Robert dos Remedios MA CSCS - Cardio Strength Training: Torch Fat, Build Muscle, and Get Stronger Faster

My first book, Mens Health Power Training, was truly an amazing experience. The success of the book, the interest that it has generated, and, more importantly, all the success stories I have received have been the real blessing of that book. As people read it and took their training and fitness to another level, I started thinking, Where do we go from here? Wwas there anything more I could write about that would fit in nicely with the MHPT philosophy, perhaps another training modality that would be as effective as the lifting programs in the first book? The first thing that came to my mind when thinking of a natural follow-up book was metabolic conditioning. I have received quite a bit of feedback and interest in the cardio strength training chapter in Power Training. This chapter basically covered non-traditional forms of cardio to promote fitness and conditioning while helping to shed fat. I began to think that I barely scratched the surface of this topic in this short chapter and that it would be a great topic for an entire training book.

Folks were becoming very intrigued with this type of training and how effective it really was. Now dont get me wrong, this type of interval-style cardio is not for the weak of heart (or body) or the average Joe or Jane who thinks that 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer while talking on their cell phone is butt-kicking cardio. This type of training is TOUGH very tough. Lets go back to the general foundation of MHPT: the overload principle. Simply put, you need to push yourself harder and harder in order to continue to see gains. From a metabolic conditioning standpoint, this principle is KING. If the work interval is short, the intensity needs to be very, very hard. As the duration of the intervals gets longer, there will be a natural decrease in intensity. All this will be explained in detail as we continue through the book, but just remember that cardio strength training will most likely be the most difficult form of cardio you will ever encounter. Trust me though, this hard work will pay off big time in fitness gains and fat loss. You will see changes in your body you would have never imagined.

Walk into any gym in America and you will see lines and lines of treadmills, stair climbers, and elliptical machines on which people are doing some form of steady state aerobic training. You know the type of exercise Im talking aboutsomewhat easy, low intensity. These people might be having conversations with a neighbor, watching a television show, or even reading a book. This is NOT the type of metabolic training I will be covering in this book. From a fat loss and fitness standpoint, the training described above is completely inferior to cardio strength training. I will be highlighting, teaching, and persuading you buy into interval style training. This type of training is highlighted by short sessions of intermittent high intensity work. Lets just say you will be too busy to have that cell phone conversation if you are doing this type of training. In fact, you most likely wouldnt be able to dial correctly if you tried.

Cardio for fat loss is all about creating a metabolic disturbance which forces the body to use energy to recover. Unfortunately, the form of cardio that you see being performed at most gyms nationwide (i.e. low-intensity treadmill or stationary bike work) does very little to create the kind of disturbance necessary for recovery metabolism. With metabolic resistance training, however, you are able to take intensity to a whole new level beyond what is possible with typical forms of cardio training. This equates to the greatest energy burn, and subsequently, unparalleled fat loss.

Joel Marion, CISSN, NSCA-CPT
Owner, Joel Marion Fitness Solutions

One of the most popular forms of what I call cardio strength training is the Tabata Protocol. Do a simple Google or Yahoo Internet search on this topic and you will see just how popular it is. A study published in 1996 in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise showed that this simple 4-minute protocol using negative rest periods (20 seconds of high intensity work followed by 10 seconds of rest) five times a week (a total of 20 minutes) was more effective than traditional steady state cardio performed for 60 minutes, five times per week. Yes, in a fraction of the time, they found greater aerobic and anaerobic gains in the short, high intensity interval group! The research is pretty astounding in proving the effectiveness of interval training and also often in proving the ineffectiveness of traditional cardio like running on treadmills and such. This shows again and again that the most effective and efficient form of cardio is some form of interval style training when compared to the old standard of spending long periods of time performing steady state exercise. To top it off, one of the major benefits of cardio strength training is the fact that you can get all of these amazing fitness gains and fat burning furnace-like effects without sacrificing your lean body mass; this is pretty darn important for most anyone who takes pride in their weight training and their muscle mass.