Oftentimes our clients wonder how and if they should add cardio to their workout program. With so many different opinions out there, they question if more is better, how much is too much, and what type is best?  As with most things, the answer to how to apply cardio really depends on the individual and their goals!

For example, some cardio can be helpful for fat loss, but too much cardio coupled with low calories can have a negative side effect on your hormones and make fat loss more difficult. The key is balancing the right type and amount for your particular goals.

Everyone can benefit from doing some cardiovascular exercise.

Doing 3-5 minutes of cardio before your workout is always a good idea to get the blood flowing to your muscles and to warm up your tissues (especially in the winter months). This can also be a great time to focus your mind and set the tone for your workout.

This warm-up is especially important for those of you who sit at a desk for most of the day and train after work.

How to add additional cardio to your current training program:

If you are doing weekly nutrition check-ins with one of our Fitbliss coaches, your coach will give you a specific cardio prescription.

If you are not working one-on-one with a coach, you can add cardio on top of your workouts, but we want you to be smart about how you do it. Think of cardio as a tool in your toolbox that can be used to create calorie a calorie deficit or to improve your endurance as needed, but one that you should use with the minimal dosing needed to see results. For example, if you can see results doing 60 minutes of cardio per week, there is no reason to do 150 minutes of cardio per week right out of the gate (or maybe ever!)

Using the minimally effective dose optimizes your energy, recovery, and muscle/strength building which will in turn help with body composition goals.

Where should I start?

If you want or need to add cardio, we recommend starting with 8-10 minutes of the following, after your training.

Moderate Intensity Steady State (MISS): Choose any cardio exercise of your choice (example: rowing, jogging, stationary bike, or stepmill) and complete your cardio minutes at a pace that gets your heart rate up, but also allows you to maintain a light conversation throughout.

Note: This is not the same as Low-Intensity Steady State (LISS) Cardio. It shouldn’t be easy and you should definitely break a sweat. You can turn up the incline/resistance to get additional muscle strengthening and toning benefits!

Cardio Intervals: Choose any cardio exercise (example: rowing, jogging, a stationary bike, or stepmill) and complete your cardio minutes with varying 30 seconds of higher intensity (at a pace you cannot maintain a light conversation through) and 30-90 second of recovery at an easier pace that you could potentially have a light conversation through. This is not a maxed effort HIIT.

You can add 5 additional minutes of cardio incrementally every 2-3 weeks as needed, however, we recommend that you do not exceed 30 minutes per day as more could have a negative impact on your overall results with this program.

Some things to consider…

If your priority is muscle or strength gain, less cardio will generally be better.

If your priority is fat loss, adding additional cardio as your schedule allows, would be beneficial, just be mindful of keeping it at 30 minutes or less per session. Note: Fitness competitors may exceed this limit on occasion at the end of their contest prep.

If you find yourself doing the top end amount of cardio, you need to be extra diligent with your nutrition efforts by getting enough protein and overall calories so you don’t risk muscle loss which can lead to decreased metabolic rate, increased body fat and lower bone density.