Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, always evokes a strong reaction. There are those who just love it and make it the primary, and sometimes only, component of their workout plans. Then there are those who can’t endure even a mention of cardio in their carefully planned workouts (read weight-training programs).
This is ironical because any fitness plan worth its reps and calorie-burn needs to have both cardio and strength components. Yes, I mean whether your goal is weight-loss, muscle gain or building cardio endurance you actually need to include cardio and strength training in your workouts, only the mix of the two would vary as per your goal.
Okay, so it’s quite obvious why anyone who is looking to losing weight would need to do cardio. Cardio exercise leads to calories being burned and fat loss is dependant on the calories you burn versus the calories you consume.
Let’s consider all the guys who are aiming to gain muscle and definition. Who are more than willing to put themselves through grueling weight-training sessions but will steer clear of all cardio machines as the evil that will burn away all their hard worked muscle. Not so guys; and you could check with Sudhanshu Verma who used to belong to the earlier mentioned category. After many discussions and reasons as to the whys, he is now resigned to the necessity of including cardio in his workouts. I won’t say he always enjoys it, but he now does his cardio duty!
Or have a word with Sandeep Bekal who until recently firmly ignored the cardio machines, all his efforts in the gym focused on strength training. That is, until March 2007 when he was part of The Zone Rowing Team participating in the North American Rowing Challenge. That was the first time ever that he was doing cardio seriously and he was so bitten by the rowing bug that he was the highest rower in this year’s Zone team. Not just that; the rowing miles clocked by him have placed him as the highest rower in The Zone rowers records and also earned him a place in the top 10 rowers worldwide during this challenge! Well, he is converted. Cardio is now a regular part of his workouts for the energy and adrenalin rush that they give him.
Another reason to include cardio, as Roshan or Dilip would attest to, is the fact that since cardio activity is very effective for burning off calories, it allows you to indulge in some of your favorite foods and party without having to worry about the added calories causing havoc on your body. If you are doing cardio regularly you do not have to be on a strict and controlled diet. The occasional indulgence can be made up with a cardio session.
It’s really simple. If you do take your weight-training seriously and are looking to showing off your muscles and definition, including cardio just becomes a necessity for –
- The muscle definition. Cardio helps burn the fat covering your muscles, to give you the cuts that are your goal.
- Recovery time. Cardio has a positive effect on your metabolic rate and helps speed recovery time which in turn helps build new muscle at a faster rate
- Better growth. Cardio activity enhances the flow of oxygen rich blood to your muscle tissue helping in the repair and re-building process
- Increased efficiency. By increasing your aerobic capacity you will make your heart stronger, which will allow you to train harder and lift stronger.
However fat loss is just one of the reasons you need to include cardio in your fitness program. There are numerous health benefits to be derived from engaging in regular cardio activity.
The primary reason why we all need to include regular cardio activity in our lives is to improve the condition of our heart. The heart is just like any other muscle and it needs to be worked to be made strong. Lack of exercise, over a period of time, weakens the heart and leads to negative health effects. So, the next time you get breathless or a little winded climbing the stairs or playing with your child, remember that you need to work your heart and get it pumping faster on a regular basis to stay in shape and be healthy.
Cardio exercise helps to control and manage diabetes as regular cardio activity increases the body’s ability to utilize glucose and helps control blood sugar swings. It is also helpful for lowering blood pressure and your resting heart rate.
Regular cardio exercise has a positive effect of increasing your metabolic rate. This helps in maintaining or losing weight as the case might be.
The release of endorphins or the ‘feel-good’ hormones, a result of cardio activity, also leads to a decrease in fatigue and stress, while increasing your energy levels. Think of the post-exercise high and the adrenalin rush you experience after a hard run or a tennis or basketball game.
So whether you like it or dread it, you have to accept cardio as something you need to do.
And do remember, depending on your goals, cardio need not necessarily turn you into a thin, scrawny individual. Take a look at Rajiv and Ravi both have muscle definition and strength as their primary goals but are happy to include a good dose of cardio in their workouts.
