Let’s talk about cardio. Some people hate it, other people love it, and those in between come to see it as a means to an end. You may see in certain niche circles of fitness the slogan “death to cardio” or “F cardio!”, followed by the proclamation we don’t even need cardio. And then you have others who are so obsessed with cardio that they put it as some sort of king or deity of all forms of exercise. So, let’s go over the pros and cons of cardio before deciding whether or not it’s the hero or villain of our fitness regimens. Are you ready? Then let’s get started!

Quick 101

Let’s very briefly establish what cardio is. Cardio may also be referred to as cardiovascular training, conditioning, or aerobic activity. The online medical dictionary actually has a good definition for it, which goes as follows, “A general term for any form of vigorous aerobic exercise, which pushes the heart rate to a near maximum.” [1]
Typically, cardio involves consistent repetition in which your heart rate goes up and you’re breathing faster and/or deeper.
Examples of cardio include brisk (not slow) walking, cycling, martial arts, dancing, sports (i.e., basketball, baseball, soccer, football), jumping rope, swimming, skiing, hiking, jogging or sprinting, and, what has to be my favorite, interval training, in the form of either Tabata or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

Pros of Cardio

Aerobic activity or cardio has a number of benefits, including:

• Longevity: One of the top or master regulators of longevity is NrF-2, which we can easily activate via cardio. It activates over two hundred different genes that are involved in detoxification, free radical protection, lowering inflammation and oxidative stress, repairing damaged proteins, and increasing autophagy (a form of cellular cleansing). [2] [3]
• Mood: Ever heard of “runner’s high”? That’s the surge of feel-good hormones and endocannabinoid activation which responds to aerobic activity. [4] In other words, you get this wave of positivity just from exercising.
• Depression: Carrying on the benefits for your mood, aerobic activity has even gone toe-to-toe with anti-depressant drugs, with a 2011 study showing that patients struggling to find relief from common antidepressants found exercise to either be as effective or better than the drugs alone (with up to 30% of them finding remission). [5]
• Heart Disease: Cardio or aerobic exercise also trains your heart, helping it to work with more efficiency as you take in more oxygen and increase blood flow. You’re also supporting the heart itself since your blood vessels start becoming more elastic and widen out in order to ensure the proper delivery of oxygen. All of these things prevent two of the most common killers around- heart disease and stroke. [6] [7]
• Bones: Remember my go-to post about Preventing Osteoporosis? If you recall, one of the best ways to prevent the weakening of the bones (osteoporosis) was weight-bearing activity, which increases bone density. Most cardio activities can do just that!
• Lungs: No doubt your lungs are getting a workout from cardio, too. The faster and deeper you breathe the stronger your lungs become. [8] (And by the way, proper inhalations and exhalations is in and of itself a natural form of detoxification in the body!)
• Immunity: Achoo! Don’t delay, get your cardio on today! I’ve actually written about this before, but exercise is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. Cardio in particular has been shown to do this, so if the sniffles are starting to come, combine some natural self-care with a bit of exercise to keep the sickies at bay! [9]

Cons of Cardio

In spite of all of the benefits which come from doing cardio, I must point out its cons. Or rather, its drawbacks. Note that while not everyone experiences these side effects, that doesn’t make them invalid.

• Injury: Yes, you can injure yourself from doing any type of exercise, whether it’s something as benign as yoga or intense as hiking along a narrow path. A major downside to cardio is the higher susceptibility to injury due to the fast-paced nature of it. You’re more likely to lose sight of your form or move the wrong way if you’re not properly warmed up. So, make sure you’re properly warmed up and have mastered the exercise(s) before you do any type of cardio!
• Muscle Tone: When it comes to creating tone and definition, cardio alone isn’t going to be doing you any favors. With the exception of certain activities like jump roping, cycling, rowing, and dancing, you’re definitely creating some definition, but that’s due to the natural resistance component that comes from those. Otherwise, running on a treadmill isn’t going to sculpt and shape your body. The most effective way to do that is through resistance training, which incorporates exercises like squats, pushups, and lunges that create those sought-after muscles you often see on the cover of sports magazines. (And by the way, the best athletes around know that cardio is just a small piece of the puzzle. Resistance training is what supports performance and defines their body!)
• Stress: In some cases, cardio acts as a double-edged sword. If you’re burning the candle at both ends, maybe consider something lighter than cardio. Or, if all you do is cardio, then beware: the phrase “chronic cardio” exists for a reason. Although you naturally elevate cortisol (our stress-related “survival” hormone) through exercise, it can remain elevated if you’re first doing too much cardio and second failing to properly recover and cool down after your workout. With that comes even more stress along with a higher susceptibility for over-eating (using food as therapy), muscle loss (catabolism), increased belly fat, inflammation, hormone imbalances, and trouble sleeping. [10] [11]

What’s the Verdict?

If you’ve been paying attention, the cons section really outed cardio when it was used poorly. The word chronic cardio contains the word chronic, not balanced. You can get too much of a good thing; cardio is of no exception. But just because cardio has its drawbacks doesn’t mean you should completely avoid it altogether.
First of all, you need to factor in your lifestyle and fitness goals. For instance, if you’re looking to build more muscle but have a fast metabolism, then you don’t need to do as muchcardio (some people even get away with excluding it entirely while pursuing this goal). On the flipside, if you’re trying to lose weight or are training for an endurance activity (i.e., marathon, triathlon, etc.), then incorporating more cardio will help. If you’re like me and are looking for longevity and athletic performance and aesthetics, then a mix of cardio, resistance training, and other forms of exercise would be ideal. In short, it’s not whether or not cardio is good or bad per se, it’s about meeting your goals with the appropriate amount and type(s) of exercise. And even if you do need to do more cardio, just be sure to avoid going overboard and abusing it. In my opinion, the pros far outweigh the cons, which really only occur when you’re not being safe with proper form and warming up and are doing hours upon hours of it under stress and without adequate rest and recovery.

Now, for my ZGYM members out there, if you’re looking for a short but effective cardio workouts, look into these series which are based on cardiovascular training:

Beginner Cardio
8 Minute Tabata
Jump Rope Cardio Beginners
JRC
15 Minute Fat Burn

Sources:

[1] https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/cardiovascular+exercise
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5078682/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29274776
[4] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-brain-effects-behind-runner-s-high/
[5] https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/for-depression-prescribing-exercise-before-medication/284587/
[6] https://www.healthstatus.com/health_blog/wellness/cardio-exercise-definition-and-benefits/
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396114/
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4818249/
[9] https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007165.htm
[10] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chronic-cardio-negatively-affecting-your-weight-health-goldman
[11] https://www.saragottfriedmd.com/dr-saras-exercise-report-card-chronic-cardio-gets-a-c/