5 Reasons “Slow-go” Cardio Sucks

Hi Joel,
I agree that for optimal fat/calorie burning, high intensity interval training is the way to go, and that is mostly what I do. However, I am also training for a triathalon would it not also be important to do slow-go endurance training as well? Otherwise when I go to do my triathalon I won’t have the stamina to finish it. Any suggestions on what I should do.

Thanks

Dallin

What about DC training methodologies? What about every bodybuilder who has a good amount of muscle on them? Don’t get me wrong. I think HIT works great, but when dieting down to <5% bf levels, HIT will start to eat away your muscle when already calorie restricted. Not only that, I’m dang near crippled after leg day for about 4-5 days.

Hello Joel, et al.

I am supposed to do cardio – for real cardio reasons (I had a heart attack) – but hated the get-on-the-exercise-bike-and-pedal-for-45-minutes approach. I didn’t mind strength/resistance training and ended up slacking off on the cardio, but found that just doing weights wasn’t giving me the weight loss I needed (plus I knew I needed the heart-pounding of cardio for my own personal health reasons.)

I’ve never had a trainer, so I’ve devised this routine myself – and probably have it all wrong – but I’m wondering what you and/or others think:

Cardio days: Sort of a “modified interval” approach. Example: 2 minutes – warmup treadmill walk (3.5 mph) … 10 minutes moderate run/jog (4.5 mph) … 2 minutes recovery walk (3.5 mph) – (translation: getting my breath back) … 1 minute power walk (3.5 mph at 10% elevation) … 2 minute recovery walk … 1 minute full out (for me) run 7.0 mph … 2 minute recovery walk … 7 minute jog … 1 minute recovery walk … 1 minute full elevation/power walk … 2 minute recovery walk … 1 minute full out run … 5 minute cooldown walk with 10 lbs. per hand dumbbells doing various arm exercises while walking. Total 37 minutes.

Strength/weight days. A full body circuit without rest periods using challenging but manageable weights (based on Rob Poulos’ Fat Burning Furnace). Typical routine with dumbbells: squats, bench press, curls, fly, pullover, calf raise, deadlift, overhead press, overhead tricep, pulldown/row, ab crunch. And I have started mixing in a couple of the the following: a quick jump on the treadmill or bike for a 60 second sprint or fast pedal, or 60 seconds of jumping jacks, or something like that. The whole thing usually lasts about 30 minutes.

I try to do 5 days a week – alternating between the cardio-focused and the strength-focused.

Am I on the right track or am I missing key elements and/or doing things in a not-effective way? I have ordered a BOSU to incorporate into some of the routines for core strengthening. I was also thinking about getting a heavy bag for some kickboxing cardio.

I’m a 51 year-old male. 5’11”, 223 pounds (down from 250). And as mentioned a heart attack survivor. I am seeing progress in stamina (I can jog for 10-12 minutes now while 3 minutes about did me in when I first started) and strength (I have been slowly needing to raise the amount of weight used.)
Also seeing some muscle definition little by little that was not there before. But the weight loss is still very slow (and the dieting is pretty faithful by the way) – some weeks a pound, other weeks nothing (followed by more weeks of nothing), occasionally a 2-pound week. I’m 51, not 21, so I recognize that my metabolism may not respond the same way as a younger person.

Thanks for any and all suggestions and comments.

I hate “slow go” cardio. I can’t even get my mind excited enough to do it. I love to get in the gym and get it done, with high intensity, hard pounding cardio. I love to “feel” like I’ve really earned my sleek muscular physique & going slow is not an option!

Hi Joel:

Thanks for all the excellent info. I’m sure your sharing motivates and educates many to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

I am with you on HIIT. Like others who commented I pity those ‘hamsters’ on the treadmill or elliptical. OK, real hamsters go faster.

Will keep this short so I stop here.

John.

As Scott mentioned earlier, how do you train for a !/2 marathon without long slow cardio?

Hi Joel,

I do cross fit which is extremely high intensity resistance training about 3-4x a week if you haven’t heard of it the website is http://www.crossfit.com. To supplement that I may jog, run intervals on the treadmill and take 2-3 spin classes a week. I do enjoy jogging and spin classes even though I know they are more longer, slower cardio. My question is, if I am still doing high intensity resistance training and intervals of cardio adding the other slower cardio can’t be too bad right?

Thanks,
Melisa

I believe in intervals and hill sprints. I may be doing too much though. I do 40 minutes of intervals followed by 20 minutes of hill sprints. Lately I’ve been reading (from you, Vince, and others) that I only need to do about 20 minutes of this type of exercise and as little as three times a week. Possibly my running schedule of an hour 4 or 5 times a week may be a little on the high side but twenty minutes only 3 times a week seems very much on the low side to show any real results. Comments, Joel?