This is ironical because any fitness plan worth its reps and calorie-burn needs to have both cardio and strength components. Yes, I mean whether your goal is weight-loss, muscle gain or building cardio endurance you actually need to include cardio and strength training in your workouts, only the mix of the two would vary as per your goal.
Okay, so it’s quite obvious why anyone who is looking to losing weight would need to do cardio. Cardio exercise leads to calories being burned and fat loss is dependant on the calories you burn versus the calories you consume.
Let’s consider all the guys who are aiming to gain muscle and definition. Who are more than willing to put themselves through grueling weight-training sessions but will steer clear of all cardio machines as the evil that will burn away all their hard worked muscle. Not so guys; and you could check with Sudhanshu Verma who used to belong to the earlier mentioned category. After many discussions and reasons as to the whys, he is now resigned to the necessity of including cardio in his workouts. I won’t say he always enjoys it, but he now does his cardio duty!
Or have a word with Sandeep Bekal who until recently firmly ignored the cardio machines, all his efforts in the gym focused on strength training. That is, until March 2007 when he was part of The Zone Rowing Team participating in the North American Rowing Challenge. That was the first time ever that he was doing cardio seriously and he was so bitten by the rowing bug that he was the highest rower in this year’s Zone team. Not just that; the rowing miles clocked by him have placed him as the highest rower in The Zone rowers records and also earned him a place in the top 10 rowers worldwide during this challenge! Well, he is converted. Cardio is now a regular part of his workouts for the energy and adrenalin rush that they give him.
Another reason to include cardio, as Roshan or Dilip would attest to, is the fact that since cardio activity is very effective for burning off calories, it allows you to indulge in some of your favorite foods and party without having to worry about the added calories causing havoc on your body. If you are doing cardio regularly you do not have to be on a strict and controlled diet. The occasional indulgence can be made up with a cardio session.
It’s really simple. If you do take your weight-training seriously and are looking to showing off your muscles and definition, including cardio just becomes a necessity for –
- The muscle definition. Cardio helps burn the fat covering your muscles, to give you the cuts that are your goal.
- Recovery time. Cardio has a positive effect on your metabolic rate and helps speed recovery time which in turn helps build new muscle at a faster rate
- Better growth. Cardio activity enhances the flow of oxygen rich blood to your muscle tissue helping in the repair and re-building process
- Increased efficiency. By increasing your aerobic capacity you will make your heart stronger, which will allow you to train harder and lift stronger.
However fat loss is just one of the reasons you need to include cardio in your fitness program. There are numerous health benefits to be derived from engaging in regular cardio activity.
The primary reason why we all need to include regular cardio activity in our lives is to improve the condition of our heart. The heart is just like any other muscle and it needs to be worked to be made strong. Lack of exercise, over a period of time, weakens the heart and leads to negative health effects. So, the next time you get breathless or a little winded climbing the stairs or playing with your child, remember that you need to work your heart and get it pumping faster on a regular basis to stay in shape and be healthy.
Cardio exercise helps to control and manage diabetes as regular cardio activity increases the body’s ability to utilize glucose and helps control blood sugar swings. It is also helpful for lowering blood pressure and your resting heart rate.
Regular cardio exercise has a positive effect of increasing your metabolic rate. This helps in maintaining or losing weight as the case might be.
The release of endorphins or the ‘feel-good’ hormones, a result of cardio activity, also leads to a decrease in fatigue and stress, while increasing your energy levels. Think of the post-exercise high and the adrenalin rush you experience after a hard run or a tennis or basketball game.
So whether you like it or dread it, you have to accept cardio as something you need to do.
And do remember, depending on your goals, cardio need not necessarily turn you into a thin, scrawny individual. Take a look at Rajiv and Ravi both have muscle definition and strength as their primary goals but are happy to include a good dose of cardio in their workouts.
1 comment:
Cardio is a very important part of any fitness routine, but it should really be integrated into a full program, including weights and nutrition.
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