CHAPTER 90

To the Heart of the Matter with Cardio Training

“My emphasis is not on building muscle anymore, but on holding muscle and getting as lean as I can. I eat less and do more cardio, so I have to balance my energy expenditure. This new focus also cuts down on any risk of injury.”

– Will Harris, IFBB pro

Although once shunned by most weight trainers it’s now accepted that bodybuilders should do some sort of aerobic exercise, especially during the pre-contest phase of their training. Not only does it help get rid of body fat, it improves the health of the cardiovascular system, and everyone can use help with that.

Also keep in mind that a muscle completely fatigued in the absence of oxygen will build up lactic acid at a rate 25 times the normal level. And a fatigued muscle can only generate one-tenth the energy of a muscle that is rich in oxygen. Since there is only one way for oxygen to reach your muscles – by your cardiovascular system – it stands to reason that you must do everything possible to keep yours in top shape.

AEROBIC EXERCISE – WITH OXYGEN

Although you may be primarily concerned with the development of your skeletal muscles, don’t forget that the heart is also a muscle. And while a well-developed heart won’t win you extra points onstage, it is your most important muscle when it comes to overall long-term health.

In simple terms aerobic exercise is any extended activity that makes you breathe hard while using the large muscle groups at a regular, even pace. Aerobic activities help make your heart stronger and more efficient. They also use more calories than other activities. Some examples of aerobic activities include:

- Jogging

- Bicycling

- Swimming

- Aerobics class

- Boxing class

- Spinning

- Racquet sports

- Rowing

- Ice or roller skating

- Cross-country or downhill skiing

- Using cardio equipment (i.e. treadmill, stationary bike)

- Brisk walking

- Hiking

BENEFITS OF AEROBIC EXERCISE

When oxygen enters your lungs it’s grabbed by red blood cells and transported back to the heart and then pumped throughout the body to the various tissues and cells. At the cellular level the oxygen is released and various waste products, including carbon dioxide, are carried back to the lungs and exhaled. One of the benefits of aerobic exercise is that after a period of time blood volume will increase. An average male can increase his circulating blood volume by up to a liter with regular aerobic exercise. More blood means more red blood cells. More red blood cells means more oxygen and waste-carrying capacity. I think you can see how this would be beneficial to hard-training bodybuilders. Not only will your muscles be receiving more oxygen, waste products will be removed that much faster.

“The large majority of heavier strength athletes have a bodyfat percentage that’s too high. That puts them at risk for heart conditions and cardiovascular disease down the road. Powerlifters and other strength athletes suffer from heart attacks more frequently than do athletes in any other sport.”

– Rahim Kassam, regular MuscleMag International columnist

Photo of Pasi Schalin by Ricky Marconi

A second benefit is that the body compensates for the increased blood volume by increasing the number of blood vessels. Besides the biological effect, the extra blood vessels give bodybuilders a much more vascular look.

A final benefit to regular cardio exercise is that it increases the body’s digestive abilities and mental alertness, and plays an important role in combating stress and ill temper.

STARTING AN AEROBIC PROGRAM

As with most forms of physical exercise you don’t just dive right in at the highest intensity level. Just because you can squat 315 pounds for 12 reps doesn’t mean your legs are capable of enduring an hour of cycling or running. Start out by doing two to three 15- to 20-minute sessions at a light to moderate pace and gradually increase the duration to 30 to 45 minutes, four to five times per week.

For bodybuilding success you must learn to use cardio to lose fat while retaining muscle.
Photo of Armon Adibi by Alex Ardenti

UNDERSTANDING THE TARGET HEART-RATE ZONE

To get the most health benefits from aerobic activity, you should exercise at a level strenuous enough to raise your heart rate to what’s called your target heart rate zone. Your target heart rate zone is 65 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate (the fastest your heart can beat). To find your theoretical maximum heart rate subtract your age from 220. For a 30-year-old that equals 190 (220 - 30 = 190). Now take this number and multiply it by .65 and .80 to give you your target heart rate zone. For our 30-year-old that would be 124 to 152.

