Cardio exercise provides an abundance of health benefits for the mind and body. Sam Sulek says the “only downside to doing cardio is the fact that you have to do it.” In this article, we’ll discuss Sam’s top tips for staying on top of your cardio.
Why You Should Do Cardio
Cardio is short for “cardiovascular”. The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries. This system is responsible for pumping blood to the various part of the body. It also supplies your body's organs with oxygen and nutrients so they can function efficiently.
Performing regular cardio exercise improves cardiovascular health. It strengthens your heart and helps it more efficiently pump blood throughout the body. It can also lower blood pressure, and lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels in the blood. In addition, it helps regulate insulin levels and lower blood sugar.
Cardio is a great tool for losing bodyfat due to it burning more calories throughout the day. Results can be further increased by combining regular cardio with eating in a calorie deficit. Other benefits include better sleep, improved mood, and increased cognitive function.
Sam Sulek utilizes cardio for its cardiovascular benefits as well as the benefits that relate to bodybuilding. Talking about its benefits Sam Sulek says: “You have a better metabolism, you’re going to be able to go harder in the gym just because you won’t be so winded – you’ll be able to take a set further because you’re going to be able to reoxygenate your blood more efficiently.”
He uses cardio as a tool for both bulking and cutting stating that: “In a bulking context you’re going to be able to eat more food without putting on so much bodyfat and the same thing in a cutting context – you’ll be able to eat more food and lose the same amount of bodyfat.”
In one of his videos Sam discusses the benefits of cardio and claims that “everyone should have an exercise bike or treadmill at home for cardio.”
The Different Types of Cardio
The form of exercise known as “cardio” increases your heart rate and ensures blood is pumped around the body. There are many different types of cardio exercise which vary in intensity. Walking for example is a low intensity form or cardio. Other forms of cardio include biking, swimming, skipping, boxing, tennis, basketball or soccer. Essentially, any exercise that increases the heart rate is a form of cardio.
You can tailor the intensity of the cardio to suit you. For example, 45 minutes of brisk walking on a treadmill or outside is considered as LISS (low intensity steady state cardio) as your heart rate will stay a similar rate throughout. Using an exercise bike on the same speed setting and maintaining a steady intensity throughout would also be considered as LISS cardio. However, if you varied the speed and intensity for periods using an exercise bike this would provide a more intense workout and your heart rate would increase and decrease throughout. This is a high intensity form of cardio which is also known as HIIT (high intensity training).
HIIT takes more of a toll on the cardiovascular system and should only be performed 3-4 times per week, whereas LISS is less taxing on the body and can be performed every day.
How Sam Sulek does Cardio
Sam Sulek performs cardio in a similar fashion to his weight sessions using high intensity. For the most part he uses a seated exercise bike at home in the kitchen. He performs 30 minutes at a high, consistent pace, and he aims to do cardio every day of the week regardless of if he’s bulking or cutting.
The Youtube sensation states his preference to use the seated bike over other methods of cardio saying: “I don’t feel I’m missing out by not doing the Stairmaster. I feel like the Stairmaster is just so f#cking hard. Burning the hell out of my glutes. Seated bike is the way to go for me.”
Sam Sulek is an advocate for doing cardio at home rather than at the gym, he says: “If your concern about doing the daily cardio is just the fact you don’t want to drive to the gym - then do cardio in the house. It’s the perfect solution.”
There are numerous benefits of doing cardio at home. It helps you save time by not having to travel to the gym, and you can do it at a time of day that suits your schedule. Plus, exercise bikes don’t take up much room. There are even foldable exercise bikes available if you are limited for space in the house.
In terms of speed and resistance when using the bike, Sam says his basic plan is to “sit down, peddle, and put it on a difficulty where it says that it’ll burn 300 calories in half an hour.”
He continues: “I’m not saying that 300 calories in half an hour is the best method, but that’s how I go about it.”
Sam doesn’t place much importance on whether he performs cardio in an unfasted or fasted state. When talking about his cardio he said: “Ideally every morning. Fasted or unfasted. Really, I couldn’t care less. I’ll do it fasted when I’m cutting just because I don’t want to eat a bunch of food right now. I want to save it for at least a little bit later in the day.”
What’s the Best Time to do Cardio?
Sam Sulek performs cardio at home on a morning at least 3-4 hours before a weight session. He says that performing cardio straight before or after a weight session is “out of the question” for him. Sam states that “right in the morning is your best bet.”
He explains: “Worst scenario is doing cardio right before training. Just because you’re about to lift weights, you’re about to push your body to the limits for the most part if you’re actually doing hard sets. So, how could it do you any good to pre-exhaust yourself?”
“You could do the cardio directly after the workout, but if you do that I feel like you’re limiting the ability to recover from the lift. Once I’m done lifting the only thing I want to do is come home and chill.”
“You could do it at night on a separate trip to the gym. Let’s say you lifted earlier. Maybe you lifted right in the morning. I don’t really love that either.”
Sam says that if he’s training later in the day, he aims to do his cardio on a morning at the very minimum 3-4 hours before the weight session. This gives him time to eat and rest to replenish the energy he’s expended during cardio before he heads to the gym. Ideally, he aims for 6-7 hours between his morning cardio session and his gym session.
Although Sam optimizes the time he performs his cardio he says that “the real worst-case scenario is not doing it at all.”
Summary
Sam Sulek aims to do cardio exercise every day whether he is in a cutting or bulking phase. He uses a seated exercise bike at home and performs 30 minutes at a relatively high intensity in terms of speed and resistance. He attempts to maintain this pace throughout.
The Youtube star prefers to do cardio at home as it saves driving to and from the gym twice in a day. To ensure his energy levels are replenished he performs cardio in the morning at least 3-4 hours before a weight session. Ideally, he aims for 6-7 hours before his gym session.
What are Sam’s final thoughts on cardio? He says: “Is it really that hard? I’m not inclined to believe so.” Sam’s spoken ladies and gentlemen – do your cardio!
Check out some of Sam Sulek's most inspiring quotes here.
