Well, the simple answer to this is NO. Whilst you don’t have to do cardio to lose weight those dreaded cardio sessions that you really do not want to do, cardio sessions will help you train harder, faster and then ultimately obtain the results you want. I will not delve too much into science but for those who know a thing or two about human biology think about moving blood around the body. I know I have contradicted my self here but you if you use cardio as an active recovery day this is how you get it in without feeling like you need to spend hours on the treadmill.
But if you really do not want to do cardio you then need to look at your programming. Is your program going to be intense enough for you to improve not only your strength and muscle mass and your cardiovascular fitness at the same time? Did you know this is possible?
The answer to this is that you can improve your cardio fitness without having to slog it out on the treadmill. Leave cardio outside the gym, go for a hike so much better than running and fantastic for active recovery. This is how we do it.
Change your weights program. Doing barbell squats with good form 45secs with a shorter rest your heart rate will be up or not racking the bar between sets and not having a rest time that is longer will do the same thing.
Your program might look something like this:
Legs, Tris, Calves
BB Squats 5 Sets of 10 @ 65% 10RM rest 20secs Tempo 412x
BB Squats 3 Sets to Failure @ 65% 10RM rest 60secs Tempo 412x
Leg Press 3 Sets to Failure @ 65% 10RM rest 60secs Tempo 412x
Leg Extension 3 Sets to Failure @ 65% 10RM rest 60secs Tempo 412x
Tricep Pushdown 5 Sets of 10 @ 65% 10RM rest 20secs Tempo 412x
Tricep Pushdown 3 Sets to Failure @ 65% 10RM rest 60secs Tempo 412x
Skull Crushers 3 Sets to Failure @ 65% 10RM rest 60secs Tempo 412x
Tricep Dips 3 Sets to Failure @ 65% 10RM rest 60secs Tempo 412x
Calf Raises 5 Sets of 10 @ 65% 10RM rest 20secs Tempo 412x
Calf Raises 3 Sets to Failure @ 65% 10RM rest 60secs Tempo 412x
DB Squat Cleans 10 Sets of 10 @ 50% 10RM rest 60secs
Your heart rate will be through the roof and felt like you have done a cardio session. The key here is Volume at intensity. (You will have an amazing pump as well.)
These workouts are not for the non-committed though. You need to be committed and make the program work for you. Having the assistance of a trainer or being held accountable via an online program is the best way to have success with this program.
