Before you start wasting hours upon hours on those boring treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical machines, let’s examine if low-moderate intensity, long duration cardio exercise is really doing your body any good, or if it is mostly a waste of time. I hope you will concede upon finishing this article that there is a better way to get in great shape, and it doesn’t have to involve endless hours on boring cardio machines.
It is common to hear fitness professionals and medical doctors prescribe low to moderate intensity aerobic training (cardio) to people who are trying to prevent heart disease or lose weight. Most often, the recommendations constitute something along the lines of “perform 30-60 minutes of steady pace cardio 3-5 times per week maintaining your heart rate at a moderate level”. Before you just give in to this popular belief and become the “hamster on the wheel” doing endless hours of boring cardio, I’d like you to consider some recent scientific research that indicates that steady pace endurance cardio work may not be all it’s cracked up to be.
First, realize that our bodies are designed to perform physical activity in bursts of exertion followed by recovery, or stop-and-go movement instead of steady state movement. Recent research is suggesting that physical variability is one of the most important aspects to consider in your training. This tendency can be seen throughout nature as all animals demonstrate stop-and-go motion instead of steady state motion. In fact, humans are the only creatures in nature that attempt to do “endurance” type physical activities.
I have two blown knees. I’ve had surgery on both, and I’m just trying to maintain what I have as long as I can. I’ve taken up swimming. How do you do this swimming. Do I sprint down the lane and then just stand up and catch my breath, and then sprint again. By the way, I can swim, but I’m not *that great* so I can’t even really sprint. Any advice from anyone? I have also seen this exercise described as PACE, and it always involves running or walking or using a treadmill. What are people with bad knees supposed to do?
I to get bored with the tredmill & eliptical. So what I do is take Body Pump 2 times a week & Body Vive (low impack aerobics) 2 times a week. But if I do the tredmil I do it on a incline between 3.0 & 7.0 and walk between 3.0 & 4.1 that way my heart rate keeps up. It works great & this routine keeps my workouts fun not boring
Hi Katie,
When you say “blown” knees, what exactly did you do? How long ago was your surgery?
Can you do this in the pool? Yes — but make sure you ramp up or progress in a safe manner. Your next question might be how long, how many sprints and how much rest in between. Now we’re getting into specifics — if knew a little more about you I could help on your path.
Another way to go could be to get on one of those cross-trainers they have in the gyms where you’re using mostly arms and your legs could be going along for the ride.
Let me know if I can help -
Jeff,
When I say two *blown knees* I mean I have two knees that are so worn out and damaged, even after surgery, that I’m probably going to have have dual knee replacements. Through therapy, pool walking, and general lifestyle change, I’m trying to forestall it. I have had surgery on both knees, and my right knee has very little cartilage left, and it actually may have to be replaced soon, if it doesn’t miraculously get better, and it won’t, of course.
I freestyle swim. I used to work out a lot (on the ground) before this. I started entering menopause in 2006, and immediately started gaining incredible amounts of weight, no matter what I did. I went from weighing 150-155 to 185 in a matter of half a year, and I have maintained that weight for the last 4 years, no matter what I do.
In 2007, I fell down at work, very hard, and seriously damaged my right knee, but at the time I didn’t know how bad. I went on about my business. I could feel my knee all the time, but it didn’t really hurt, so I just screwed around with it until even I (I have a high pain threshhold) started feeling the pain, and I had to have the surgery last summer, because I wasn’t able to walk very well.
Wore out the other knee, rehabbing the first one, and I had to have surgery on it. It’s doing okay.
What I do now. I lift weights at home. I have two dogs I have to walk 4 times a day. I pool walk every day for 20 minutes, and then I swim for 20-30 minutes.
I know I can pool walk PACE style. I was talking about swimming PACE style. I’ve tried sprinting as fast as I can down the lane, and then I stand up and pant, and then I sprint down the lane. I don’t know how else to do PACE while swimming, unless I could sprint, and then tread water or deadman float, and then sprint, and then tread water.
Did I give too much information? That’s what I usually do.
I have watched some videos online about swimming, and I guess I may have to take a class too, because I don’t know how I can make myself go any faster during the sprint. I guess what I was asking is what do I do during the recovery time, and how long should it be?