Check to see if you’re in your ZONE

To see if you are exercising within your target heart rate zone, count the number of pulse beats at your wrist or neck for 10 seconds, then multiply by six to get the beats per minute. If your heart is beating faster than your target heart rate, you are exercising too hard and should slow down. If your heart is beating slower than your target heart rate, you should exercise a little harder.

Go easy!

When you begin your exercise program, aim for the lower end of your target zone (65 percent). As you get into better shape, slowly build up to the higher end of your target zone (80 percent).

FAT-LOSS ZONE AND CARDIO ZONE

You will no doubt hear about training in a lower-intensity fat-burning zone (60 to 70 percent of maximal heart rate) as opposed to a cardio zone (80 to 90 percent of maximal heart rate). The debate rages as to which is the best zone. While it’s true that exercising at the lower zone will burn more calories in the form of fat by percentage, exercising in the higher zone will burn more calories overall for the same amount of time. And since total calorie expenditure is the key to losing fat, theoretically the higher zone should be the best zone. The key word there is “should,” as everyone’s body responds differently. The lower zone may work best for you. Working out in the lower zone may also help you to keep all your muscle while leaning out.

My advice is to start out at the lower zone and gradually work into the upper zone and see what happens. If there is a noticeable difference then select the one that works best. If on the other hand both seem to be yielding equal results, then alternate them. You can alternate them on a daily basis (i.e. high, low, high, low, etc.), or you can do one month high and the next low.

Another great alternative is to do high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This is great for both fitness and fat loss. In HIIT you exercise at a lower intensity for a while and then at a very high intensity to get your heart rate right up into the high cardio zone for a brief period, then back to low intensity until you can catch your breath enough to go back into the high cardio zone. You keep going back and forth this way until your whole workout is done.

“Man I do a lot of cardio. From the first week of my prep I do two 45-minute sessions a day, six days a week and one 45-minute session on the other day, which is my leg day.”

– Craig Richardson, IFBB pro, commenting on how much cardio he does during the pre-contest phase of training.

WHEN TO PERFORM YOUR CARDIO WORKOUTS

“If you live in the real world and your time is limited, you may want to do your weights and cardio in one long session at the gym. Think about investing in a piece of cardio equipment for your home so you have more options and don’t always have to do your cardio at the gym. But plenty of bodybuilders do it all in one shot, both weights and cardio, and still manage to get decent results.”

– Ron Harris, regular MuscleMag International contributor

While generally speaking there is no best time to perform your cardio workouts, there are a few guidelines that you might want to follow. It probably doesn’t make much sense to do your cardio workout before a hard leg workout. Few bodybuilders can go for a 30- to 45-minute bike ride or jog and then bang out multiple sets with many hundreds of pounds on the squat or leg press. (And if you are used to squatting 315 then your legs won’t be growing much when you reach failure at 6 reps with 135.) The opposite is also true – just how effective will your run or cycle be after a grueling leg workout? Besides, a 45- to 60-minute leg workout is highly aerobic anyway so why waste time doing both back to back?

There are numerous cardio/weight training combinations that you can follow. You could do all your cardio on your days off. The advantage to this is that you’re only doing one form of exercise on each day. The disadvantage is that you’re working out seven days a week. Give it a try and see how you feel. If none of the symptoms of overtraining start appearing, by all means keep going. Another option is to do your cardio on your upper-body weight-training days and then one or two of your days off. The benefit of this approach is that you give your body at least two days off from exercise each week.

If you have the time you can do your cardio and weight training at different times on the same day. Many bodybuilders like to do their cardio early in the morning before work or school and then go back later in the day for their weight training.

There is no right combination for your cardio and weight training. My advice is to try different combinations and see which one works best for you. And keep in mind that the best program is the one that fits into your schedule. You can map out the perfect training and cardio program, but if you find you skip workouts because the times don’t work for you, then your physique will never benefit from your “perfect” program.

Photo of Larry Vinette by Robert Reiff

EARLY MORNING CARDIO?

Every now and then some bodybuilding writer will suggest that doing cardio first thing in the morning before breakfast is by far the best time to do cardio exercise. The theory is that since the brain primarily burns carbohydrates while you’re asleep, when you wake up in the morning the only thing left to burn is fat. While there may be some truth to this, keep in mind that you don’t deplete all your carbohydrate supplies while asleep. The difference in fat-burning early in the morning versus later in the day is so small that it’s not really necessary that you haul yourself out of bed at 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning – unless you’re an early riser to begin with. Besides, the few extra calories you burn might be made up for by the fact that your metabolism doesn’t kick in until you eat.

