Summary: Scott has often written about the dangers of cardio and the “aerobic myth,” but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater: when is “cardio” still viable? We got an excellent question from a listener who knows Scott still uses it, and was wondering about what goes into determining whether or not it can or should be used.<br> <br> As a couple side notes: Kevin broke the national bench press record (!) in Kamloops, Canada. This will very likely qualify him for the bench press worlds in Texas if he decides to go, but it’s not a sure thing... yet.<br> <br> And, for anyone interested, Mike has posted his before and after pictures of his weight loss here: ▸▸ http://thehabit.space/pics <br> <br> <br> ♦ NOTES ♦<br> <br> This episode began with a comment from a reader:<br> <br> "I’m a bit confused about Scott’s views on “typical” cardio/aerobics for fat burning purposes. Scott speaks and writes often “against” it, for the most part. However, I know of some of his clients that are prescribed cardio for extended periods of time (months and months on end; several days a week; 30/45/60 minutes a time), and not just to individuals that are massively overweight."<br> <br> Scott wants to avoid over-simplifying his views in this way. [Mike: I actually think the listener’s comment that Scott has written “against” cardio is pretty fair, all things considered, and given the sheer volume of content Scott has written about the dangers of too much cardio; that content generally doesn’t have a lot of, “Okay, and given these dangers I have just outline, here is where I would use it.” Leave a comment if you agree, disagree, or have questions! – M]<br> <br> Pretty much all training is cardiorespiratory, but not all training is aerobic.<br> <br> Most people by cardio mean the stair master, the elliptical, or boot camps, but depending on what you’re doing, the energy pathways might be entirely different.<br> <br> The proper use of cardio is NOT just about “burning calories” (or “burning fat”)<br> <br> Other things going on under the surface: enhancing biochemical pathways, nurturing optimum biochemical and hormonal function… and strength training and resistance training just tends to be better at this for the most part.<br> <br> Scott really liked Mike’s comment: “You can’t just math your way thin!” Scott would adjust it, though, to say, “You can’t math your way to sustainable leanness.” [Mike: “You can’t ____ your way ____!” is a common turn of phrase. A quick google tells me I haven’t stolen this, but if someone’s heard it before, please let me know! – M]<br> <br> Mike wonders not just what the formulas are on the calorie counts on things like ellipticals, but about what the regulations are. On things like nutrition labels, the FDA only forces companies to be within 20% accuracy. Also, a 2010 study found that the numbers on “healthy” foods skew lower than the actual caloric content of the food. In the study, some dishes were off by as much as 200%! [Found the study in Dr. Sandra Aamodt’s new book, Why Diets Make Us Fat – M]<br> <br> Kevin points out that it doesn’t need to be black and white. And you don’t need to do cardio on a machine. Sometimes he just… wait for it… goes for a walk! Scott pointed out that as a strength athlete, the form of cardio Kevin does — aerobic, meaning “at a pace where the muscles are oxygenated (as opposed to e.g. anaerobic, i.e. “NOT-oxygenated” like hockey or sprints) — is perfect, considering his goals and the complete picture.<br> <br> Mike pushed for Kevin and Scott to discuss where the difference is between “going for a walk” and flat-out sprints. There’s a big difference. Is there a grey area? What gives? Short answer: It’s called the anaerobic threshold. If you can’t keep talking while walking / jogging, you’ll pass that threshold. If you do sprints, you’ll pass it quite quickly.<br> <br>
