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Long duration cardio and detraining
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Posted on Apr 27 2020
Whether you like it or not, there will always be disagreements. The disconnect surrounding this pandemic, however, is really disturbing perhaps more so than the virus itself.
You see, in my line of work, we (trainers) hotly debate all the time too on who and which method is the crème de la crème. And I’ll level with you, we don’t always see eye-to-eye.
In different contexts, some styles of training and dietary protocols will carry more weight than others, but what became very clear to me early on is you have to keep an open mind. Narrowly focusing on one end-all be-all directive isn’t going to cut it when there are so many nuances to consider. It’s silly of me to even compare the two, but is it really too much to ask for a little more transparency and empathy?
Q: What’s your stance on running? Pure cardio has been my workout for now.
A: If you enjoy it and you feel good, awesome. Carry on. It’s not a misdemeanor. Although, what I will say is you should vary the type of aerobic activity to mitigate wear and tear because in my experience, far too many people suffer from chronic injuries when they attach themselves to only one way of doing things. If you’ve been running on the pathway, change it up by running on the sand or track. Do some hill sprints. Heck, walking at a brisk pace works wonders.
Q: Can’t wait for this to be over. I have lost all my gains. How should I approach my workout when the gym opens up again?
A: There’s strong data to support there’s actually no losses in muscle and strength after a short lay off, but it’s quite obvious we’re way past that. With the effects of detraining mounting, unless you’ve been able to navigate around zero equipment and train with the same amount of effort, it’s fair to say there will be some losses in muscle and strength. The good news is, it’ll come back fairly quickly. When gyms start to open, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Slowly ramp up your effort.
