Cardiovascular exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. It helps to improve heart health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and promote weight loss. However, when it comes to cardio, the law of diminishing returns needs to be kept in mind. As you become fitter and stronger, the same intensity of exercise will no longer provide the same benefits.
When looking at cardio, the law of diminishing returns needs to always be in the back of your mind. For example, for those who like to train with bodyweight exercises, the more you do, the better you become at it.
As your weight drops and as you get stronger and gain more stamina, the exercises becomes easier, which in turn, doesn’t make you ”burn” as much as when you started or just doesn’t give you results anymore. Same goes for cardio. Keeping the same intensity will literally get you nowhere.
The same goes in Brazilian jiujitsu but in a different matter. Most newbies won’t be able to last the first roll of 5 minutes. Is it because their cardio sucks? Maybe. I’ve seen also crossfit high level athletes who were dead after the first roll, when they can do 20 minutes non stop WOD’s. Why is that?
You can’t transfer an ability to another. Even when almost similar. Can a tennis player be good at badminton and vice versa? Nope.
So basically, as you become better at BJJ, you’ll learn how not to use so much of your strength (you have to but you will learn to use it properly) and that way, your energy systems will become more efficient. You will learn to control the pace, and as you’ll learn the different techniques, it will require less strength and energy then when you were a white belt. Makes sense?
Can’t run before you learn to walk. Same goes with training the cardio a.k.a. Energy systems.
High intensity interval training (alternating intense bouts of activity and periods of less intense activity, or total rest.) might be what most will be tempted to do. However, there is a little more to it than just try to push your heart rate to the max followed by rest intervals. The actual strength training program and phase might also determine the intensity of the intervals.
A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared the effects of HIIT and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on body composition, cardiovascular fitness, and insulin sensitivity in overweight and obese adults. The study found that HIIT was more effective than MICT for improving cardiovascular fitness and reducing body fat, even though the total amount of exercise was the same for both groups.
I believe there is a time and reason for every type of cardiovascular work. HIIT is not suitable for everyone, especially those who are new to exercise or have certain health conditions. In such cases, low-intensity interval training (LIIT) may be a better option. LIIT involves performing intervals of low-intensity exercise with short rest periods in between. It is less intense than HIIT but can still provide health benefits.
A study published in the Journal of Obesity compared the effects of HIIT and LIIT on body composition and metabolic health in overweight and obese women. The study found that both forms of exercise were effective for reducing body fat and improving metabolic health. However, LIIT was more tolerable and had a lower dropout rate than HIIT.
Matching the intensity of your cardio workout with your strength training program can help you achieve better results. For example, if you are focusing on hypertrophy (muscle growth), low-intensity interval training (LIIT) can be paired with hypertrophy protocols, as they both use similar work-to-rest ratios. Similarly, if you are focusing on strength, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be paired with strength phases, as they both require high-intensity efforts.
For example, the work to rest ration in hypertrophy is often near similar. Time of work/tension is around 45 to 75 seconds for hypertrophy so the text book rest in between sets should be at about the same, give and take 10-20 seconds. Low intensity interval training is the less intense version of interval training, which is best paired with hypertrophy protocols.
On the other hand, for strength, the intensity, as in percentage of max effort is higher, so the rest period is often twice or three times the time of work/tension. So for best results, matching HIIT with strength phases vs LIIT with hypertrophy phases is just what can bring you the best results since they dig into the same kind of energy systems.
A few other rules apply, which are just logical when it comes to progress. Follow these simple rules to keep getting results and stay away from plateaus.
- While matching the intensity of cardio workouts with specific strength training protocols can be beneficial, it’s also important to incorporate variation into your fitness routine. By regularly changing the type of cardio exercises and training methods you use, you can avoid plateaus and keep challenging your body to adapt and improve.
- While the article focuses on interval training, it’s worth mentioning that steady-state cardio can also play a valuable role. Steady-state cardio involves maintaining a moderate intensity for a longer duration, such as jogging or cycling at a steady pace. This type of cardio can help build endurance, burn calories, and improve cardiovascular health. See it as a way of increasing the size of your gas tank.
- It’s essential to consider individual factors when determining the most suitable type of cardio for someone. Factors like fitness level, age, health conditions, and personal preferences can influence the choice of cardio exercises.
- While weight loss and improved cardiovascular health are often emphasized, it’s important to highlight the numerous other benefits of regular cardio exercise. These include stress reduction, improved mood and mental well-being, increased energy levels, better sleep quality, and enhanced overall physical and cognitive performance.
- When discussing high-intensity interval training, it’s crucial to emphasize the importance of proper warm-up, cool-down, and adequate recovery periods. Engaging in high-intensity exercise without proper preparation and recovery can increase the risk of injury. Encouraging individuals to listen to their bodies, gradually increase intensity, and allow for adequate rest and recovery is essential for maintaining long-term cardiovascular health and avoiding overtraining. HIIT shouldn’t be done more than twice a week, that’s if you really do it properly. If your definition of HIIT is alternating light jog and walking, that’s LIIT. Revise or just consider hiring a professional to guide you properly.
- Often overlooked. To effectively track the benefits of cardio workouts, it can be helpful to monitor and measure progress. This can be done through various methods such as tracking heart rate, duration and intensity of workouts, distance covered, or using fitness apps and wearable devices. Regularly monitoring progress can provide motivation and help individualize the process for better and faster results.
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