I ACTUALLY BURN MORE CALORIES JOGGING THAN SPRINTING INITIALLY but i am aware of the afterburn of interval training. The original post was about morning cardio right, i got better results with steady state cardio in the mornings and sprints in the pm. I do think people will get nauseated in the morning on a empty stomach doing metabolic resistance cardio vs slow cardio so i think each style of cardio has its place.

I have been reading a lot about short time period high intensity workouts and i must say it has all been good .
I am really interested about hearing what you have to say about the subject.

@Jacqueline – Jacqueline, I know I’m not Joel, so he may of course correct me or come with other suggestions, but maybe you can do your interval cardio at the same time? For instance if doing 1/2 minute hard running, 1/2 minute rest you should probably still warm up for a couple of minutes first, say for instance 5 mins. During this time you can jog together with your husband. Then, when you start your intervals, sprint along the route you are going to take and then jog on the spot until he catches up, sprint again and repeat the process. I guess you may not be able to keep up doing your intervals for as long as he can jog at a moderate pace, but if you are doing a round that starts and ends at your house, maybe you can do one lap and he can do two?

/Per

Don’t forget about all the nasty hormones released during long slow cardio, unapposed cortisol=protein catabolism :(

I know that aerobic exercise is good for a lot of things which have nothing to do with fat loss or metabolic rates. For example, it is good for depression. I believe the recommendation is 30 minutes. Is there any evidence to suggest that you get the same benefits from a short interval workout?

Thanks!

Help!!! I’ve been a “Slow-Go” addict for years. I need help changing that mind set. I have bad knees and was told by my doctor to get on the elliptical for 30 to 45 minutes every other day at an easy pace. I’m 55 years old and not sure if I can handle a fast pace for more then maybe 30 seconds, if that! What is the best way to start the transition? I would love to exercise less and finally see results……I’m ready to listen. Tell me more, tell me more!

Jo

I jumped on the high intensity, short duration band wagon about a year ago when I bought my first kettlebell. Never before had I experienced such a “OMG I think I’m going to die” workout in my entire adult life. I am all over the “get-in-get-out” type of workout. I don’t have hours and hours to devote to working out. Who the hell wants to be in the gym for hours at a time? I much prefer working out at home. I live in a metro park and have hills all over the place for hill sprints, riding my bicycle up and down, and kettlebells in your quiet back yard is awesome! I did your Metabolic Workout #2 today, was dripping after the 2nd circuit. Slo go never made me drip, never.

“Riddle me this joel”, i hear all the time that slow cardio is the way to go for maximum muscle retention as opposed to high intensity cardio. Reason being is that you will not catabolize muscle mass???, is this true??? is it not true the more muscle mass you have the more fat you will burn???? please help in this “oh so confusing matter” thanks Marvin

One other thing . . . the people who promote high intensity cardio are . . . generally . . . trying to sell some product(s) related to high intensity cardio . . . .

Hmmm . . ..

When i hit the gym, the first thing I do is about 10 min on the treadmill, reasonably steep incline, 15m pace (heart rate around 70-80% of max). Then it is on to weights targeted to a specific body part or two for 45 minutes, then I finish up with 10 minutes of intervals run 1 min walk 1 min….seems to be working.

Hey Joel,
I completely agree with what you said about slow cardio and that high intensity is the way to go. However now I want to do a bit of muscle building and wasn’t sure what the best approach may be.

Hi Joel,
An additional element to prolonged low(er) intensity cardio is the potential for cartilage, tendon, joint and other injuries unless there has been suitable long term fitness preparation (and this must include dietary habits). Using low physical impact training methods will much help avoid this I’m more than sure.

For those who compete in sports that need these specialisms then some of this type of preparation is likely to be of very good benefit. I think that the comment forum here reflects this well, those who have suitable preparation can burn a large amount because they have the base cardio and pre-conditioning to do this, but also get some very useful sport specific training at the same time. Unlikely that these people will get injured from this type of focus.

I’m certainly not advocating low intensity cardio over HIIT type work and well planned strength training unless there are sport specific goals here.

Here is another reason slow-go doesn’t work for me personally: I find that 40 mins of low-med intensity cardio seems to leave me tired for the rest of the day where as 20 mins of high intensity gets me “super charged” that lasts thru the majority of my work day.

I think a lot of people are simply daunted by the idea of doing high intensity, that it might be “too hard”, and it’s just so much easier to just hang out and plod along on a treadmill or stationary bike or stair machine listening to music or watching TV or reading a magazine. You’re right though, short, high intensity workouts are the WAY TO GO!

Totally agree about the high intensity cardio. But the comment about the aerobic base is also important. If your goals are fat loss or raising metabolism, then high intensity cardio is the way to go. Interval training 20-30 minutes at a time is the key. However, if you want to run a marathon, then you need to run for long distances. Most of us however are just looking to get fit or fitter. I would be curious also Joel what you think are the “best”intervals and/or heart rates to use for this. I think you need to get above your anaerobic threshold for the interval and then recover to something below that.