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"The Chalk Box!"

Misinterpreted and misguided, the overrated emphasis on “Cardio” Part III and conclusions

By Israel A. Sanchez

Strength & Conditioning Coach

I hope the two previous articles have given you enough material and pointers to think and start questioning all the things you hear. We will conclude by analyzing the last two of the most common fallacies and a misinterpretation on the applications of cardiovascular conditioning. My conclusions will follow and I invite you to please keep thinking and not be afraid of questioning. Without further ado:

But Cardio tells me how many calories I'm burning

If you are among those who track their caloric usage by relying on the displays on the traditional cardio machines, well, you maybe unhappy to know they are largely skewed to make it look as though you are using a lot more than you really are.

When it comes to estimating calories, unless you are hooked to a computer that has your bodyweight, body composition, and is connected to a gas analyzer that measures your O2 consumption, everything is just a guess, so those 400 calories that you burned in those 50 minutes maybe more like 300 or even 250.

It may also interest you to know that the manufactures or equipment rely on certain assumptions for calorie usage calculations. For instance, if you are using a treadmill, the assumption is that you entered your bodyweight accurately and all your bodyweight is on the conveyor. If you are holding onto the rails, start subtracting more of those calories. A pace of 3.8 mph at an incline level of 15 is A LOT of work and challenging to sustain, but if you are holding to those handles with a death grip, you will have transferred a significant portion of your weight to the machine. The display may tell you that you used a huge amount of calories, but don't let that fool you.

Unless you are following a cardiovascular conditioning prescription based on results of a test similar to the one described (which will be VERY different from what you are used to by the way) you might as well ignore what the machine says.

But Cardio is important for health and sports!

Those who have never participated in physically demanding sports may think along those lines. However, those who have or are involved, know very well that an endurance for sports conditioning program, in no way reflects what takes place in the cardio rooms of commercial gyms.

Athletes engaged in endurance demanding sports like soccer, basketball, boxing, mixed martial arts, wrestling, etc. develop their amazing stamina through drills and techniques that could never be replicated by the norms of standard cardio. Yes, cardio conditioning is critical for those sports, but it is not the type of cardio that takes place on a piece of equipment that has been disgraced with a reading rack.

Now before anybody goes around saying "Coach Izzy said that cardio sucks and it is a waste of time" I beg you to please not misinterpret my words. Cardiovascular conditioning is crucial for good health and athletic performance. However, the way cardiovascular work is currently being prescribed, it is stripped of most of its benefits, and in many cases, it is a complete waste of time. People ask me continuously, "But isn't that better than doing nothing?" And my answer varies depending on the following: If you are one of those who diversifies the activities frequently, and increases the levels as needed, and rests when necessary, then I encourage to continue and improve. However, if you are like the majority whose idea of cardio consists of a boring repetitive piece of equipment, in front of the TV, with a book or a magazine, then I prefer that you do nothing because:

• When you do nothing, you are less likely to fool yourself into overindulgence thinking that you earned a guilt free card for those 30 minutes in the elliptical. The 400 plus calories in that rich dessert way surpass the meager 150 or 200 calories that you used in that boring half hour.

• When you do nothing, you will not fool yourself into thinking that you are conditioned for physical activities that are far beyond your tolerance level. 25 minutes a day on the recumbent bike will do nothing to prepare you for that pick up basketball game.

Is this a call to stop every type of physical activity? Is this a call to stop all cardiovascular conditioning? Again, NO, and another reminder to please not misinterpret my words.

The message is that if you are engaged in traditional cardio as the main staple of your exercise routine, you now know that you have been given a lot of misinformation that has probably robbed you of the results you deserve. The message is that you now know why it is important to let go of those ancient beliefs and revamp your approach.

You are smart and you are familiar with investing. You would never put your hard earned money in a short-term gain, long-term loss proposition. You would look for the best return, and if you are not obtaining the returns you expected, you would immediately change your strategy. And here lies the main message of the entire series "If You are not seeing the results that you want, Why aren't you taking the same approach with your health?"

Return to Part I | Click here to return to archives

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Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

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