Benefits Of Doing Cardio

Cardio is often the most neglected component of a training program.

Few days back, I was watching Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky. It’s my all time favorite movie series. As a side note, anyone who hasn’t watched it, should watch it now.

One of my favorite part of the movie is it’s legendary training montage . In fact, catch hold of any training montage and you’ll find the protagonist doing cardio.

Modern day bodybuilders are mass monsters. However, their lungs give in, after just a mile of run .

 

Whereas, legendary bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane made cardio an integral part of their workout regimen. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been quoted saying that he used to run for 3 miles on the beach after his workouts .

Clearly, there must be some advantages of doing cardio. Let’s know about them in detail :

1. Cardio helps in fat loss

The main concept behind fat loss is, to burn more calories than you consume. Whether you are performing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or Low Intensity Steady State Cardio(LISS) ,your heart starts pumping faster, your lungs go into overdrive,multiple muscles are put to work in tandem . To meet these greater demands, the calories(unit of energy) expended increases.

By doing cardio, you are increasing the caloric consumption of your body, which helps you to lose fat. Also ,it means that, by doing cardio you can lose fat even without cutting on your diet(assuming it to be constant) .

 

2. Cardio improves the health of your lungs

 

By doing cardio, you increase the VO₂ Max capacity of your lungs.“VO₂ max is the measurement of the maximum oxygen delivery and utilization for cardiovascular exercises,” says Jamey Plunk, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. 

The more oxygen you can consume during exercise, the easier the exercise will feel to your body. Thus ,by increasing the VO₂ Max. ,you can increase your performance in any sport be it long distance running,bodybuilding,weightlifting, swimming,boxing.

3.  Cardio is excellent for your heart

 

I read one of the articles,years ago, about Leander Paes, a winner of 15 Grand Slams . He told that he had been diagnosed with a weak heart, during his childhood. Due to the condition, it was deemed impossible for him to continue playing tennis. So he visited a cardiologist, who advised him to run as much as he possibly can, to strengthen his heart. The rest, as they say, is history .

Ben Levine, M.D.Internal Medicine – Cardiology says, “cardio exercise, uses repetitive contraction of large muscle groups to get your heart beating faster and is the most beneficial type of exercise for your cardiovascular system (your heart and blood vessels) .”

Cardio makes your heart strong so that it doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood. It helps reduce your risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure.

 

4.  It makes you feel good, and can even provide temporary relief from depression and anxiety

 

A lot of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are known to go for a run, first day in the morning. Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square says, he runs 5 miles daily.  Clearly these CEOs bank on cardio to recharge their batteries for the hectic life, they lead.

When we exercise, our body releases chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins are feel good chemicals released by our nervous system to cope with pain and stress.

Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. The feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as “euphoric.” That feeling, known as a “runner’s high,” can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life.

Studies have shown that cardio can help to alleviate depression( both short and long term) .

 

5. Cardio improves brain power

 

Alan Turing, regarded as father of modern computer, was an avid runner. He was a sub 3 hour marathon runner. So is  Wolfgang Ketterle , a Nobel Prize winning physicist . Clearly these geniuses banked on cardio, to help their brain perform optimally.

“Cardiovascular health is more important than any other single factor in preserving and improving learning and memory,” says Thomas Crook, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and memory researcher.

During a cardio session more blood is pumped into the brain, along with glucose. Cardio also floods the brain with chemicals that enhance functions such as memory, problem solving, and decision making. In fact, a new research suggests that cardio can improve you brain functioning ,both for the short and long term.

 

6. Cardio reduces the risk of many types of Cancer

 

A recent study from the National Cancer Institute, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, strongly supports the theory that regular exercise reduces the risk of many types of cancer.

Those with the highest levels of physical activity had lower rates of cancer of the esophagus, lung, kidney, colon, head and neck, rectum, bladder, and breast, as well as of two cancers of the blood (myeloma and myeloid leukemia).

 

7.  Cardio helps you have a good time in bed

 

Just 30 minutes of moderate intensity walking, a day was linked with a whopping 41% drop in risk for Erectile Dysfunction, according to one Harvard study. A separate trial reported that moderate exercise can help restore sexual performance in obese, middle-aged men with Erectile Dysfunction.

 

The above reasons clearly indicate that cardiovascular training ought to be included in your training. Weight Training comes with it’s own benefits and so does cardio. To get the most of each workout session, you must include both cardio and weight training in your schedule.

 

Before you put on your running shoes, I highly recommend that you check out how to become unstoppable ., so that you can perform at your fullest in each training session.