The case for Mobility and Strength work, and the case against Cardio(aka You're Doing It Wrong!!!!!!11111)
This sounds like crazy talk doesn't it? The "case against cardio"? This guy must be nuts, I mean even my out of shape upstairs neighbor knows that cardio is the most important thing in the world!
When most people start an exercise program they do it ass backwards(pretty much how uneducated people that don't seek the help of more knowledgeable people do everything but I digress). All energy is spent towards prioritizing "cardio" and little is paid to mobility work and strength training. The exception of which is yoga, where mobility is the main goal, but other aspects of fitness are largely ignored, and in a group setting, each individual's specific needs probably won't be addressed. It's great stuff but can be very inefficient time-wise.
There are almost limitless reasons as to why focusing on steady state cardio is a bad idea for virtually everyone. So why does almost everyone who starts exercising emphasize this mode of training? Ignorance, really, is the main answer. People think it burns way more calories than it actually does, and people are unaware that the best way to decrease body fat levels isn't through exercise(it helps a little) but through moderate calorie restriction. It is way more efficient to not eat 500 calories than it is to burn 500 calories.
Let's crunch some numbers. One pound of fat is 3500 calories. A typical 30 minute cardio session might burn somewhere around 300 calories. If a person did 3 workouts per week for one month, they would burn a total of 3600 calories. Congratulations, you just spent 6 hours and a month of your exercise time to burn ONE POUND OF FAT. Someone on a 500 calorie per day deficit(which is very manageable) will lose ONE POUND PER WEEK with NO EXERCISE AT ALL.
Don't get me wrong, I am not against people doing some steady state cardio work, especially if they really enjoy it, or need it for sport specific reasons. I am however, against making it the focus of your training under some false hopes that it will get you a more balanced, leaner, "healthier" body without paying attention to caloric intake or doing mobility and strength work. Usually you will end up skinny fat, weak, with all sorts of recurring injuries based on your repetitive and faulty movement patterns and muscle imbalances.
When I train a new client who is de-conditioned, I really hammer the mobility work, I want to make sure everything on their body is working like it should before we tackle higher intensity stuff. This doesn't mean we don't train for strength almost from the get go because we do. Strength training will help solve these movement and postural dysfunction, and often helps to uncover them(having a beginner do squats, get ups and swings will tell me A LOT about their body). What I don't have them do is cardio work. Why not? Well if they aren't moving well, are weak, and haven't done any exercise, why would I want this person doing a repetitive movement pattern that won't make their body any stronger or more resilient? Also, the weight training we do will have a bit of a cardio effect as far as cardiovascular fitness is concerned(ever done a set of 15 kettlebell swings?). We have to lay a proper foundation of movement and strength before we go onto other things.
When I talk about mobility work, I mean everything from a general movement prep warm-up, to static stretching and SMR(self-myofascial release with a ball or roller). Also under the realm of mobility is posture, and uncovering any movement and/or postural imbalances. Think about it this way, if your body isn't moving correctly, using the right muscles at the right time, eventually muscle imbalances occur and injury will be inevitable. Proper posture, movement patterns, and avoiding dysfunctions in these areas are the proper foundation for all other activities.
When it's broken down into simple terms, isn't this approach sound and logical? When a person is deprogrammed from the false belief that cardio training is responsible for fat loss, and made aware of how important it is to eliminate dysfunction from their body, they are well on their way to success in their fitness endeavors.
Let's look at the two vastly different programming models and figure out which one you would rather operate under:
Model 1: Typical Gym Going(thru the motions) Normal Person
-does tons of cardio, like literally can't get enough of that elliptical!
-probably adds a lot of what they think is "core" work
-uses machines because they don't want to get "too big", they strangely weren't concerned about ice cream causing the same effect
-possibly does a few stretches here and there, but nothing that is science or evidenced based, and mostly as an afterthought
If this person pays attention to their diet, they will get leaner, but will still be weak(think about your older age and osteoporosis if you aren't sure why being weak is bad), have a lot of aches and pains from a program that puts wear and tear on their body(lower back pain, knees hurting, etc). People also look at their butt and are generally disappointed.
Model 2: Smart, Hard Working, Kick Ass Renaissance Chick
-mobilizes effectively
-lifts heavy things
-does interval conditioning and steady state cardio as needed
If this person pays attention to their diet, their butt will have the power to rule nations and when you wave goodbye to them, their hand is the only part of their arm that waves back to you.
