Cardio for Fat Loss vs. Health Cardio burns calories, sure. But it's deceptive because it feels productive for fat loss - it tires you out and makes you sweaty and out of breath.

However, the true role of cardio is to improve your heart and lungs, lower the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and stroke!! 😱, and help you feel more capable participating in activities you love.

Why Walking Is Not Cardio

Casual walking doesn't get your heart rate high enough for long enough to create that stimulus. That doesn't make it worthless - far from it. Daily steps regulate blood sugar, aid digestion, support recovery, and burn a meaningful amount of energy through sheer volume.

Walking is the foundation of an active life; it's just a different tool doing a different job. Steps keep you moving, but cardio builds your engine.

So... What's the Best Form of Cardio?

The best cardio is the one you enjoy and can do consistently. If that's running, run. If you love to sprint, sprint. If you'd rather bike, bike.

Ideally, with 60 minutes of total cardio per week, you vary it a bit. Maybe one day you do intervals and another day you keep it steady.

Personally, I stick with cardio longer when I'm mixing breathing movements with bodyweight movements or simple strength movements like carries. Or challenging myself by rotating between cardio tools in a single session.

Structuring Your Training Week ​ If you're someone who doesn't want to do cardio on separate days, or you simply want to be told exactly what to do, then the gym environment like we have at SFX is ideal. Here are some example conditioning pieces that may come in handy at some stage: 60 minutes of total conditioning per week: ​ ​Day 1: Intervals (longer work, shorter rest) ​ For Time: 18-16-14-12-10

  • GHD Sit Up or Anchored Feet Sit Ups
  • *5/4 Calories Bike Each Set (Male/Female) ​ Rest 2 min ​ For Time: 10-8-6-4-2 ​
  • Box Jump Step Down 24/20" (Male/Female)
  • 5/4 Calories Bike Each Set (Male/Female)

Day 2: Intervals ​ 2-3 Sets For Quality

  • 60 sec Row @ High Effort
  • 25 Russian Kettlebell Swings 32/24 kg
  • 60 sec Kettlebell Front Rack Carry 32/24 kg Rest 60-90 sec between sets

Day 3: Active Recovery (longer, steady) ​ ​Part 1: 20 min timer (continuous movement):

  • 250-300m Row or Jog, then:
  • 10 Alternating Low Switch Cossack Squats
  • 10 Side Plank Hip Taps per side
  • Return to Row or Jog and repeat ​ Part 2: 20 min timer (continuous movement):
  • 250-300m Row or Jog, then:
  • 10 Reverse Plank Bridge with Hip Lift (hold 15 sec on last rep)
  • 10 Tuck Ups (hold 15 sec on last rep)
  • Return to Row or Jog and repeat

A quick note: if you can't find time for the active recovery piece, the three conditioning pieces alone will still get you to 60 minutes of total conditioning per week.

Walking more doesn't take much thought, but cardio does - let us here at SFX make that call for you! ​ P.S. Next, we're talking about what the meat of your training should actually look like. Because the reality is, cardio is just the potatoes 🥔