5 Reasons “Slow-go” Cardio Sucks

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…..