cardio. Thanks and see you tomorrow.

Hello Joel,

I have been doing interval training for about 4 months now at a boot camp – I have not lost any pounds at all I seem to be stuck at a plateau and I have not been able to break it. My diet is pretty healthy for the most part. What do u recommend?

Thanks

What put me in my current state of adrenal burnout was three sessions with a personal trainer last year. I was already in a depleted state from a bad divorce and years of dietary restriction, and in the course of a week I had elevated resting heart rate, insomnia, irritability, weepiness, all the signs of overtraining, which as you may know requires at least a year of pretty much doing nothing to recover from. The trainer had me doing high-intensity short-burst exercises. After the workouts, I’d feel high and not be hungry at all. It was definitely a surge of adrenalin. But it pushed me over the edge into adrenal burnout. The adrenalin kept me from eating enough after working out and it kept me from sleeping at night, both of which were necessary to rebuild. By the end of the week I was a goner, and merely sitting up felt like effort. All I can do now for exercise is walk. I’m getting ready to add in some resistance training but will need to be careful not to get too intense with it. I’m (finally) meeting with an endocrinologist later this week and hopefully they can guide me more precisely about diet and exercise.

Hi Joel,

I have been doing strength training 5 days per week, 35 minutes of walking outside on my own 22 acres of wooded land, on my private nature trail in the mountains (love hearing the birds and seeing all the critters – like bobcat, mountain lion, grouse, pheasant, deer, raccoon, wild turkeys, bear, etc.) For me this is my de-stressor time to clear my head, relax, enjoy nature and the peace and quiet, and just get some fresh air and sunshine. Sometimes I am having so much fun I get carried away and walk for an hour or longer. I also do abs in the gym, and go hiking for fun on the weekends (often with my date or friends). I am all for burning fat, but my time out in nature is very therapeutic and makes me happy. My body needs low impact activities. What would you suggest for getting rid of the unwanted fat on my waistline?

Thanks!

Hi Joel,

that is what I do at the gym, 20min of interval training on the elliptical machine and it works wonders! What i cant seem to find information about, is how many calories do you actually burn afterwards. It’s sounds too good to be true!!

Thanks for your tips!

Debs

The only exercise I do that could be considered slow long-duration is hula hooping. But it is a heck of a lot of FUN!! My other exercise routine is kettlebell. I love to do 10 min. non-stop swings with my 12. These two, combined with rope training, makes for a great workout. I can be in and out in 30 minutes.

I think you need both–the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems respond to one or the other. Just check out John Berardi thoughts on this.
Bedised the long boring stuff should just be something you enjoy doing like a long walk, bike ride, hike, etc. Persoanlly I benefit by mixing it up.

Hey!
Consider this: cardio (slow of of any kind), especially in nature, is the Western equivalent of Zen. There’s not much that clears my head like a steady one hour run in the woods. And I’ve got experience with several different meditation methods.

Hi Joel,

that is what I do at the gym, 25min of interval training on the elliptical machine and it works wonders! What i cant seem to find information about, is how many calories do you actually burn afterwards. It’s sounds too good to be true!!

Thanks for your tips!

Debs

I find HIIT difficult when I am in my low carb cycle. Celery just doesn’t seem to give me the energy boost for sprints. I do them anyway, but they are tough. Any suggestions?

Joel,
I started a few months ago with Dr. Al Sears version of high intensity, short duration stationary bike workouts. His program focused on two minutes of warm-up then 1 minute of high intensity repeated 5 times. I’ve been doing your version with 2 and 2 and it seems to be more effective.

Joel, since you listed all the reasons steady-state cardio sucks, I’m going to list all the good things about it.

1) It’s better for beginners – You can’t ask someone who’s 50 pounds overweight and who’s been inactive for years to suddenly do intervals. I agree that HIIT is great, but I also believe it’s a more advanced technique.
2) It’s better than no exercise – Too many people who try to lose weight give up too easily. And the reason they give up is because what they’re being asked to do is too hard. Steady-state cardio may not be as efficient as HIIT, but at least it gets people moving.
3) Some people do enjoy it – Just like your last article, you’re guilty of generalizing. Not everyone finds steady-state cardio boring. Many people run in 5Ks, 10Ks, even marathons for fun.
4) It’s a great way to clear your head – The problem with high intensity workouts like weight training and HIIT is you have to focus. But steady-state cardio allows you to just zone out. That’s great if you’ve got a lot on your mind.
5) It puts you into a healthy mindset – I’ve found that on the days I do morning cardio before breakfast, I have an easier time making healthier food choices throughout the day.
6) You do get a slight afterburn – Obviously this depends on the intensity and it won’t be anywhere near as much as what you’d get from weight training or HIIT, but there is an afterburn, especially if you’re doing moderate intensity where your heart rate is around 80% of your max.

