When it’s time to hit the gym, most people instinctively gravitate toward hitting the weights. That’s certainly an understandable course of action, since weight training plays a role in everything from ... Continue Reading
Try These 3 Air Bike Workouts for Conditioning, Fat Loss, and More
Modern air bikes are far from the creaky machines your parents had at the local Y decades ago. Today’s machines are overbuilt and imposing. With bigger fans, heavier components, and electronic performance ... Continue Reading
How to Run an 8-Minute Mile Pace
Your body naturally knows how to run, right? You ran around as a kid. You can (hopefully) run when you’re in danger. While lifting weights will always be near and dear to many people, running is a ... Continue Reading
Cardio Needs to Make a Comeback
Intensity is sexy, and sex sells. Heaps of sweaty, heaving bodies on the floor after yet another burn-the-house-down workout invoke feelings of admiration and respect (and more than a few likes on ... Continue Reading
Cardio Doesn’t Have to Be Discriminated Against by Meatheads
Are you allergic to cardio? Does the mere mention of it create visions in your head of long hours spent on the treadmill or stationary bike? Are you already bracing yourself for another article listing the ... Continue Reading
Steady State Aerobic Training Isn’t the Devil
HIT is all the rage. And why shouldn’t it be? It advertises the same health benefits of a long workout, in a shorter period of time. HIT taps into our need for instant gratification; we think we’re going ... Continue Reading
Cardio Doesn’t Kill Gains (and You Should Be Doing It)
We've all seen the people who go to the gym, hop on the elliptical for 45 minutes, never change their routine, and never change their appearance. These average gym-goers are an example of steady-state ... Continue Reading
The Elliptical for Cardio? Smart Strength With Charles Staley
Note: Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get to the bottom of the biggest questions in health and training. Post your questions via social media or in our discussion ... Continue Reading
The Best Research on Body Fat, Losing Fat, and Eating Fat
If I see an article on the Internet or in paper publication worth reading, I take notes of the gist of the article and secure its reference. If it contains valuable and practical information, then it is ... Continue Reading
Cardio Before Strength Elicits Better Hormonal Response
Concurrent training is the term for combining training methods in a single session. Specifically, it’s when you do cardio and strength training not just during the same day, but also during the same trip ... Continue Reading
Is Steady State or Interval Training Better for Cardio?
One of the most common questions I receive as a coach is, “Is steady state or interval training better for cardio?" In a recent Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research article, investigators sought ... Continue Reading
Why Steady State Cardio for Fat Loss Is a Bad Decision
A common notion persists that steady state cardio exercise is preeminent for body fat loss. Thus, a frequent plan is concocted that entails a bee-line to the running trail, treadmill, elliptical machine, ... Continue Reading
A Simple, Science-Based Method for Tracking Running Progress
As runners, we we don’t all have access to lab equipment to test improvements in VO2max, running economy, and other important variables, so it’s always reassuring when science gives us the tools we need to ... Continue Reading
What Kind of Exercise Improves Inflammation the Most?
Not every client will want to get stronger or better at cardio. Some might want to be healthier by reducing inflammation or minimizing diabetes risk. In a recent study in the Journal of Strength and ... Continue Reading
Strength Before Cardio: It’s Not a Universal Law
We’ve all heard it before: if you’re doing strength training and cardio in the same workout, do strength first. Unless cardio is your sport or otherwise a huge priority for some reason, pretty much ... Continue Reading
Weights or Cardio First? Does it Even Matter?
It may be the most common question any trainer gets: “If I’m doing cardio and weights in the same workout, which do I do first?” The answer depends on your goals. However, as nice and tidy as that sounds, ... Continue Reading
An Analysis of Cardiovascular Response in Water and on Land
Many athletes wonder which method of cardio is most effective. It's a difficult question to answer because some variables aren’t easily quantified in a scientific setting, such as which exercise an athlete ... Continue Reading
Longer Isn’t Always Better – In Training, That Is
Sometimes you hit a plateau in your training. It happens to all of us and for many reasons. Some people are eventually able to overcome their plateaus, whereas others give up and never push further. A ... Continue Reading
Endurance and Strength Together Are Effective: Adding Sprints Does Nothing
Many gym-goers are concerned with how much cardio they do because they believe it will hinder their strength or size development. In reality this seems to be false. Although doing a lot of cardio might ... Continue Reading
Alpha-Male Style Cardio Training
Cardio sucks. But it’s got to be done. Unless you’re competing as a heavyweight strength athlete and don’t care about excess blubber or you’re one of those genetic freaks with a metabolism so speedy it ... Continue Reading
4 Weeks to Better Cardio: Taku’s Interval Training
Looking to get in great cardiovascular shape without a complicated or time-consuming plan? Try this out. This plan is a continuation of my series for the open-field sport player such as lacrosse, ... Continue Reading
