Stan Efferding and Mike O’Hearn want you to stop making a religion out of cardio.
cardio sucks Everyone knows it, and it’s particularly a thorn in the side of strength athletes and bodybuilders. However, the benefits of cardiovascular exercise for heart health and endurance are well known. As the fitness industry continues to grow into the mainstream, cardio has become a must-do activity for athletes and the average person. In fact, it’s not uncommon to feel guilty about not including cardiovascular exercise in your lifestyle, putting the longevity of your life at risk. While cardio certainly has wonderful benefits, Mike O’Hearn believes many athletes are actually undermining their fitness goals with too much cardio. Professional bodybuilder and powerlifting legend Stan Efferding agrees On Iron Generation and barbend latest episode of the Mike O’Hearn Show, Stan Efferding explains how most fit people are doing too much cardio.
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, especially among men. This reality has led science and fitness experts to emphasize improving lifestyle through better diet and increased cardiovascular activity While this may be an important truth for the average sedentary American, the message has affected the athletic world as well. Mike O’Hearn and Stan Efferding are seeing a troubling trend in modern athletes: They all do too much cardio.
Mike O’Hearn gets into the grass by discussing this concept in detail with Stan Efferding, explaining how modern athletes often do cardio to the detriment of their fitness goals. Let’s break it down.
What are METs in cardiovascular health?
One MET is the ratio of your working metabolic rate to your resting metabolic rate. MET stands for metabolic equivalent: it is the energy used up per unit of time. In simpler terms, it is a scientific way of measuring the intensity of exercise or an activity.
The base level, one MET, is your resting energy expenditure. So when you think of METs, you have a better idea of what you’re measuring. 10 METs you would be spending ten times more energy than when you are at rest.
Stan Efferding explains that for good cardiovascular health and a lower mortality rate, a person must be able to maintain 8 METs during activity. 8 METs would be the equivalent of riding a bike on flat ground. By comparison, running (at about 7 mph) would equate to about 11-12 METs. This is important in understanding why he believes athletes and fit people spend too much time on cardio. Let’s go.
“Cardio is not a religion.”
– Mike O’Hearn
Stan Efferding explains why athletes and fit people should do less cardio
Mike O’Hearn and Stan Efferding make it clear from above that this discussion is specifically about fit individuals and athletes. His advice on cardio would change significantly for the average person or a person who lives a sedentary lifestyle.
Stan Efferding divides athletes into three categories with respect to cardiovascular health:
- People who meet 8 METs without the need for cardiovascular exercise
- People doing cardio or weightlifting to successfully meet 8 METs
- People who do cardio or weightlifting but have not yet reached 8 METs
Stan Efferding states that studies show that people who meet the first category can successfully engage in 8 MET activities despite not doing cardio regularly. This may be due to genetics or lifestyle in general (such as an active job). But what’s important to note is that people in category three, who do cardio regularly but still can’t reach 8 METs, have a higher death rate than people in category one who don’t do cardio.
What Stan Efferding is trying to point out here is that cardio exercise itself is not the only solution for cardiovascular health. It’s not about the individual action, it’s about the result. The important thing is that your cardiovascular activity, weightlifting or activity leads you to improve your capacity. If you can’t measure a result, you’re just doing a repetitive task, like cardio, for no reason.
This is related to the notion of diminishing returns in the exercise. Over time your body will adapt, so you must adapt your training. If you do the exact same cardio routine every day for the rest of your life, you won’t necessarily get a cardiovascular benefit from cardio.
“I find very few people who need more cardio if they are already in general shape.”
–Stan Efferding
Cardio shouldn’t be a religion, but it’s not the devil either.
Mike O’Hearn and Stan Efferding also want to emphasize that they’re not saying you should never do cardio, or that cardio doesn’t accomplish anything. What they’re trying to say is that many fit athletes who don’t do cardio…probably don’t need to start. The result of your lifestyle is more important than the exact way that gets you there.
If you’re generally a fit person but still suffer from things like high blood pressure, high lipids, or high blood sugar, cardio will help you get healthier, lower those levels, and lower your death rate.
But if you’re a bodybuilder without these issues and can hit a steady 8 METs without cardio, that’s fine too.
At the end of the day, Stan Efferding values movement above all else. If that move is cardio and fits into your overall athletic goals, great. If that move is weightlifting without cardio, that’s fine too.
Too often Stan and Mike have run into athletes who push cardio too hard during their training regiment, and now they’re leading a competition with limited options to improve because cardio has worn them down. This is the worst situation when you are close to a competition. It leaves you with limited or no options and can keep you from your success in the competition.
This is why Mike O’Hearn and Stan Efferding insist on giving up cardio if you’re an athlete. Most likely you are doing too much. There are ways to keep longevity high without having cardio decreasing your muscle mass or your athletic ability. Ultimately, it depends on the sport you compete in, but bodybuilders don’t succumb to pressure. You may not need cardio to stay healthy as you prepare for your competition. Each individual varies, but don’t be fooled by the conventional wisdom that “cardio exercise is always important.”
To wrap
You can watch Mike O’Hearn and Stan Efferding discuss cardio in great detail by watching our latest episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show above. Be sure to watch new episodes every Friday only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network or wherever the podcasts are downloaded.
