What About Cardio?
Just the other day, I had someone ask me about cardio. The question was “How much cardio do you do a week?”. He knows my writing pretty well so he probably knew that I would not give him a short answer. So, here I go again. I’m like the little old man at the corner store. Don’t ask him about the weather unless you are prepared to hear the bigger story. He has a rain gauge in his front yard, a thermometer on each porch, and the weather channel and news is all he watches. Open that can of worms if you dare. Anyway, cardio (cardiovascular exercise) is a very important part of physical fitness and deserves more than a passing word.
Over the years, I have tried a lot of different approaches to bodybuilding. At one point, I was convinced that I didn’t need cardio during the off-season. I was trying to bulk up and wanted to focus on hard and heavy weight training. Well, I was able to get the heavy weight but the hard training fell a little short. With the extra weight from my off-season bulk and my unconditioned lungs, I could not complete the grueling task that I call a workout. Learning from my mistake I went back to the cardio.
With trial and error as my coach, I have found that doing cardio about four days a week works best for me. I try to swim for 30 minutes, ride my bike for an hour, do wind sprints, or run the steps at the local stadium. I don’t really concern myself with my cardio being aerobic or anaerobic. I do try to push my lungs to the point of gasping for air at least twice a week. For me, cardio in the gym is a last resort on a rainy day. So, go out and get some air in your lungs. You’ll feel better and it will help you grow.
Filed under: Hardcore Training | Tagged: Hard Core Training, Hardcore Training
