I’m back from a long festive break.  Through out the break I’ve gained a couple of pounds while sleeping at 4AM every night/morning.

Right now I’ve gotten my shit together and reloaded my guns to kick some more ass.

While I’ve not been doing any 8 minutes to awesome abs exercises during the break, I’ve scheduled some light walks and “play” sessions just to keep me sane.

People ask me  can if that be considered as cardio? Let’s just say I dislike the word cardio, it’s so widely used it loses its actual meaning.

Wanna lose weight? Do cardio. Wanna stay healthy? Do cardio. Want a kick in your ass from me? Say the word cardio.

To explain cardio, I’m going to quote my previous Kick Asslogy 101:

“Cardio is anything that raises your heart rate. It could be swimming, running away from a gorilla and yes even sex can be considered as cardio.”

After saying this, people usually ask me what about sprinting and jogging? Isn’t that cardio? Before I go out of my mind, I’ll dedicate this entire post for my rant on “cardio”.

To understand the difference between jogging, sprinting and potato couching we first must understand something called the energy system.

When we move, our body uses energy. That energy comes from different sources and different sources are used for different purposes.

To break it down without being your science teacher, we have two kind types of energy systems.

a. Anaerobic(alactic and lactic)

b. Aerobic(oxygen)

However the anaerobic system can be further broken down into alactic anaerobic which is activated when short term energy is needed. Activity performed usually last from 10-15 seconds and uses ATP-CP as fuel. I.e:  100m Sprints

Lactic anaerobic is activated when mid term energy is needed. The activity performed last around 60- 90 seconds and uses glycogen as fuel. I.e : 800m runs.

Lastly the aerobic system comes into play when long term energy is needed and this could be sustained for hours. The primary source of fuel is oxygen+ fatty acids. I.e: Ultra-marathons.

So the question is what type of cardio should you do? Below I’ll list down a couple of examples and how you can use them to fit your goals.

LISS is a form of aerobic work which I prefer over traditional jogging (more on that next time). The way I do it is to play some sweet tunes or audio book on my Ipod and head out for a walk. I usually do it in the morning while I’m in a fasted state and before the hustle of the city pollutes the air.

Nothing beats 30-40 minutes of walking while getting some fresh air into my lungs.

Fasted walks are actually very good for fat lost. When we are in a fasted state, insulin levels are extremely low. This promotes greater fat burning, since brisk walks are a form of aerobic work and uses oxygen + fatty acids for fuel, fasted walks can kill two birds with one stone.

This is something I would do on top of weight training with clients who have a lot of weight to lose. The results so far have been pleasing.

This method can also be used while bulking. I picked this up from renowned strength coach Jason Ferruggia. If you are looking to bulk while minimizing fat gain try scheduling fasted walks in the morning 2-3 times a week.

Another thing great about this method is that it actually promotes recovery by the circulation of blood and nutrients to our muskelz. Any form of exercise does this, but because the intensity of walking is so low it does not cause much additional stress to the body.

What I do that you can too: Include fasted brisk walks 3-4 times a week in the morning to promote fat loss or minimize fat while bulking.

2.High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT is a method where high intensity of exercises is alternated with low intensity exercises. For example, one could burst out in a 20 second sprint followed by a 10 second walk.

This could be done with sprints, weights, strongman tools or whatever equipment you can think of. One benefit of HIIT is because this form of exercise is so intense the time period required is usually shorter and can range from 10- 15 minutes.

One of the major benefits advocated by HIIT Jedis is the higher fat it burns after a workout. While it is true that HIIT creates a bigger exercise post oxygen consumption (EPOC) debt, this does not make HIIT superior to LISS.

However there are other awesome benefits of HIIT . Among them are:

1. Increased aerobic capacity: The amount of oxygen your body can use is increased, so your overall aerobic capacity will increase faster compared to lower intensity training.

2. Increased lactate Threshold: Because HIIT causes a huge amount of lactate build up, your ability to handle increased lactic acid build-up in your muscles increases.

3. Increased metabolism and muscle sparing effect: HIIT illicit certain hormones that are anabolic (muscle sparing) and this helps prevent the loss of muscle while on extremely low calories while preventing metabolism from dropping.

4. Sprints are bad-ass

To every upside there will be some downs. HIIT is no different, some downs of HIIT are:

1) Takes time for progression: Not everyone can bust out a 20 second sprint and then repeat it for another 10 times.

2) Interferes with recovery: HIIT is very demanding in nature and often leaves people feeling sore after doing it.

3) Might cause injury: Ego filled people who do not warm-up properly or are not ready for certain HIIT exercise might get injury. It’s not a problem with HIIT per se but I felt it was right to include it here.

4) The emergence of new curse words appearing in your vocabulary.

What I do whenever I feel like having some adrenaline rushing HIIT blood flowing through my veins are hill sprints. Running up a hill makes you feel like Rocky and it places less stress on your hamstrings. Moreover it is a relatively safe alternative that can be used by beginners. Besides there is nothing more awesome about running up a hill and shouting “ I AM THE CHAMPION” at the top.

What I do that you can too: Hill Sprints on off days, usually never before or after legs day.

3. Play

This is actually one of my favourite “cardio” session. It is when I completely screw the rules and do what I feel like doing. It usually ends up with a mixture of pull-ups, running around the park topless with a tyre over my head and crawling in an open field like a tiger waiting for its prey. Oh yea, and some push-ups.

The reason why I like “play” session is because sometimes we get stuck in the structure of following an exact plan. I’m not saying training plan sucks; in fact they are actually the miracles from whatever workout god you worship.

I just feel that is important to have fun.

No six pack or chiselled chest will beat the baskets of fun filling your soul. <—- Click to Tweet

Instead of forcing yourself to a usual cardio session when things get boring, do something fun. If you like dancing then do it. Like swimming? Jump in the pool and try beating Michael Phelps’s record. Just go do something fun!

As we grow older we forget the element of “play”, sometimes just try being a kid once more and start playing would give us a kick in the ass that we need.

What I do that you can too: Any activity that’s fun. Try euro training if you do not have a plan to follow.

I’ve listed a couple of options  I use. I suggest you try the “play” method.

Which have you been using and if you are planning on trying something new which will you try? Leave them in the comments below. Sharing is always awesome, so don’t forget to share the love!

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  kedric

• 
  http://www.facebook.com/yongleng Yong Leng Ng
  

  Thanks for unconfusing me!

• 
  http://www.facebook.com/chewchingai Debbie Chew
  

  HIIT FTW!

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