Cardio Session Quotes

As explained in the first chapter, human beings are physically hardwired to constantly move about and exercise. Every day, we build up a lot of stress, and physical exercise provides an outlet to get this out of our system so we can stay healthy. In the modern world, our stress is exacerbated by our incessant consumption of negative news and by rapid changes in our culture and norms. Negativity and confusion add stress to the body. Exercise will help manage this by releasing neurotransmitters, called endorphins, into our body to manage our response. Exercise temporarily mimics the fight-or-flight response that you may feel when you are stressed. But in the long run, it will help calm and de-stress you. Endorphins help calm your responses and ultimately result in removing the built-up stresses from our lives. Studies have shown that people experience positive changes after just one or two cardio sessions. Exercise will also help you sleep, which is directly correlated with lower stress and anxiety.3 Exercise

QUICK START Not sure how much cardio you should do for maximum benefit and minimum risk? Here’s a simple shortcut formula, backed by research and experience: A foolproof starting point is three to four days per week of the cardio of your choice, for 20–40 minutes at a moderate to high intensity. If you’re already fit and your time is limited, do up to three sessions of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) per week. When you need to accelerate fat loss, simply increase the duration and frequency a little bit each week until you get the rate of fat loss you want.

IS CARDIO BEST BEFORE OR AFTER LIFTING? NEITHER! Doing cardio right before or after lifting can seriously hinder muscle and strength gains. Why? Researchers from RMIT University worked with well–trained athletes in 2009 and found that “combining resistance exercise and cardio in the same session may disrupt genes for anabolism.” In laymen’s terms, they found that combining endurance and resistance training sends “mixed signals” to the muscles37. Cardio before the resistance training suppressed anabolic hormones such as IGF–1 and MGF, and cardio after resistance training increased muscle tissue breakdown. Several other studies, such as those conducted by Children’s National Medical Center38, the Waikato Institute of Technology39, and the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland)40 , came to same conclusions: training for both endurance and strength simultaneously impairs your gains on both fronts. Training purely for strength or purely for endurance in a workout is far superior. Cardio before weightlifting also saps your energy and makes it much harder to train heavy, which in turn inhibits your muscle growth. So, how do you do it right?

For example, an optimal exercise week for a very devoted exerciser could include a two-hour hike, another easy cardio session of one hour, two full-body strength-training sessions lasting no more than 30 minutes each, a sprint session with an accumulated five minutes of maximum effort, and a challenging “play” day (e.g., a pickup soccer, basketball, or Ultimate Frisbee game).

With kettlebells, cardio intensity is increased by increasing the poundage, increasing the reps, speeding up the pace and/or extending the session duration. There seems to be little questioning that diligent use of kettlebells can provide a cardio session as intense as a person can stand and muscle hypertrophy will occur if the poundage is sufficient.

Conversations with good intentions, exchanges that feel like cardio sessions for the soul, dialogue directed in growth that leads you back to yourself, words wrapped in vulnerability and soaked in honesty. . . conversations like this.

One or two cardio/running sessions per week (endurance) - One or two muscle-strengthening/HIIT sessions per week (strengthening and resistance) - A long hiking trip over the weekend (endurance, strengthening and resistance).

Conversations with good intentions, exchanges that feel like cardio sessions for the soul, dialogue directed in growth that leads you back to yourself, words wrapped in vulnerability and soaked in honesty—conversations like this.

This chapter is loaded with multiple ways to introduce new adaptive challenges and break homeostasis. We recommend that you: Upgrade your macros (more protein, more fiber) Start lifting weights (if you’re not already) Change your weight training program Increase your weight training frequency each week Do an HIIT workout a week Progress to two HIIT workouts a week Do cold therapy Add walking Add rebounding Add yoga Add cardio Change the type of cardio Increase the intensity of cardio Increase anabolism Do sauna sessions Cut calories

HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD DO CARDIO In terms of frequency, here’s how I do it: • When I’m bulking, I do two 25-minute HIIT sessions per week. • When I’m cutting, I do three to five 25-minute HIIT sessions per week. • When I’m maintaining, I do two to three 25-minute HIIT sessions per week. • I never do more than five cardio sessions per week, as I’ve found my strength begins to drop off in the gym if I do.

Stacking an MSP strength training with a sprint session can deliver performance benefits via the concept of postactivation potentiation. You literally “pump up” your muscles and central nervous system by challenging muscles under load prior to sprinting.

Any effect you are seeking from aerobic activity can be achieved more safely and efficiently with high-intensity strength training. Remember, your cardiovascular system supports your muscular system, not the other way around. An elevated heart rate means nothing by itself. Being nervous before a full combat equipment nighttime High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) formation jump always sent my heart rate skyrocketing, but it didn’t make my belt any looser. And even if you insisted on measuring the efficacy of an exercise by an increase in heart rate, I dare you to get it up higher than with my “Stappers.” So there we have it: Interval strength training is superior to aerobic activity in burning fat, as well as building strength, speed, power, and even cardiovascular endurance. All this in far less time than tedious “cardio” sessions.

Each week, you’ll do seven workouts: 3—interval cardio sessions 1—upper body workout 1—lower body workout 1—abs workout 1—long circuit Each workout is designed to take somewhere between twenty and twenty-five minutes, except for the “long circuit,” which will take between thirty and forty-five minutes.

Stretching Recommendations The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends flexibility exercises for all of the major muscle-tendon groups - neck, shoulders, trunk, lower back, hips, legs, ankles - 2-3 times per week. Spend up to 60 seconds on each stretch; if you can only hold the stretch for 20 seconds, repeat the stretch three times. Never bounce into a stretch. Perform dynamic stretches before your workout. Perform static stretching after your workout. If you are doing a separate stretching session, do a 5 minute warm up of cardio and dynamic stretches.