The key to success is consistency far more than time of the day. As long as you’re doing those three to five 30- to 45-minute sessions per week you’re doing fine. Don’t let anyone tell you that you must exercise at any particular time.

PRECAUTIONS

Before looking at some of the more popular cardio machines a few precautionary points are in order. For starters, if you’re overweight and/or new to exercise I strongly encourage you to check with your doctor before hopping on that cardio cycle or treadmill. That old ticker of yours is probably not used to exercise and a doctor’s office is a much better place to find out its weakness than trotting along on the gym floor.

A second point concerns feedback signals from your body. Different machines put different stresses on the joints – particularly the knees and ankles. If you start experiencing pain in any of the joints (or lower back), stop the exercise and switch machines. For some people running on a treadmill is the most effective and enjoyable form of cardio. For others it’s a fast route to destroyed knees. Switching from a flat run to an inclined power walk may prevent your having to use a cane in a few years. If the pain persists regardless of the machines, go see your doctor.

OPTIMAL TIME FOR TRAINING

You can boost the success of your aerobic workout by training at specific times. Early morning is one of the best possible times to get in an aerobic workout, but it’s not the only time that offers extra fat-burning benefits. Right after a weight-training session your body is in fat-burning mode. Your metabolism is high from the weight training and you have used most of your glycogen stores during the strength-training session. Your body burns off more fat for fuel sooner. Post-weightlifting is an excellent time to squeeze in an aerobic workout and take advantage of the fat-burning processes already at work.

Finally, (though this doesn’t happen to most bodybuilders) you may become addicted to cardio exercise. Cardio releases endorphins that give you a natural high. Yes there are worse addictions, but cardio is meant to complement your bodybuilding, not interfere with it. Spend too much time running, cycling or crosstraining, and you could lose much of your hard-earned muscle mass. This is especially true once your body fat percentage starts dipping into single digits. You only have so many calories to work with, and once your fat and carbohydrate levels are low, the body will switch to protein (in the form of muscle tissue) as a fuel source.

Ectomorphs may want to heed this advice for the same reasons. By definition ectomorphs have low body fat levels and high metabolisms to begin with. They should probably limit their cardio training to two or three 20-minute sessions per week.

CHOOSING A CARDIO MACHINE

Years ago the only choices bodybuilders had for indoor cardio were cycling and swimming, but today the choices are almost endless. You have treadmills for walking, jogging and running on; cycles for biking; rowers for rowing and a whole assortment of ellipticals, steppers and crosstrainers. The beauty is that one form of cardio is no better than the next. They all burn about the same number of calories per unit time (assuming equal exercise intensities). There might be a huge difference in comfort (i.e. how it feels on the joints), but as long as your heart rate is the same, most forms of cardio will give you the same results.

“Is it just me or is training on cardio machinery about as much fun as watching paint dry? I won’t lie. There are days when I simply don’t feel like hopping on that motionless bike or treadmill for yet another session of what seems to be an eternity in aerobic hell. On those days I have to dig deep down to muster the fortitude I need to get my cardio done.”

– Casey Gately, MuscleMag International contributor

WHAT TYPE IS BEST?

My first piece of advice is to test each type of cardio machine and choose the one that feels best. Virtually all will work the legs and a few will bring in the arms, but there may be a huge difference in how they feel. If you don’t notice any difference in the machines with regards to comfort, then alternate them on a daily or weekly basis. This keeps things entertaining and more challenging. Here’s the scoop on each piece of cardio equipment:

Treadmill

The great thing about treadmills is that you can walk, jog or run on them. Walking stresses the joints the least, but jogging and running will burn more calories per minute. Most modern treadmills have a solid wooden deck that is cushioned by shock absorbers. It’s for this reason that many joggers and runners prefer treadmills to running outside on the concrete sidewalk or pavement. Most treadmills also have handrails to hold on to, but you’ll need to let your hands and arms swing by your sides as you jog or run. For those who find jogging and running difficult (or who don’t have the cardiovascular conditioning just yet) you can get a great workout by walking uphill at a good speed. Most treadmills allow you to increase the angle from flat to 15 degrees. While 15 degrees doesn’t sound like much, trust me you’ll easily reach your target heart rate zone after five to ten minutes of power walking up this angle.

