How many steps per day are recommended for general health?

Research suggests that mortality-related benefits are largely maximized around 8,000-10,000 steps per day for individuals under 60, and 6,000-8,000 steps for those 60 or older. It's recommended to increase step counts incrementally rather than aiming for a high number immediately.

What are the official physical activity guidelines for moderate and vigorous exercise?

Guidelines suggest aiming for 150-300 weekly minutes of moderate intensity exercise (3.0-5.9 METs) or 75-150 weekly minutes of vigorous intensity exercise (6.0+ METs). These can be combined.

How does cardio help with fat loss and body composition?

Cardio can lead to recomping (increase in fat-free mass), help recalibrate appetite to match energy expenditure, directly increase total daily energy expenditure, and is a strong predictor of long-term weight loss maintenance.

Why is the actual weight loss from exercise often less than mathematically predicted?

Exercise often leads to less weight loss than predicted due to 'exercise energy compensation,' where the body reduces non-activity energy expenditure, and potential increases in appetite and food intake.

What is the 'constrained total energy expenditure model'?

Proposed by Herman Pontzer, this model suggests humans have an upper limit on total energy expenditure. As physical activity increases, the body compensates by reducing other resting energy expenditures to prevent energy depletion or starvation.

What is the average magnitude of exercise energy compensation?

The average compensation is around 30%. This means for every 100 calories burned through exercise, total daily energy expenditure only increases by about 70 calories, with the remaining 30% offset by reductions in resting energy expenditure.

Does the intensity of cardio (HIIT vs. steady-state) matter for body composition?

For general body composition changes (fat mass and fat-free mass), neither high-intensity interval training (HIIT) nor lower-intensity steady-state cardio consistently shows dramatically better results. Personal preference should guide the choice.

Does cardio interfere with resistance training gains (the 'interference effect')?

The concern that cardio 'kills gains' is often overblown. While an interference effect exists, it impacts power more than strength or hypertrophy, and recent studies report smaller effects. For most lifters focused on strength and hypertrophy, it's unlikely to be a major concern unless cardio volume is highly excessive.

What are best practices for combining cardio and resistance training (concurrent training)?

To minimize interference, avoid excessive total exercise volume. If possible, perform cardio on non-lifting days or in separate sessions at least six hours apart on the same day. If done in the same session, lift first. Limit high-intensity cardio to three times per week and space out lower body high-intensity cardio and leg days by 24-48 hours.

Key Moments

Cardio for Health and Weight Management (Episode 112)

Stronger By Science

Sports3 min read99 min video

Jan 16, 2023|8,911 views|286|31

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Cardio's role in health and weight management: exercise snacks, step counts, appetite, energy compensation, and training types.

Key Insights

Physical activity is broadly categorized into non-exercise physical activity (NEPA) and structured exercise.

NEPA, like exercise snacks and step counts, can significantly benefit general health by breaking up sedentary time.

Cardio for weight management increases energy expenditure, influences appetite, and promotes long-term weight loss maintenance.

Exercise energy compensation can reduce the net calorie burn from cardio, meaning its impact on weight loss is often less than mathematically predicted.

The intensity and type of cardio (interval vs. steady-state) have similar effects on body composition for general health and weight management.

Concerns about the 'interference effect' of cardio on resistance training gains are often overstated for strength and hypertrophy goals.

TAXONOMY OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Physical activity is divided into two main categories: non-exercise physical activity (NEPA) and structured exercise. NEPA includes daily movements not considered formal exercise, like walking to class or doing chores. Structured exercise is further broken down into resistance training and cardio. Cardio, or aerobic/endurance training, can encompass various intensities, from high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and sprint interval training (SIT) to moderate-intensity steady-state (MISS) and low-intensity steady-state (LISS).

BENEFITS OF NON-EXERCISE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

NEPA offers significant health benefits, primarily by combating sedentary behavior. Strategies like 'exercise snacks'—short, high-intensity bursts of activity throughout the day—and tracking daily step counts help break up prolonged sitting. These methods are effective for improving cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiometabolic risk factors, and vascular health by increasing overall daily movement without requiring dedicated workout sessions.

MEETING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES

Current guidelines recommend 150-300 weekly minutes of moderate-intensity activity (3.0-5.9 METs) or 75-150 weekly minutes of vigorous-intensity activity (≥6.0 METs), or a combination. Moderate intensity can include activities like brisk walking (2.5 mph), while vigorous intensity can be achieved through brisk walking (4.5 mph). These guidelines can be met through a variety of daily activities, not just formal exercise, helping to improve overall health and well-being.

