Articles - Cardio Conditioning & Heart Health

Top Reasons NOT to Do “Aerobic” Training

By Brian Copeland

Why do people do “aerobic” training?

1. Loose body fat

2. Build a healthy heart

3. Get toned and in-shape

Let me start off by saying that I'm all for cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory exercise. But aerobics is not the only type of cardio that is out there. Aerobics and cardio have become synonymous like Kleenex and tissue... one is a brand and one is a product. Likewise, aerobic is a type of training that is mistaken as cardio when in fact in my humble opinion I consider it anti-cardio training... read on.

When I speak of aerobic training I’m specifically speaking of those low intensity, hour-long aerobic classes, stair climbers, elliptical machines, etc.

Aerobics defined: Low intensity exercise that uses oxygen for fuel. You can typically hold a conversation, albeit not an easy one. Not all cardio training is aerobic, in fact the best cardio training is anaerobic.

Anaerobic defined: Moderate to high intensity exercise that lasts for brief peroids, followed by a short rest and repeated. If a long jog is aerobic then a sprint is anaerobic.

Let’s expel the myths of what aerobic training does for you and how you can more effectively achieve the goals above.

Why “Aerobics” Is Not a Great Way to Loose Body Fat:

Fat is stored energy tissue; the body keeps it around for the same reason a bomb shelter keeps extra non-perishable foods; just in case you need it in time of emergency. Muscle on the other hand is active metabolism raising tissue; it takes calories to maintain it. What does this mean to you? The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn, all day long, even when you rest.

Any long, slow distance, low intensity exercise that is ‘aerobic’ in nature does nothing to build any fat-burning muscle tissue, even worse, it often times burns up muscle which lowers your metabolism and invites fat to be stored as a back-up energy reserve. Aerobic exercise done for long periods is just too stressful on the body and wastes muscle away rather than builds it.

Moderate to intense interval training (anaerobic exercise) that consists of activities that challenge the body’s muscles with little rest will build muscle, burn fat and build a healthy heart and lungs. Plus since the body’s muscles were used intensely your body’s metabolism will stay higher and more active for hours after the training session, which will continue burning fat long after your workout.

Why “Aerobics” Is Not a Great Way to Build a Healthy Heart:

Look at the body of a marathon runner; now compare it to the body of a sprinter. Marathon runners tend to be very lean but also have little to no muscle tone in addition to other health problems we won’t go into. Sprinters however tend to be very lean and tone if not downright muscular. Why? It is how they train. Marathon runners do a low intensity exercise for hours on end and do nothing to challenge their muscular strength (aerobic activity). Sprinters run a short distance quickly, rest, do it several more times and then go home. This challenges the muscles of the body as well as the cardio systems, which builds muscle, burns fat and tones muscle.

Skinny, weak and frail vs. lean, tone, strong and healthy...

What does this have to do with the heart you ask?

The heart is muscle too… Scientists have actually studied the hearts of different types of athletes and here is what they found: strength athletes such as power lifters have large strong hearts while marathon runners have smaller weaker hearts. As Doctor Al Sears, M.D. from the The Center for Health and Wellness in south Florida says, people die from heart attacks from a sudden intense shock to the heart, not from a tired heart that just gives up... that is called dying from old age. You need a heart that is strong enough to take a sudden intense shock, a large strong heart build by intense activity.

Now marathon running and power lifting are on opposite ends of the spectrum and probably are not what any you are interested in… maybe? But the lessons we learn from this can be applied to the way we workout and train our bodies. We should not do low intensity for prolonged periods of time, we should do more intense activities for shorter periods of time with brief rest periods.

Let me define prolonged... if you do 20 minutes of an aerobic activity don't even worry about it. A 1/4 to 1 mile jog is perfectly fine. However, if you go jog, treadmill, aerobic class, etc. for more than an hour several times per week then I would absolutely worry about it.

Why “Aerobics” Is Not a Great Way to Get Toned and In-Shape:

Did you read the two sections above? Skeletal muscle equals a toned body. Guys of course can carry more muscle and look good where most women prefer not to look like a bodybuilder. Well, I’ve said it before; ladies you won’t build too much muscle and look all buff and bulky unless you take steroids or just plain eat way too much food so get over yourselves. Every time I hear a female say she bulks easy when she lifts weights I just want to reasure her that the Earth does indeed revolve around the sun. I bet Capernicus had an easier time convincing the people of his era. Let me just clarify, if you bulk easy the bulk is fat not muscle and you didn't get it from lifting weights, you got it from lifting your fork... If you don't believe me there are 12 step programs out there, seek them.

I think that in this modern age most women are informed enough to know that they want as much muscle as they can put on because muscle adds shape and enhances the figure. We are not talking Ms. Olympia here just healthy muscle tone.

Bottom line, doing aerobic exercise for long periods of time is inefficient at burning fat, it does not build muscle and if taken too far can burn muscle. Strength training and intense cardio exercise that works the muscles can build muscle, burn body fat and build a healthy heart and lungs all a the same time. Heck, chose the right exercises and it can fix a bad back or prevent one, increase flexibility, decrease pain in joints, prevent osteoporosis and correct spinal alignment and posture.

Summary:

• Aerobic exercise does not build muscle, it can even burn it away

• Aerobic exercise burns heart muscle as well as skeletal muscle, not very good for a healthy heart!

• Aerobic exercise will not make you toned as it does not challenge your muscles to become stronger

• Anaerobic interval-style cardio exercises your muscles and accomplishes all of your goals at the same time

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “Train like an athlete, not a hamster!” Avoid the hamster wheels and get on board with functional fitness you can use.

Summer is right around the corner, do you know where your six-pack is?

If you are ready to make real progress, contact me for some online personal program designs, Private training or small group classes.