Are Cardio Workouts Important or Overated?

By: Just Ask Fred Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Lose body fat with weight training... You may be aware that I have been known as the guy that is anti-cardio, but now I'll put this question out for you to think about... Do you have to have cardio type training to attain a lean status and have a great body shape? You will realize that I am not exactly against cardio, just against the way they traditionally do it.Many of the fitness fanatics, people trying to lose some excess fat or wanting to be in better shape, and even the weekend workout buffs think they have to do the cardio workouts to get to where they want to be. They don't even think to ask questions.In fact I don't question this either, I am here to discredit this! It may be a shocking fact for you to know that many of the people (women and men) I know that are real lean and mean, so to speak, don't ever do the traditional or normal type of cardio. I've been working out for more than 15 years in different gyms, and around many athletes of different kinds, so I really have seen almost all of it.I can entertain the thought that an argument could be made for some real out of shape, or overweight people to do some low to moderate cardio, but even taking those cases into consideration, There are better ways.Now what is cardio exactly?Most workout buffs think of cardio as being walking or running on the treadmill, using the stationary bikes, or doing the elliptical machine, as they are watching their favorite TV programs in their gym that is state of the art. This is the traditional cardio that I am talking about. No surprise here that everyone soon tires of the workouts, and quit after a short time and before getting any results.Cardio exercise can be most any kind of activity or exercise thatmakes the cardiovascular system stronger. I will refrain from any technical language as in upping your VO2 max and other things similar. To make this easy to understand, if you increase how your heart is beating, and it makes you out of breath, then that is cardio. I could care less if you're lifting weights and it is considered weight training, this is still making your heart stronger.Lets view some samples of this. Think about lifting a barbell in a clean and press, which is basically lifting the barbell off the floor and up stopping at the shoulders and then keep pressing it to over the head. And all you women just because this is mostly viewed as a male exercise, you can lift 250 pounds or 45 pounds whatever is the challenge for you, it will be the same kind of benefit for you.When we first think of the barbell clean and press, we only view it as an exercise for weight training or for building strength. I dare you though to do clean and press for about 10 to 15 reps. If the amount of weight makes you work hard enough, You'll discover the rate your heart is beating is approximately eighty to ninety percent of what the max is recommended for you, and you are breathing so hard that you may feel like you had just did the 100 meter sprint, and sprinting helps you lose flab a lot easier than jogging.You can do one 20-rep set of one-arm swings or snatches for each of your arms using a dumbbell or kettleball, and you will see that your legs will burn, you heart will race, and your will be having a tough time breathing. You could also do a straight 5 minutes of bodyweight lunges, push ups, and squats with only a small bit of rest. This will make you have a pounding heart, sweat rolling off of you, and your breathing will be labored!Tell me now that you don't think your heart is getting conditioned through this kind of training! The traditional way of thinking considers these exercises as strength training or weight training ones. But you are also do cardio when you do these, therefore you are combining both into one.You save yourself some time, while you are conditioning and strengthening all the muscles throughout your body, with these type of exercises, especially when you work them with the right intensity, this can't be thought of about the boring treadmill or stationary bike, as you are either viewing TV or reading.Watching or reading the TV as you are doing a workout is so laughable!You are truly not working out hard enough, if you are able to view TV or read as you are doing any of the exercises, you will not concentrate the right way, and all this will lead to poor results.

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