CARDIO'S ROLE IN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

For weight management, cardio offers several benefits: potential body recomposition, improved appetite regulation, increased total daily energy expenditure, and better long-term weight loss maintenance. For individuals with low baseline activity, increasing cardio can help align appetite with energy expenditure, reducing passive overeating. Furthermore, a consistent high level of physical activity is a strong predictor of successful long-term weight loss maintenance.

UNDERSTANDING EXERCISE ENERGY COMPENSATION

A key factor influencing cardio's impact on weight loss is exercise energy compensation. The body adapts by reducing energy expenditure in other areas (e.g., resting metabolism) to partially offset the calories burned during exercise. This means the net increase in total daily energy expenditure is often 10-50% less than predicted. This compensation is more pronounced in individuals with higher activity levels or those in a caloric deficit.

CHOOSING CARDIO TYPE AND MANAGING THE INTERFERENCE EFFECT

For general health and weight management, the specific type or intensity of cardio (e.g., HIIT vs. LISS) has similar effects on body composition. Personal preference should guide the choice. Concerns about the 'interference effect'—where cardio might hinder resistance training gains—are often exaggerated, particularly for strength and hypertrophy goals. To minimize interference, separate cardio and lifting sessions, reduce excessive total volume, and limit high-intensity cardio sessions to a few per week.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Companies

●Organizations

●Books

●Studies Cited

●People Referenced

Cardio for Health and Weight Management: Do's and Don'ts

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Incorporate regular 'exercise snacks' throughout the day, even short bursts of vigorous activity, to break up sedentary time.

Aim for 8,000-12,000 steps per day, increasing your daily goal incrementally by 500-1000 steps every few weeks.

Meet general physical activity guidelines of 150-300 weekly minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 weekly minutes of vigorous intensity.

Tailor cardio to specific sport applications if performance enhancement is the primary goal.

For concurrent training (cardio + resistance training), prioritize resistance training first if both are in the same session.

Limit high-intensity cardio sessions to no more than three per week to manage recovery burden.

Space out high-intensity lower body cardio and leg days by at least 24-48 hours.

Use MacroFactor to track food intake and accurately estimate energy expenditure for weight management.

Avoid This

Don't get too bogged down in the exact details of exercise snack protocols; focus on the general principle of disrupting sedentary time.

Don't assume more steps are always exponentially better; recognize diminishing returns beyond certain step counts for health benefits.

Don't mistake 'vigorous activity' in activity guidelines for maximal sprinting; simple brisk walking can often qualify.

Don't worry excessively about cardio 'killing your gains' if your focus is strength and hypertrophy, as the interference effect is often overblown.

Avoid excessive total exercise volume (cardio + lifting) if your recovery capacity is already diminished (due to poor sleep, high stress, or large caloric deficit).

Don't rigidly adhere to one type of cardio; choose what you prefer and fits your schedule best for general health and weight management.

Common Questions

'Exercise snacks' are very short bouts of vigorous exercise repeated several times throughout the day, specifically designed to disrupt prolonged periods of sedentary time. They can involve cumulative exercise of less than one minute but improve cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiometabolic risk factors, and vascular health.

Topics

Step Counts METs Steady State Cardio

Mentioned in this video

Organizations

Stronger by Science email newsletter

Free resource for podcast listeners to support the show and receive content updates.

Stronger by Science coaching program

A virtual one-on-one coaching program offered by Stronger by Science.

Journal of the American Medical Association

A medical journal where the physical activity guidelines by Piercy and colleagues were likely published.

NFL Football Team

Used as an example to illustrate that professional athletes with high physical activity levels do not experience muscle wasting due to endurance training.

Books

Burn

A book by Herman Pontzer, which has become popular and relates to the constrained total energy expenditure model.

Studies & Research

Echococcus and colleagues

A six-part article series that rigorously debunks overblown claims about high-intensity exercise, with parts two and four already published.

Broski and colleagues

A sub-analysis from a larger study that investigated how different doses of cardio impact weight loss, reviewed by Dr. Eric Helms.

Islam and colleagues (2022)

A review paper highlighting the concept and science behind 'exercise snacks' for disrupting sedentary time and improving health.

Ainsworth and colleagues (2011)

Compendium of physical activities that provides MET levels for various activities.