Stationary Bike

Stationary bikes or cardio cycles provide fairly intense workouts with little stress on the knees. Cardio cycles come in two styles: upright and recumbent. Upright cycles usually have two sets of handlebars: those that allow you to sit straight up and those that let you lean forward like a Tour De France racer. They are equally effective, but the racing version may be slightly more stressful on the lower back for some.

Recumbent Cycle

As the name suggests, recumbent cycles allow you to sit down with your legs in front of the body. Recumbent cycles are not more or less effective than uprights, but they are less stressful on the lower back. For both upright and recumbent cycles you adjust the chair height until your outstretched leg is never able to completely lock out. There are two ways to increase the intensity of cycling: you can peddle faster and you can increase the tension on the peddles. Many cardio cycles have heart rate sensors built into the handles that will compare your actual heart rate to where it should be based on your age (you simply program in your age and duration at the beginning). From then on the bike will increase or decrease the tension to increase or decrease your heart rate in much the same way that a furnace and thermostat will work together to keep the temperature constant.

Rowing Machine

Although on the surface rowing appears to work mostly the upper body, a proper rowing stroke derives about 75 percent of its force from the legs. Despite its effectiveness, rowing is often perceived as being the most boring of indoor cardio exercises. Whether because it requires an unfamiliar movement or because it’s difficult to row and watch TV or read at the same time, who knows?

However, rowing is just as effective for stimulating fat loss and increasing cardiovascular fitness as any of the other cardio machines, and you’ll rarely have to wait for one.

Make sure when rowing that you sit up straight and don’t overarch your back as you complete each stroke. Keep your elbows close to your body when pulling. You should be pulling with your arms and pushing with your legs. There should be little to no lower back involvement.

Stepper or StairMaster^®

Other than the manually operated cardio cycle, and perhaps the treadmill, steppers were probably the first mass-produced indoor cardio machine. The version by StairMaster became so popular that most steppers became known as StairMasters.

Steppers consist of two steps connected to a motor. As you increase the speed the steps move faster, forcing you to increase your pace to keep up. Although the exercise is very easy to do, the constant up-and-down motion can play havoc on the ankles and knees. When ellipticals and crosstrainers came on the scene in the early 1990s, most step users switched because ellipticals and crosstrainers place far less stress on the ankles and knees. Most gyms these days have far fewer stepper machines than in their glory days of the 1980s.

Elliptical and Crosstrainer

Equipment manufacturers addressed the issue of joint injury from stepping by designing machines that forced the legs to make a circular or ellipse-type motion rather than a straight up-and-down motion. Although the names are often used interchangeably, crosstrainers have both moving peddles and arms, whereas ellipticals have stationary handles to hold on to. At no time does the path your foot takes become a straight up-and-down motion.

There is a misconception that because the crosstrainer has moving arms it is somehow more effective than the elliptical, but this is not the case. Both machines heavily stress the legs and the legs are such a large muscle group that once they start exercising they quickly bring your heart rate up to the target heart rate zone. The addition of the relatively small arm muscles is not really contributing that much extra. My suggestion is to try both and see which machine feels the most comfortable.

Step Mill

Although this machine is not often seen in gyms anymore, if your gym has one then be sure to give it a try. You can think of the step mill as a small escalator – except it never brings you anywhere (except to a superior level of fitness)! The step mill consists of a moving set of stairs that you can vary the speed on. Unlike some of the other cardio machines there is no coasting on this machine. If you coast you fall off. Simple as that.

Photo of Reggie McKee by Paul Buceta

Given their high cost, size (often between seven and eight feet high) and the fact that, like steppers, step mills can be hard on the knees and ankles for some, they’ve fallen out of favor over the last 10 years. Actually, they’ve probably also fallen out of favor because they work you hard! Still, if you have access to one, give it a try. Your target heart rate zone will be mere seconds away!