The "right" kind of cardio?

M

melimcn

Cathlete
I'm curious...
I have a friend that has hired a personal trainer to start working out. (One of those NY resolution kind of people...)

The trainer has her doing lots of interesting weight work on the ball, but for cardio (which she needs), he is having her take a breathing test first.
He told her that a lot of people do "the wrong kind of cardio, and wind up not helping themselves at all".

I'd never heard of that. My thinking was that - for someone who has not worked out before - any kind of cardio to start would be helpful to get them moving and burning calories.

Anybody have any insight on that? Or is this just trainer "make believe" to get more $$ out of her?
 
RE: The

> My thinking was that - for someone
>who has not worked out before - any kind of cardio to start
>would be helpful to get them moving and burning calories.

I'm no trainer or expert, but that would certainly be my belief too. I've never heard of a "right" kind of cardio. My only thought would be that maybe she's trying to see what this person's lung capacity is so that she can gauge how hard she should make them work? (i.e. HIIT vs. Steady State vs. intervals, etc.)

Allison

http://www.picturetrail.com/allisonj90
 
RE: The

I've never heard of this (and I'm tempted to think it's just another scam that personal trainers buy into). It could be that the trainer is testing the client's lung capacity to see what they are capable (of course this is highly unlikely and probably not reliable). Personally, I think the 'right' cardio depends on the person's likes and dislikes. I'm a personal trainer but I DETEST running. So I guess running is not the 'right' kind of cardio for me. I would also add that the 'right' cardio depends on whether high impact stuff is too hard or uncomfortable for a given client. A calorie burned is a calorie burned - whether it's done through walking, running, stepping, what have you. I know some people think that it's the form of cardio that keeps them slim but studies have shown that it's the overall intensity,duration and frequency of workouts (ie: number of calories burned) that really matters.

Carolyn :)
 
RE: The

My guess is the PT is trying to determine her various training zones and he wants to use the collected data to put together an effective (and safe) program. Working out at a high intensity too often and the body starts releasing insulin and stops burning fat. Some HIIT is great but too often and for too long and results stop and injury odds increase.

She could be working out at too high of an intensity and neither her nor her PT would realize it without first determining what her zones are (recovery, aerobic, anaerobic). The breathing test may have been part of that. He likely checked her heart rate, too. (I hope he did).

For the record, this is an assumption...I would not know unless I asked him.

I wouldn't assume it is a scam to get more $$$ out of her unless he charged extra for the test.
 
RE: The

Awhile back there was a discussion here about the pros & cons of plyo jumping. I've always been a con. Recently, when I was going through physical therapy for my shoulder at The Ohio State University Sports Medicine Center I was looking over a flyer at the front desk. They were offering a Plyo Jump Clinic for athletes (one week was close to $400). So I asked my physical therapist about her feelings on plyo jumping. I brought up IMAX3 and the big discussion on this board and she asked what kind of jumping I was talking about. I described the IMAX3 jumps and she said plyo jump conditioning, done right, by people who are already relatively fit (and not overweight), helps strengthen their bodies to help make them less prone to injury when participating in their sport - which is why their clinic is geared towards athletes. She suggested plyos would be good for me when I'm no longer carrying so much weight and that there's too much pressure on my joints as it is. Thus, cardio routines with plyos are not the "right" type of cardio for me (right now) but are perfect for other people. Hopefully they'll eventually be perfect for me so I can finally get what all the fuss is about!
 
RE: The

After some more thinking on this, the only test I can think of that would test how intense a person can exercise is a VO2max test. This tests how the person's body utilizes oxygen, thus giving an indication of how aerobically fit they are. In order to get correct results for this test, the client must be on a treadmill (or some other cardio machine - a treadmill is more convenient) and they wear a mask over their mouth and nose so the machine can measure what their oxygen/carbon dioxide ratio is. Of course there is no machine that measures what sort of cardio is 'right' for a given individual. There are formulas that can give an indication of the individual's cardio zones (the karvonen formula is probably best because it uses the person's resting heart rate), but the only info you need is a resting HR and that's done with a HRM or by taking the pulse.

Carolyn
 
RE: The

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

From everyone's thoughts, it's entirely possible that he's trying to judge her fitness level. I'm just skeptical. Working out is not part of her lifestyle currently. Meaning that something as simple as getting on the treadmill for 45 minutes could make a huge difference in her to begin with.

I agree that not all types of cardio are right for everyone (I HATE RUNNING), and I swear by TaeBo myself (although Cathe has definitely converted me a bit), so I think there's something to it.

It's just that for a beginner, who signed up for short term training lessons, I think this guy is full of it.

But, I suppose in the grand scheme of things, anything that gets her going and has potential to change her approach to physical health is a good thing. She seems to like him so far and buys in to what he's telling her.
 
RE: The

Personally, I think the 'right' cardio
>depends on the person's likes and dislikes. I'm a personal
>trainer but I DETEST running. So I guess running is not the
>'right' kind of cardio for me. I would also add that the
>'right' cardio depends on whether high impact stuff is too
>hard or uncomfortable for a given client.