Is steady-state cardio the best use of someone’s time if they’re trying to lose fat? Not really. But you make it sound like it’s completely useless. I remember when people used to say the same thing about weight training.

I’m a rower and intervals are part of that…so is steady state (gotta check my endurance/time/etc.)
I like the combination of both – I never get bored!
I love my rowing machine!!

WELL SAID!! And mixing long cardio with intensity training is good for the body, the brain and the psyche. Gives you time to solve problems and clear your mind!Listen to your BODY!!!! @A -

Great advice! I have just started training at the gym after 20 years of being a couch potato but based on ur advice today I started to change my cardio into 2 minute bursts? Maybe I should make then shorter if u think that would help?? I will let u know my progress!

High intensity, short duration exercises are fine for those with solid knees. What if you have injured painful knees and cannot do sprints, squats and those types of exercises that are really primed to high intensity, short duration?

The whole mass running mania began in the late 60′s with a program called “long slow distance”. It was easy for people to get into, and usually was easier on their bodies than speed work. I tend to agree with you that intervals give the best bang for the buck (I have used them for nearly 40 yrs). You do need to change up your program on a regular basis to keep getting results. For example, try doing a 5K at 85-90% effort. Trust me…you will get plenty of fat burning from that.

Hey Joel,

I was just wondering what your thoughts were on running up and down stairs? I wouldn’t exactly call it steady state cardio, but it’s not really high intensity training in its traditional sense either.

What do you think about it?

Cheers.

Hi Joel,

I appreciate your detailed explanations to this “still-controversial” issue…
Personally I have stopped the slow go jogging back a few years ago just because of boredom and lack of time….Instead I have been incorporating hill sprints, tabata drills, other forms of high intensity drills and getting amazing results at the age of 58…This type of training has kept me excited to workout for the long haul…Thanks again
Ronnie T

Hi Joel, agreed that HIIT is great and I use this with resistance training 4 times per week. However I find my overall fitness is much improved if I do a couple of longer sessions per week but not ‘slow’ like most people in the gym who week after week seem to make no progress. I also love longer sessions if they take me outdoors and away from the stress of the day to day – like mountain biking, hiking and skiing.

Good morning Joel,
You have me convinced!! I used to be on my elliptical for 45-60 min at a time on cardio days. Having just started your program, I started the mixed intensity training (MIT) using my elliptical & I could barely finish the 15 min circuit!! You ROCK! =D

I do my exercise first thing in the morning when I am energized. i do about 2 mins. of high energy followed by 2 mins. of light weight lifting with high repetition. I lift about 3 pounds of weight. I do this for about 30 mins. and i feel like i have had a good workout sweating from head to toe. I use to do 45mins. of aerobics but did not see any result. My high energy exercises may be anything from jumping jacks to skipping with an imaginary rope.

I still believe that a person that understands how to incorporate fasting, steady state cardio with HIIT and intense lifting always comes out ahead. Beginning the day by downing a liter a water and hitting the treadmill for 20 minutes primes your body for sustained high metabolism. Nothing has worked better for me. However, I stress that these short runs or inclined walks are NOT the focus of my training. A morning jog is ALWAYS followed up with intense lifting and / or HIIT later in the day where performance and gains are the goal.

1) Is it ok to do at least 2-3x/week of yoga/pilates together with the HIT? I tried Shaun T’s hiphop abs and Beachbody’s turbo jam but i haven’t lose any weight.
2) In your program, it is always prescribed to have 3 meals and 3 snacks, the pre-bedtime snack is always Prograde lean. Is it ok to have another serving of 1 glass of Prograde lean and fiber supplement like C-lium fiber(instead of the usual egg or ham) in the morning before exercising because as you have said yesterday, its good to have a source of protein and complex carbo before exercising?
Kindly enlighten me with these concerns.Thanks.

I subscribe to the Tom Venuto BFFM training method. Every morning 45 minutes at 5.0 mph. (brother, that aint slow-go) with at least 5 interval sessions, 1min. @ 10 mph flat out run, 1min @ 5.5 mph on a 7-10 incline, mixing those variables up during the last 10 or 15 minutes of my sessions. If you tried to read a book during one of my cardio sessions you’d probably end up in the emergency room after they surgically removed your butt from the wall behind my treadmill. I also train with weights 3 days a week.(I mean really train, no more than 30 seconds rest between sets, strict form, result- huffing & puffing sweating profusely) I’ve been on this routine since early 2000, I’m 50 years old I’m 6’2″ 195lbs, with 9% body fat, and I’m not ashamed to take my shirt off. Plus I feel as good as I did when I was 25…..