Shock & Awe: Cardio & Stretching

Chapter Four: Cardio & Stretching

Cardiovascular exercise – a necessary “evil”. Most of us think that cardio sucks. I know there are a few of you out there who get that endorphin high after 45 minutes or so of plugging away on the treadmill or stepper. Well, get ready to join the rest of us in thinking that cardio blows…

I am still of the camp that LISS (low intensity steady state) cardio tends to work best, especially when in a fasted state. For now, we’re going to utilize the HIIT (high intensity interval training), which has a ton of science behind it showing it to be very effective for fat loss and keeping muscle. And it takes less than 30 minutes, which is a huge bonus.

Here’s how a cycle containing 4 high intensity intervals looks:

This is where we start our cardio – 4 hits. This entire session takes 17 minutes. You need to go “all out” on the 30 second high intensity intervals. And I mean ALL OUT. The first time I did this type of cardio I swear I could taste blood at the back of my throat – see what I mean when I say that cardio sucks? I recommend using a stationary bike for this type of cardio.

For weight gain, we will do one session every 5-7 days on days off from weight training. For fat loss, we will add more hits and/or cardio sessions as needed to keep fat loss going. Remember – adjust food OR cardio, never both at the same time. Always do cardio at least 6 hours before or after weight training.

Stretching is done after each body part is complete. If you have a stretch station, use it. Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds between exercises and 60 seconds after finishing a body part. Feel the fascia and tendons loosen as you stretch. Go easy, but feel it. It will hurt (but not in a bad way) when done correctly.

Take a few days off from weight training. Starting at the end of the week I’ll be your personal trainer taking you through weekly workouts! We’ll begin with “Bionic Man” training. Intrigued? I hope so…