Does Cardio Fit Your Goal?
- Matt Gable
- Jun 8, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 2, 2024
I'm often laughed at when it comes to me giving advice on cardio. I come across as a cardio hater, but once upon a time, I was quite the opposite and used to do endless amounts - or at least that's what it felt like.
As the years go by, our goals evolve. Mine changed from being super athletic to being super strong and "jacked". To achieve this, I had to change the way I trained. Cardio was no longer a priority for me.
Deciding on what cardio is best for you depends on your goal.
"I want to tone up"
It seems that although obesity is rapidly escalating around the world, so is fitness. I rarely hear the word 'skinny' anymore. People want to be what they call "toned". But ask yourself, what does toned mean? Whenever I ask, 95% of people don't actually have an answer.
The definition of toned is having a good amount of muscle with a low body fat percentage. A good amount of muscle comes from protein and weight training. A healthy body fat percentage comes from calories. Cardio? Doesn't really have anything to do with being toned. But sure, there are benefits.
"Okay, so I just want to look better overall"
Know how you want to look. Your body responds to the stimulus that you provide and it adjusts it's looks and abilities accordingly. If you train like a marathon runner, you're going to look like a marathon runner. If you train like a sprinter, you will look like a sprinter. That's the same with sports performance - you want to run a marathon? Don't train like Usain Bolt. If you want to do 100m sprints, don't train like Mo Farah.
Here are some examples of elite British Olympic athletes and their physiques that are tailor made to suit their sports.
Click on the name:
The most successful British male track athlete in Olympic Games history. He is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist in both the 5000m and 10,000m.
Helped Great Britain win 4x100m relay bronze at the 2009 World Championships before winning his first senior individual medal at the 2014 European Championships – 100m bronze.
Paula Radcliffe - Marathon She holds the world record and won the London Marathon in 2002, 2003 and 2005. She then took the gold medal at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.
A former track athlete specialising in heptathlon and 100m hurdles. She is the 2012 Olympic heptathlon champion and three-time world champion (2009, 2011, 2015).
Peaty won 4 gold medals at the European Championships in Berlin followed by 3 gold medals at the World Championships. He set world records in the 50m and 100m breaststrokes.
He won 10km silver at the European Open Water Championships in 2016, a year after securing his spot at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with a fifth-place finish at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
All of these athletes are incredible at the sport that they specialise in, but notice the difference between long distance and short distance athletes. This is where I bring us back to "toning" up. I'm always baffled when the people who want to tone up are running on the treadmill for an hour.
"I want to improve my performance"
Like I said earlier: If you want to run a marathon, don't train like Usain Bolt. If you want to do 100m sprints, don't train like Mo Farah. They compete in two completely different sports, and although they are both running, one is aerobic and the other is anaerobic.
Aerobic means 'with air'. Mo Farah needs to take in more air to keep his body moving for long durations.
Anaerobic means 'without air'. Bolt's body doesn't require additional oxygen to sprint short distances.
Also, muscle is heavy and has a high nutrient demand and high oxygen demand. If the amount of muscle you have isn't necessary for you to run a marathon, your body will want to get rid of it. That is why cardio is stereotypically hated by the bodybuilding world.
When training for a high endurance sport such as marathon running, cycling long distances or even an ultra-marathon requires a lot of stamina. Therefore there is no better way to train than by replicating the sport itself. Both the muscle and fat will drop to the amount that your body needs and you'll be all set to go.
Preparing for short distance sports or losing fat for a bodybuilding event will benefit from explosive, short distance and short duration cardio. It's highly beneficial for fat burn and cardiovascular health. Best part...it won't force your body to lose muscle as you can see by looking at the athletes above such as Jessica, Harry and Adam.
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