Stop Doing Cardio Now !!!

As a Strength & Conditioning Coach and a Personal Trainer for 18 years, I’ve had the chance to see many fitness
enthusiasts workout at different gyms, not only in Aventura, Hallandale Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach,
Miami, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Ft. Lauderdale and outer lying areas in South Florida, but also in Manhattan,
around the US and in many other countries.
At any given gym or fitness center, the one thing that I notice is how you see the same people doing the same
workouts month after month, year after year. The amazing thing is that these people continue to look the same, their
athleticism is the same or they are actually looking worse aesthetically! This is especially true with individuals that
constantly perform continuous aerobic work or, to be more specific, low intensity aerobic conditioning.
What’s sad about this is that they feel like they are doing everything that is necessary to get the result they are
looking for. They are resigned to the fact that this is how it’s going to be and there isn’t anything that can be done to
correct their deficiencies. If you were to ask them what results they would like to get out of their workout, the number
one answer is “losing weight or getting thinner.”
When I meet people in the areas where Coro Fitness operates in Aventura, Hallandale Beach, Sunny Isles Beach,
Miami Beach, Miami, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Ft. Lauderdale and outer lying areas in South Florida and
Manhattan and I am asked what it takes to look “fitter,” the first question I ask back is: “How long have you been
doing your current training program?”
The usual answer I receive is “somewhere between 2 and 12 months.” The typical program they follow is a few times
a week of bodybuilding routines with weight machines that isolate muscles and 30 – 60 minutes of continuous aerobic
work 3 to 5 times per week in a cardio machine, running or biking outdoors, rollerblading or taking some type of group
class at the gym.
Specialists tell us that this is not a good approach to take for the person seeking to improve results over time. World
renowned strength and fitness guru Charles Poliquin has identified 6 reasons why aerobic training is
counterproductive to fat loss and that I always share with the Coro Fitness clients based in Aventura, Hallandale
Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Miami, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Ft. Lauderdale and outer lying areas
in South Florida, Manhattan:
(1) Continuous aerobic work plateaus after 8 weeks of training, so anything LONGER is counterproductive.
This is quite an “eye opener” for most people, who immediately recognize that they may have been wasting their time
for such an extended period. To quote Charles, “using this principle in preparation for the Olympics, the Canadian
Alpine Ski team actually surpassed the Cross-country team on aerobic scores as measured by third party University
labs.” Who wouldn’t want to perform as well as the Canadian Alpine ski team?
(2) Aerobic training worsens power locally and systemically – in other words, it can make you slower.
If you are an athlete or a “weekend warrior” who likes to participate in athletic events or team sports that require
speed and jumping ability, this is the last thing you want from a cardiovascular training program. Coach Poliquin
adds that “the MORE lower body aerobic work you do, the more your vertical jump worsens. The more upper body
aerobic work you do, the more your medicine ball throws worsen.”
(3) Aerobic training increases oxidative stress which can accelerate aging.
According to Endocrinologist Dr. Diana Schwarzbein (author of The Schwarzbein Principle II) “oxidation” is a process
that forms free radicals in the body. Normally the body can neutralize free radicals with substances known as
antioxidants. It is only when there is an excessive build-up of free radicals that the body cannot neutralize all of the
free radicals. This leads to changes IN your metabolism which can accelerate aging.
(4) Aerobic training increases adrenal stress which can LEAD you TO OVERWEIGHT and produce other
undesirable health consequences.
According to Dr. James Wilson (author of Adrenal Fatigue – The 21st. Century Stress Syndrome) “normally
functioning adrenal glands secrete minute, yet precise and balanced, amounts of steroid hormones”. When one does
too much continuous aerobic exercise, the adrenal glands are stressed in a way that can upset this delicate balance
which could lead to adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is associated with such symptoms as: tiredness, fearfulness,
allergies, frequent influenza, arthritis, anxiety, depression, reduced memory and difficulties in concentrating,
insomnia, feeling worn-out, and most importantly - with respect to this article - the inability to lose weight after
extensive efforts.”
(5) Aerobic training increases body fat in stressed individuals by contributing additional stress.
If you are already going through a lot of stress in your life, then adding more “stress” by doing too much continuous
aerobic work will actually add more body fat, thus making it hard to reach a weight-loss/body fat goal.
(6) Aerobic training worsens testosterone/cortisol ratio which impedes your ability to add fat burning lean
muscle.
When the testosterone/cortisol ratio is lowered your ability to add lean muscle tissue, which helps to increase caloric
expenditure, is again hampered making weight loss much more difficult. Coach Poliquin notes that “continuous
aerobic work is basically exercise induced castration!”
I have given you six reasons why continuous aerobic work is counterproductive to your training. My purpose is to
enlighten a population that has been led to believe that there is only one way to train the cardiovascular system.
I provide trainees with an alternative strategy for training the cardiovascular system that is more effective
and takes less time to complete.
Comparison between Anaerobic and Aerobic
Anaerobic Aerobic
• Increases Power, Speed and Strength YES NO
• Improves Cardiovascular Health YES YES
• Burns Body Fat YES YES
• Burns Muscle NO YES
• Aids in ALL Sports YES NO
• Develops Aerobic Capacity YES YES
• Develops Anaerobic Capacity YES NO
The Question of Body Fat
I often ask my clients: "who has less body fat, a Sprinter or a Marathoner?" The answer I receive by all the Coro
Fitness clients based in Aventura, Hallandale Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Miami, Coral Gables,
Coconut Grove, Ft. Lauderdale and outer lying areas in South Florida, Manhattan, is almost always "a Marathoner."
The correct answer, however, is a sprinter! (For 18 years as strength and conditioning coach and trainer, only two
people have answered this question correctly!). You can understand now why the general public, who has been told
over and over again that in order to burn fat you have to do continuous aerobic work, thinks this way. Sprinters do
almost ZERO continuous aerobic work, yet they have less body-fat. How is this possible?
The reason is rooted in the intense nature of their training. The higher the intensity (i.e. "Intensity" is the percentage
of the Maximum Heart Rate, not the intensity of effort) the more calories per minute burned during the workout. In
addition (and more important), caloric expenditure is increased for 24-48 hours post workout.
The Power of Interval Training
The way for individuals to raise the intensity of their training is to do "Interval Training." Interval Training alternates
bouts of high-intensity exercise with that of low to moderate-intensity exercises. Recent studies have shown that
Interval Training is more effective for fat loss while improving both Aerobic and Anaerobic fitness.