What Exactly is Cardio?

What exactly is “Cardio”?

This point of this article is to clear up any kind of confusion you may have about what cardio is and what is isn’t.

When we talk about cardio, we are referring to any kind of exercise that results in prolonged elevation of your heart rate.

Some examples of this are:

• Running on a treadmill
• Exercising on the rowing machine
• Doing a “program” on the elliptical trainer
• Going for a jog outside
• Going for a brisk walk outside
• Etc.

Notice how all of these examples involve different modalities but they all involve getting the heart rate above its resting level.

The length of time does not determine a cardio workout as much as your effort. You could go outside and sprint 100 meters down the road and back (don’t actually do this) and your heart would work harder than it would if you went for a leisurely walk.

Some examples of what cardio is not:

• House work (vacuuming, cleaning, etc.)
• Gardening
• Going for a leisurely walk
• Getting on a cardio machine and coasting at a pace that does not raise your heart rate
• Raking leaves
• Etc.

The activities that I just listed do involve movement and movement burns calories, but they do not put any kind of stress on your heart that will make it have to beat faster and get stronger.

Length of Time vs. Effort

All cardio involves movement, but not all movement is cardio.

If you went and ran on a treadmill for 20 minute and maintained a heart rate that was 60-70% of your max, your heart would have to adapt by getting stronger with repeated exposures.

If you went and slowly walked down the block and back, your heart rate would barely elevate enough for any adaptation to occur.

Anytime weight loss is the goal, any kind of movement will help to burn calories. But you need to have the right FITT in order for it to work. The FITT principle stands for:

F – Frequency
I – Intensity
T – Time
T – Type

I don’t recall the exact organization that came up with FITT, but I believe it is the ACSM.

Let’s use an example of a cardio workout.

Frequency – 3 times per week with a recovery day in between
Intensity – Between 50% and 80% of your max heart rate.
Time – 30 minutes per session, including a 5 minute warm up and cool down.
Type – Treadmill, doing a brisk walk at 50% of max heart rate and running at 80% of max heart rate.

This is jus an example and is not meant to be an actual “prescription” for anyone. Each person has different needs and ability levels.

The interesting thing is that you can keep the Frequency, Intensity, and Time the same, but vary the modality.

You could do this with kettlebell swings, circuit stations, on an arc trainer, on an elliptical, etc.

Here is an example of a non cardio workout:

Frequency – 3 times per week with a day in between
Intensity – 35% of max heart rate
Time – 30 minutes
Type – Treadmill

As you can see, the Frequency, Time, and Type are the same as before. The only thing that changed was the intensity, which is all about your effort and how much you are putting into it.

If the FITT principle seems a little complex, then don’t worry about it. The main thing you need to remember about cardio training is that it has to get your heart rate up in order to make your heart get stronger.

If you are just starting out, then make sure you do an activity such as brisk walking, running, arc trainer, biking, elliptical, etc., but do not get to the point where your heart is beating so hard that you cannot speak. This is known as the “talk test”, which means that you are breathing so hard that speaking is not possible.

You can get to this level eventually, but you want to start out by challenging yourself without overexerting yourself.

As always, see a physician before you get started!