Hi docs,
I’m running the beginner template atm, where cardio is programmed at 30mins of zone 2 twice per week, and walking an extra 2000 steps per day.
I read on other cardio threads that the 2000 extra steps is for the average person who’s already walking 6-7k steps per day. My situation is different because I work from work, and I never walk around my neighborhood. I also train in my home gym. So, I probably get 100-200 steps per day, and less than 1000 when I go out because most of the time is spent driving and sitting.
So, I have other types of cardio to counteract this sedentary lifestyle. I usually go for a 1 hour bicycle ride on most days. I estimate the zones ranging from 2 to 4 because my route has a few hills. Other cardio includes jumping on my trampoline, throwing light punches on the heavy bag, or walking on my mini stepper. Zones are usually 1 or 2. But these are so boring that I can’t do more than 30 mins.
I’m not sure whether I’m doing too much or too little cardio. How should I dose these extra forms of cardio considering my low step count?
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SH,
Thanks for the post. I will attempt to be very direct here, in hopes that my recommendations are clear and actionable.
- I think it’s likely you are doing too much cardio for health, as both the volume and intensity you’re doing them is quite high for a beginner to get the most from your lifting sessions.
- I would recommend staying in z1-2 for your rides, if possible, going slower if needed on hills. 30-40 min a day is probably what I’d cap it at for maximum RT outcomes at this stage in your training.
- I would not count jumping on the trampoline or throwing punches as cardio per se, since neither are explicitly limited by cardiorespiratory fitness. That doesn’t mean they’re bad of course…they’re just physical activity. Depending on weekly volume and intensity, I may have concerns about effects on resistance training due to fatigue.
- Our recommendations for minimum levels of weekly conditioning don’t really change with low occupational activity. We recommend a minimum of 150 min/wk of moderate to vigorous activity. You’re definitely exceeding that, which could be fine depending on intensity, goals, and response.
- It would be interesting to see what your habitual step count is using an accelerometer, though that wouldn’t really change my recommendation either.
-Jordan
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Thanks, Jordan. I had a feeling the cycling was a bit too much because I’ve been feeling gassed out from it lately, especially since I’m also eating at a deficit to lose weight. I’ll try to reduce the intensity on hills as well as the length of the rides from now on.
So are you saying that the cycling is offsetting the lack of steps, or is my lifestyle sub-optimal from a health perspective? I tend to carry my phone for tracking steps and it rarely goes beyond 1000 unless I’m deliberately trying to reach a step count.
Regarding the steps, I would wager there are a lot of incidental steps around the house and elsewhere that are not being tracked, but that’s neither here nor there.
The two main parts of your question are:
- Am I doing too much conditioning for lifting outcomes?
Yes, I think this is likely. I would probably reduce intensity and maintain volume to see how that works.
- Is my lifestyle sub-optimal from a health perspective?
Yes, but that’s not unique to you. Ideally, you’d spend most of your time relaxing and/or hanging out with friends between chef-prepared, precision-tailored meals that perfectly balance of enjoyment, health, and performance…all of which are unique to you, the individual. You’d take regular exercise that was perfectly tailored to you almost daily as well. You’d never look at a computer outside of entertainment purposes. You’d sleep as much as you wanted and you’d have lots of sex. Anything short of that is sub-optimal.
To directly answer your question, I think you’re getting enough activity from a health perspective. I would just tweak it to help support your lifting goals.
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Thanks, Jordan. Appreciate the direct response. I feel good knowing that I’m already doing my best, and could even do less to optimize gains.
One final question though. Since you mentioned that throwing punches and jumping on the trampoline are classified as physical activity instead of cardio, what about the Youtube videos that get you moving your body for a period of 20-30 mins. Some of them claim it’s Zone 2 cardio. For example, here’s a 20 minute one, and one with 30 minutes.
Would you say they’re more like physical activity instead of cardio?
Yea, I think those activities are getting closer to conditioning vs physical activity. Big factors are amount of muscular force needed and sustained cardiorespiratory demand. The higher the muscular force needed, the less training it does for aerobic fitness.
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Thanks, I have a better idea how to classify these different types of exercises now.