Our world is packed full of fitness marketing that promotes every cardio program someone can dream up. Usually giving you unrealistic expectations for doing their DVD workouts, using their cardio equipment, or joining their cardio club. With all this hype flying around, cardio must be the only thing you need for all of your fitness dreams to come true …… Right !?!?!?!?!
OF COURSE NOT, but including cardio in your fitness program does have some nice benefits.
“But Mike, I would rather catch my hair on fire than spend hours per week doing cardio. So does that mean I should give up on trying to get fit?”
Again, OF COURSE NOT.
Why should I do cardio?
A calorie burning boost – Since I know most of you are considering doing cardio in an effort to look better, I’ll start with this one. If you are trying to lose fat, cardio will help you create a calorie deficit that will lead to fat loss.
Improved athletic performance – Cardio will help improve your lung function. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a hardcore athlete, improving your cardiovascular abilities is nice to have. Being out of breath from walking up stairs or going for a leisurely hike can really put a damper on your quality of life.
Heart health – Who doesn’t want a healthy heart !?!?!?!
Mental health – Regular cardiovascular activity will help fight against depression, stress, anxiety, etc.
Improve energy levels – Just think about all the money you could save on coffee if you were getting all the energy you needed from being in good cardiovascular shape $$$
Sleep like a rock – Ok, so maybe there’s no guarantee that you’ll sleep like a rock every night. But you will sleep better if you have cardio in your life.
“All of those perks sound great, but I HATE CARDIO! Can I be fit and skip the cardio?”
It depends on your goals.
Fitness goals you can obtain without cardio
You can build muscle – Skipping cardio will have little effect on your ability to build muscle as long as your weight lifting and nutrition strategies are solid.
You can get stronger – Getting stronger without cardio should be no problem. You will probably need more rest between sets in the weight room because you’ll be out of breath easier, but you can do it.
You can lose bodyfat – You’ll need to be more strict with your diet if you’re planning on losing fat without doing cardio. You’ll also need to be a regular in the weight room, but you can do it.
Fitness goals you can NOT obtain without cardio
Becoming an endurance athlete – If you refuse to include cardio in your fitness program you should forget about becoming a marathon runner, triathlete, boxer, soccer player, basketball player, etc.
Maximizing your heart health – Sure you’ll get some heart health benefits from weight lifting, but not as much as you get from cardio.
Loosing fat with a so-so diet – Cardio gives you some leniency with your diet. No cardio = No leniency
SO IN CONCLUSION: Should you include cardio in your fitness routine? …….. Yes. Is it the end of the world if you don’t include cardio into your fitness plan? …….. No. My goal for today is to let you know what to expect if you do or don’t include cardio in your exercise routine.