The Doctor Says, “Aerobics Will Kill You!”

nice post Tom... As a RTP MUSCLE participant, i use HIIT as my exclusive method of cardio. at 58 i am not ready for an incident like stroke or heart attack. NO...I am turning back the hands of time to become the man I should be in my 60's.

What does that mean?

REAL TIME STAMINA AND STRENGTH...the ability to move through life with strength and energy and do all the stuff I did at 40 without effort, and it is happening, right here, right now with this program. no diets, just clean eating to build the muscle and BURN THE FAT. recovery intervals that are appropriate for my intensity and listening to my body on a day to day experience.

YOU DA MAN TOM!

Tom.... GREAT point. I seriously can go on and on about this topic, but your response is spot on.

Aerobics wont kill you but it feels that way sometimes!

Great article, i love how you're not one of these die hards that you see on the net that only likes one modality of training and trash all others.

I prefer LSD training because of the eccentric adaptions it causes in the heart, and it helps speed up recovery. In terms of overall calorie burn i prefer threshold training as opposed to HIIT, threshold training is that perfect mix between intensity and duration that you can maintain. "

Tom, I appreciate your insightful comments on these issues and respect that you always refer back to research and caution people to critically examine the research that is out there. To say that aerobics will kill you is ridiculous and most research available in reputable journals supports aerobic exercise as a tool for weight loss and improved health. Besides, the average person exercising for health doesn't push their body to extremes and therefore they get moderation and rest in their regular training schedules. Far more people die from heart disease related to physical inactivity, poor diet, obesity, and smoking (to name a few).

Once again it comes down to "situational correctness"/context, and how anyone could ever opt for anything other than a "It depends" and a more balanced view of things (which you wisely do, Mr. Venuto) is beyond me.

But as you noted, reasonable and practical doesn't work well for flashy marketing purposes...............it just works where it counts!

Incidentally, my favorite form of cardiovascular exercise that doesn't involve serious weight training is just slapping on the old weight vest with a few extra pounds and heading out into the fresh air for a walk. Clears the mind, eats up a few extra kcal, and just plain feels great, all the while being low impact and as simple as pie. While I definitely enjoy plenty of higher intensity stuff, I find the weighted walks are tough to beat from a lot of different angles................plus it's hard to be bored when you're outside/in nature, regardless of the season.

I started HIIT about 4 months ago and incorporated it into my workouts. I am 69 years old and was diagnosed with thickening heart wall and a leaking valve ( mitric regurgitaion) about 1 year ago. My most recent echo-cardiogram (last week), showed a distinct lessening of valve leakage and improved heart wall thickness. My cardiologist still argued with me about the value of HIIT training. He believes it is dangerous. He insists I keep my target heart rate below 30% of max even though I have no trouble hitting 100%. I have since moderated my THR swings during my HIIT sessions.

There are plenty of people that die in their sleep, so should we all stop sleeping!?

"Aérobics might kill you, but not as quick and as surely as stuffing your mouth on the couch ! It's freaking scary how many people haven't got the slightest idea their diet/lifestyle is lethal !"

Hi Tom,

That patient was possibly misinformed or maybe he was so out of shape that
overdoing it would be lethal in his particular case. Maybe that doctor
needs to read your books!

In any case, there's too much evidence to the contrary. Aerobics works!

Gordie

That's telling them like it is Tom!

If he knew anything about your program he would not have written such a "know-it-all" letter. He doesn't realize he is talking to THE KING of fitness. I agree with your statement: "Give me a break!" Hey, we know who the King is!

I injuered my knee ligaments while I was running Madrid's marathon 9 years ago. I managed to finish it (half-walking half-running the last 8 km) but the doctor told me that was it: I would never be able to run long distances again.

It took me almost a year of training, but I proved him wrong.

2 months ago I broke the same knee while training for a half-marathon. Yet another doctor told me I was done with running, even when he was surprised at my incredible rate of recovery. He wouldnt admit it had to do with my preparation as a runner / recreational weight lifter.

I will prove him wrong in a few months.

Sedentary doctors don't get along with long distance runners, specially because we tend to prove them wrong way too often about what is achievable after an injury.

Anyway, I can't get why HIIT supporters try continously to prove that long lasting cardio is bad. I dont see long lasting cardio freaks like me trying to prove HIIT is bad!