A calorie burned is>a calorie burned - whether it's done through walking, running,>stepping, what have you. I know some people think that it's >the form of cardio that keeps them slim but studies have shown
>that it's the overall intensity,duration and frequency of
>workouts (ie: number of calories burned) that really matters.
>
>Carolyn :)

Okay, here I am, disagreeing with a personal trainer! :eek: I agree 100% with the first paragraph above, but disagree with the second only in that I really don't think "cardio" is first and foremost about burning calories. I think it's more about strengthening your heart and lungs, improving circulation, etc., or else why would they call it cardio? Unless the thinking has changed on this? As for weight loss, from my experience, the calories used during cardio don't make a blip on the weight loss radar screen, unless you spend lots of time at it. I think cardio is good for keeping your appetite under control, and keeping your metabolism up, and therefore it is very useful in weight loss. But as for calories burned, you can take a slow walk for 10 hours and use a lot of calories, but is it cardio? I don't think so. But then, I'm no PT, so this is just opinion.
 
RE: The

<<Working out at a high intensity too often and the body starts releasing insulin and stops burning fat. Some HIIT is great but too often and for too long and results stop and injury odds increase.>>

Hi Sarah,

Just curious...where did you get this information?

Thanks.
 
RE: The

>
>Okay, here I am, disagreeing with a personal trainer! :eek: I
>agree 100% with the first paragraph above, but disagree with
>the second only in that I really don't think "cardio" is first
>and foremost about burning calories. I think it's more about
>strengthening your heart and lungs, improving circulation,
>etc., or else why would they call it cardio? Unless the
>thinking has changed on this? As for weight loss, from my
>experience, the calories used during cardio don't make a blip
>on the weight loss radar screen, unless you spend lots of time
>at it. I think cardio is good for keeping your appetite under
>control, and keeping your metabolism up, and therefore it is
>very useful in weight loss. But as for calories burned, you
>can take a slow walk for 10 hours and use a lot of calories,
>but is it cardio? I don't think so. But then, I'm no PT, so
>this is just opinion.


Hi Nancy! :) From what I've read, moderate cardio is probably better a better choice overall (not that low or high intensity doesn't have it's place - it's just that studies have shown that moderate intensity may be almost as good as high intensity for calorie burn - which is important, and aerobic gains). I agree that cardio is not just about burning calories but keeping track of calories burned is actually a good way to gauge how 'intense' a cardio session is. As for taking a walk not being cardio - I have to disagree. It is very low intensity cardio (if done slowly) - but it's cardio nonetheless. Any time your HR is elavated - it's cardio.

A few months ago I watched a show about a doctor who set up his work station with a treamill. He walked at a VERY slow pace (1 mph) all day and his extra pounds melted off. It really comes down to how much a person moves during the day. I've also read studies that tested people who engaged in high intensity cardio. It found that those who exercise at a higher intensity end up making up for that by moving less throughout the day when they're not working out (thus thwarting their weight loss goals ). I've taken this lesson to heart and have added slow walks to my daily workouts and I've noticed quite a difference.
I think personal trainers focus on weight loss because a lot of our client's need to lose weight. In fact, most people out there are overweight so it does make sense to focus on that. Of course cardio strengthens the heart and lungs and that is super important. I would add that a whole food diet is just as important for a healthy heart and for weight control.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that cardio can effect weight loss - even if done at a slow/low intensity.

Sorry about the book!
Carolyn :)
 
RE: The

..and let us not forget that the 10 hour walk will have the walker burning a higher % of fat during the 10 hours walk. The walk will be more effective in training the body to use fat for fuel.

Also, the low intensity 10 hour walk will do wonders for strengthening the aerobic system, build new capillaries and mitocondria. High intensity anaerobic workouts don't build those much needed tools for improved aerobic function, instead HIIT breaks them down. That is why the frequency and duration of HIIT should be limited.

HIIT is better for increasing your lactate threshold and is more of a post workout fat burner.
 
RE: The

>Hi Carolyn,
>
>I hope you don't mind me asking you this, how long should you
>do cardio and how often?? Is 60 min. to long?? What is better
>for losing fat cardio or heavy weight training??
>
>Thanks!
>Belinda
>http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid16930497


Hi Belinda! :) That's sort of a loaded question. :) My opinion is that people need to find what works for them - but in general, you need to move more during the day for weight loss (see my post below). As a rule, I have clients engage in low, moderate, and some high intensity cardio. For example, one week we'll focus on low and moderate and another week we'll focus on high and low, etc. Make sure you cross train (to avoid injury, overtraining and boredom).

For weight training, I think there is benefit to performing heaving and endurance training - as they train the muscles differently. Some people really do well with just heavy training and some do well with mostly endurance. There is a place for both but you need to experiment and find the one that works for you - just make sure you cross train! I've had lots of success with circuit weight training (going from one resistance exercise to the next with very little or no rest between). Doing this can burn as many calories as moderate-high intensity cardio if done correctly.


As far as the duration of the cardio session, I would say that depends on the intensity. For high intensity, 60 minutes may be too long. For moderate intensity, 60 minutes sounds about right. For low, probably not long enough. Again, this varies depending on your individual abilities. I think a common trap that women who exercise fall into is that they end up exercising too often and at too high of an intensity. This can stop weight loss goals and increase the risk of injury. I know this because I've done it. I would say that the majority of your cardio should be done at a moderate intensity. Just make sure that when you're not exercising, you're still moving around a LOT. ACSM recommends that people engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate cardio on most, if not all days of the week. I'd stand behind that statement but of course if you're cardio is intense, you need to do it less often.

Feel free to email me if I've confused you further! :)
[email protected]

Carolyn :)
 
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