Nothing conditions and protects the heart as much as a good, strong workout. The Biggest Loser Club spoke to Charlotte Ord, the new trainer on the Biggest Loser TV show, about the importance of cardio in heart health. Which is best: fast and furious or slow and steady?
Cardio used to be king! Is it still king? If not, what is?
In reality, pretty much all activity is cardiovascular in some sense.
Whether you’re walking, running, lifting weights or flipping tyres, you’re using your cardio-pulmonary system (i.e. your heart and lungs) to circulate oxygen around your body.
Low intensity, steady state exercise is great if you are deconditioned and getting back into exercise.
After that I’d say resistance training is a more efficient way of achieving fat loss, as it not only helps build muscle tissue – which is the body’s metabolic furnace – but it also develops your cardiovascular capacity. Activities like walking and cycling at low intensity only do the latter.
Is low-intensity cardio the best way to improve aerobic capacity and strengthen the heart and lungs?
In a word, no!
Research has shown time and time again that high intensity intervals, whether on a bike, repeated sprints, swimming or weights circuits, have a greater impact on aerobic capacity than low intensity steady state exercise.
However, this type of exercise is demanding on the body’s muscular, nervous and cardiopulmonary systems and capacity must be developed gradually. So if you’re just starting out, build up slowly to give your body a chance to adjust.
Remember any new exercise stimulus will create an adaptation.
Many women favour lots of low-intensity cardio because they associate it with weight loss. Is this a myth that belongs in the legwarmer era?
For sure.
While long, slow duration cardio burns calories during the session, it has little impact on your resting metabolic rate.
Most people train around 4 hours per week and rest the other 164 hours. So it stands to reason that, for optimal fat loss, we’d want to affect what happens at rest as much as possible. Resistance training and high intensity intervals can do this.
The other problem with steady state cardio is that once your body has adapted, which it will fairly quickly, you have to either go faster or longer to keep seeing results. That can be tricky in terms of time constraints, not to mention boring!
If interval training is the best way to train for weight loss, is there still a place for long-duration cardio in an exercise regime? After all, exercise is not just about losing weight.
Long duration cardio is brilliant for stress relief and general cardiovascular health and can be suitable as a reintroduction to physical activity. It also has a place in sports preparation for certain athletes, but usually in combination with, not instead of, interval-based training.
What are the main benefits of a rigorous cardio workout?
For me the main benefits of a high intensity cardio workout are an increased resting metabolic rate, meaning increased fat burning at rest (yay!), increased aerobic capacity, and that awesome feeling of knowing you have pushed yourself hard!
What are your favourite high-intensity cardio methods?
I love sprinting, so fast intervals on the treadmill are a favourite of mine.
I also enjoy metabolic circuits that consist of a variety of exercises such as tyre flips, bodyweight exercises, ropes and kettlebells. They’re fun and varied and fantastic for elevating your heart rate, developing your aerobic base and burning lots of fat!
How often should we do high-intensity cardio?
I’d say at least 4 times per week for 30 minutes, but the more active you can be on a daily basis, the better it will be for your heart, lungs, and waistline.
How do you recommend an unfit person build up their cardiovascular capacity?
Start slowly and build up little and often. If you can, invest in a program from a credible personal trainer, as this will ensure that your program is suitable for you and your body.
Can you be fit and not do cardio?
Yes!
Pretty much all resistance training and interval training will significantly elevate your heart rate and develop your cardiopulmonary system. In fact, these types activities have been proven by research to be more effective for developing strength, speed and endurance than slow, steady state cardio anyway!
Heart disease in the UK
Each year 9400 people in Britain die from heart disease and related conditions. Coronary heart disease affects 1 in 5 men and 1 in 7 women. It is our biggest killer.
Heart disease is in many cases a lifestyle disease, which means that it can be prevented by taking the right health measures. The British Heart Foundation recommends the following in order to protect your hardest working muscle:
- Take regular exercise
- Eat a healthy diet
- Encourage children to be heart healthy
- Be aware of the main dangers to heart health: smoking; drinking; high blood pressure; and stress