Do your stuff and let me do mine. Live and let live.

Great post, Tom. Saying that running and cardio will kill you based on some rather sensational anecdotal evidence is ludicrous! We all have heard the stories of the guy who is in his late 90s but smokes a pack a day while drinking a fifth of Jack Daniels. That doesn't mean that such a lifestyle is likely to produce the same results in everyone else. It's just that dying of lung cancer or cirrhosis at 60 isn't so newsworthy.

As a former (and soon to be returning) distance runner, I can tell you that marathons today are not like they were 20 years ago. In addition to the elite athletes, there are a whole lot of "regular Joes" like myself. There are a lot of overweight people doing marathons and half marathons - doing them rather than competing. Overall, it's a great thing to see so many people motivated to be healthier. That said, anyone grossly overweight should consult a doctor first. Also, just like in lifting, it is important to learn how to do things the right way, like form, hydration, nutrition, etc.

This was quite helpful in putting the cardio thing in perspective. Thank you.

I love it when you cover this topic Tom. I don't get why these 'experts' feel the need to bash moderate intensity long duration cardio. If they truly have their readers best interests at heart they would show the pros and cons of both and allow their readers to make an educated decision on what may be best for themselves. (Just as you have and always do.)

Once armed with this information it's up to the individual to apply the various methods and become aware of how their body responds to them. I've used this feedback loop and found my personal perfect balance between HIIT and long duration cardio. I know what combination makes me feel my best and sculpts my body best.

I'm a proponent of quick workouts. It's been what my wife and I have used to sculpt our bodies for for the past 7 years. But to say that all you need is 4 minutes per day is crazy and irresponsible. Quick workouts are effective for us because we perform them more frequently and in combination with HIIT and long duration cardio. For two months out of the year will perform longer workouts that are focused on adding valuable muscle to our frames.

There's no one single solution. I think that's what makes bodybuilding so much fun. You get to experiment with a variety of training methods and observe how your body responds. It keeps it exciting. There's always something to look forward to.

As always Tom... it's obvious just how much you have us, your valued readers, best interests at heart. Thanks man. We appreciate you.

Scott Tousignant

"I have been an avid runner for 30 years. I have 3 marathons and umpteen races under my belt. The only thing running has done for me is save my life. Keep me slim and my stress levels always under control. Now..if I can just get my flabby upper body back to the gym."

Tom,

Great article here! This is the latest in a series of onslaughts against exercise by the media. I believe you reported the Time article where it said exercise didn't do any good. I also saw a recent report where it claimed middle age women needed up to an hour of exercise to maintain their weight. An hour of exercise isn't a whole lot but they made it seem like it was like asking for 3-4 hours. I don't think these writers, doctors, and whomever will be content until everyone is fat and on pharmaceutical drugs. America has an obesity problem and many of these so called experts use fear to boost profits and expand their own interests. Don't believe the hype.

As a Nurse I see far more people die from a sedentary lifestyle/ obesity then people croaking over from exercise .... Coronary heart disease, diabetes, joint replacements etc.. Alll are preventable with exercise and a clean diet. I work in the Medical field and to be honest I wouldn't take the advice of most of the "Doctors" I work with! "

I know that while I seem to get better results from HIIT or Burst or Interval training then LSC I am not totally against LSC. I am against running as a primary means of cardio if one is going to do more then 30 minutes of cardio daily. I think the joint pounding that running especially in area's that are covered in concrete and black top. I have tried doing 10 miles runs int hemorning and 1-2 hours of cardio on an elliptical int he evening and it never seemed to do much for me besides tire me out! When I tried Tabata type intervals I lost fat at insane rate and my cardio improved.

My point is not that cardio is dead rather I think it is alive and well I just do not see long slow cardio LSC as the best means of fat lose or of ones time. Few of us will ever get bellow 6% or do a body building show so trying to get tot hat extreme while preserving as much muscle mass as possable on a restricted calorie diet is not the norm! I can see not wanting to tax your fast twitch fibers or burn off all your glycogen if on a restricted calorie diet getting ready for a show or if you still need to get some weight training in on the same above restricted diet etc..... I would rather play with my kids or make love to my wife then spend 2 hours on a Stair Master that is the biggest waste of time short of watching TV!

