How Much Cardio Is Too Much? | An Elite Athlete’s Perspective

For me, it really depends on what kind of cardio we’re talking about. There’s cardio and then there’s high-impact, recovery-impeding cardio. The difference is night and day. – Rob Gronkowski

What’s going on Gronk Fitness,

Today, we’re talking about cardio and more specifically we’ll be discussing its merits as well as the “issues” that can arise from the mentality of “more is always better”.

Sure, sometimes when doing something is good, doing more of it can be even better. But that’s not the case with cardio. For the majority of people reading this, doing TOO MUCH cardio is probably not a concern as most of us tend to lead sedentary lives that don’t include much cardio to begin with. Therefore, even an hour of running DAILY, shouldn’t be a problem even if you’re doing that ON TOP of going to the gym a few times a week.

What Kind Of Cardio Is Recommended For Athletes

If you’re thinking jogging, running or getting on the elliptical machine, think again. An athlete always has to consider their ability to recover as well as their performance on the field or court the next day. Therefore, performing cardio that will hinder your ability to recover is not a good idea.

Running for example is generally great but if you consider the impact of running on your knees, hips and ankles, you’ll quickly realize that it’s not a viable long-term cardio strategy for an athlete that has high hopes.

So, we’re left with two kinds of cardio, depending on your individual goals.

If you’re trying to lose weight, get in shape and simulate real game conditions, then you need to go with High-Intensity Interval Cardio which alternates between high and low intensity intervals without hindering your ability to recover. If you want to find a class near your area, click HERE.

If you’re simply aiming to boost your cardiovascular health and reap all the other health benefits of cardio, then you absolutely need one of the following three: Gronk Edition WaterRower, Gronk Edition Jacobs Ladder, Gronk Edition Air Bike. And the reasoning behind using these three pieces of equipment is quite straightforward; they will all help you elevate your heart rate and keep it up there without destroying your joints since they use either air or water for resistance.

How Much Cardio Is Recommended For Athletes

That’s a great question and it really depends on your goals and your ability to recover. However, we don’t intend to leave you stranded. As a general guideline, an athlete ought to complete about 3 to 4 High Intensity Interval Training Sessions per week, as well as 1 or 2, low intensity, steady state cardio (biking, rowing, climbing) every week.

Now, while this might sound like a lot, it really isn’t. That’s because the Sports-Interval Training sessions only last 20 to 30 minutes (if that) and the LISS cardio sessions shouldn’t break the 40 minutes mark as well. If you think about it, we’re talking about two hours of total cardio per week, which is not much for an athlete.

Cardio: The Perfect Time To Get Your Mind Right

We’ve talked about adopting the right mindset for years now but now it’s more important than ever. If you go in your sport with the wrong mentality, you are going to fail. The same can be said about life itself. At the same time, doing your cardio is a relatively repetitive task and doesn’t require much of your mind. Therefore, why not use this time to wipe all the negative thoughts from your mind, make your goals clear and create a mindset of a winner while you’re working out?

Getting your mind right during long, boring cardio sessions is nothing new! Athletes have been doing it from the dawn of time and you know what? It works! Give it a try yourself and don’t stop at anything until success is in your hands.