It is bad enough I need 40-60 minutes to lift weights and 15-30 minutes for cardio! Doing any more then that is just not how I want to spend my time. I dare say that cardio benefit has been shown to be attainable in as little as 15 minutes of daily cardio. So if health benefits are the reason why do more?

Healthy = the absence of disease and no one has yet found that a lack of cardio training cause heart disease or anything else any more then a lack of aspirin in the body cause's one to get a headache!

I do agree though with you that it is absurd to compare world class endurance athletes to the average guy doing 30 minutes of cardio each night at the gym! I think they use this example to make a point that if cardio was the end all be all like Dr. Copper said it was these people would not be droping dead of heart conditions! THeir are a lot of people that do insane amounts of cardio like 2 hours each day hoping to transform themselfs and I have yet to meet anyone doing that with out weight lifting and great diet that has had any luck! THey just get smooth and great functions heart and lung action and only lose a little bit of fat not much. You can see them at any gym!

Tom,

I had a woman doctor at the VA tell me that only aerobics would improve my health... that weight training wouldn't.
I challenged her to come take my pulse and check my respiration during a workout. I've checked my pulse by jumping on an elliptical machine after a set of weights, and my pulse is typically over 100, and I'm certainly breathing hard. I suspect that her idea of weight work is pushing a light weight... just going through the motions like many people do. This morning, doing a set of 4 bent-over rows with an 80-pound dumbbell (half my body-weight) was enough to exhaust me, but I did 5 sets with each hand plus many other exercises.

The truth is that most doctors know little about STAYING healthy... their expertise is in fixing problems.

Bob

I agree about sedentary life=premature death; Also, i believe that overusing and abusing our bodies, doing long and strenous "cardio" routines lead to ageing prematurely, needlessly.

The oriental disciplines perceive the human body as a temple, not a mindless machine. They do lots of stretching, and coordinated exercises, (yoga, tai chi, martial arts), practice meditation, eat lots of vegetables, NEVER do long running, and they live longer and healthier lives than people of the rest of the world.

The key here is BALANCE; And long running, works against this goal. Balance=Moderation

-Just my personal opinion.
Kind Regards

Thanks Tom..this is exactly what I love about you! You cut through the bull and get to the point. I can't even begin to tell you what a difference you are making in my life. Thank you so much!

Thank you, Tom, for putting that out there! I'm a female marathon runner myself who manages to maintain 15 extra pounds of muscle in the off season (even though I'm running very long and very intensely) just by eating extra protein and weight training hard. (Unfortunately once I start running those marathons is when my body weight really decreases but that's to be expected). The two sports certainly don't contraindicate each other, and, when I have been injured, it was a direct result of my own overtraining (chronic rather than temporary to peak for a race) than from any of the two sports (neither of which I would give up).

Also just wanted to say that I really love your blog and newsletter and learn a lot (along with have a lot reaffirmed since there is so much crap out there, I'm always happy when someone with wisdom, such as yourself, reminds me that I am on the right track).

Thank you,

Tiana

Tom, great post and I'm glad you're clearing the air on this subject. I get feedback ALL the time from readers of my blog and clients who think that because I'm such a big promoter of "burst training" that I'm against aerobic exercise. Like you I feel nothing could be farther than the truth. People love to take sides on this subject and it's foolish. There is no single way you should ALWAYS train. There's no questioning the benefits of any type of high intensity-short duration training (be it from cardio or resistance training) but that doesn't mean you should leave aerobic work out completely. The hormonal responses from burst training (no matter how you do it) are ideal for creating the right environment for fat loss to occur but it's not the end of the story. People need to remember that fat oxidation still occurs in an aerobic state and low-moderate intensity cardio workouts will only further benefit your results from the burst training. Mix it up people, he's right. Don't be so quick to paint with a broad brush on this stuff.

Tom,

Great post and very timely. I'm so sick of the "either/or" logical fallacy that surrounds SSC and HIIT; I know that it's mainly marketing, but I keep getting my readers email about which one is the "best". I'm with Jim Jowett, strapping on my weighted vest and heading out for a nice walk does wonders, plus I love the strange looks I get from folks on the street ;)

I have personally witness more chronic joint pain among runners than any other physical activity. Most common: sciatica, IT band, knee pain, foot pain, and glute medius pain. Now I have also witness lots of shoulder pain with my hardcore bench pressing patients. The bench press I am not a fan of either. I do believe running at long intervals as majority of exercise a person does increases osteoarthritis. I am sure improper lifting form also contributes to OA. My clinic is mainly a soft tissue injury clinic were many athletes are treated but I must say I get much more business from my runners. I will also add lots of crepitus in those knees. Yikes. I do believe there hearts are well conditioned though.

Having been inundated with the "cardio is cr*p" emails from the training program marketing cesspool, I had to commend you on this post Tom.

In the developed world where most of us do nothing more strenuous than commuting to work, scaring people away from exercise can hardly be applauded.

Clearly, some body types are better suited to longer cardio sessions than others & ideally no-one would run on asphalt for any length of time, but a blanket conclusion that cardio does more harm than good is just not supported by the studies, (& we will continue to learn more with advances in cell biology & genetics).

Some recent examples include a study establishing that human track athletes & treadmill running mice had significantly longer telomeres than control subjects.
(Werner C et al. Physical exercise prevents cellular senescence in circulating leukocytes and in the vessel wall. Circulation 2009 Dec 15; 120:2438.)

Telomeres play a critical role in cellular aging & other research has found that shorter telomeres were a potent predictor of cardiovascular events.

Another study found that medial tibial cartilage volumes were significantly larger in women engaged in aerobic exercise, (even for at least one hour per fortnight).

Lastly, in a study of 540 adults aged 50 or older who ran for an average of 4 hours weekly and 420 healthy controls, the runners had less disability & were significantly less likely than controls to die during the 20 years of follow-up (15% vs. 34%).

Wang BWE et al. Postponed development of disability in elderly runners: A 13-year longitudinal study. Arch Intern Med 2002 Nov 11; 162:2285-94.

As for me, I like to mix it up & am also a big fan of weighted walking.

Thanks again, Tom

Totally agree. Couldn't help but also think of professional dancers who's life work is sometimes 6 to 8 hours a day doing cardio (i.e. dance choreography) to practice. Crazy stuff. Sometimes you see the downside to having internet and information at your fingertips for everyone to grasp even if they are inept of forming intellectual based conclusions from it. But I liked your slap of reality. Thanks.

Elizabeth

Awesome post. I am so tired of the "cardio bullies" as muscle nerd Jeff Anderson calls them. Cardio is great. I have been doing runs for the past couple of years along will my weights and I love. I am curently training for an ironman and I am by far in the best shape of my life. I love my long runs and long bike rides because I get to be outside enjoying the fresh air. Of course all things in moderation and it is so important to not over train but if done right there is nothing wrong with cardio

Thanks for the article, Tom.
I just finished reading "Born to Run" which is a very interesting read. There is also discussion of scientific evidence in it arguing that humans are evolutionarily adapted to run significantly long distances (like marathon/ultramarathons) - I highly recommend it to people to read not only for the great story-telling, but the evidence! I don't think I could spend that much time running and most people can't given today's modern lifestyle, but apparently it helped our ancestors run down animals to death.

Tom, some of what this Jeff character said to you reminded me of some articles I read over at Charles Staley's website.
I will say though, that he does not advocate a complete stop to all aerobics.

Here are links to some of the articles so you know what youre up against ;)
http://www.staleytraining.com/articles/charles-staley/2010/re-examining-aerobic-exercise1.htm
http://www.staleytraining.com/articles/charles-staley/2010/re-examining-aerobic-exercise2.htm
http://www.staleytraining.com/articles/phil-stevens/2009/aerobic-conspiracy.htmhttp://www.staleytraining.com/articles/charles-staley/2009/endurance-training-primer.htm

Ross, I like charles staleys training info a lot (nice guy too!) hes a strength coach though, so i wouldnt expect him to prescribe a ton of cardio to his clients, and they're strength athletes so Id expect that clientele to not have a lot of body fat to worry about anyway.

I rather not believe anything which the MD's says unless it is backed by a lot of different doctors, not from the same foundations. How I see things is that doctors are brainwashed when they are in college and forced to learn that drugs is the only way to live(i know offtopic to what Tom has said here).

Id rather do my own research for hours and hours before coming to conclusion. I do HIIT myself and do cardio/low intensity workout as well-when i have time. I see and feel nothing wrong when i am doing low intensity workout and same for HIIT.