Muscle Gain Cardio Recommendations

[MAD-DUKE]

High intensity interval training with a 1:5-1:8 work to rest ratio. 10-25 seconds on the "work" interval. My modality preferences from "best" to "least best" are as follows:

1) Wingate
2) Prowler/Sled
3) Rower or airdyne
4) Car pushes/pulls
5) elliptical
6) sprinting
7) CrossFit

GODS !! Last time I was here I was trying to get this very answer out of you for my cardio training... Here I log in at random still wondering the same thing and here it is... Thank you as always !!... BTW why why why isn't your book released yet !??!? Take my money already :-P

Oh ya so how long of a total workout would be best without hindering intermediate gains but still getting the most out of the calorie burn? 30 minutes total time?

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Where would going balls out on a road bike be? With the weight, balance, and speed I could see it being pretty good especially if you have some hills. But then you can't adjust the resistance so maybe comparable to sprinting?

Yea it's pretty good for sure. As far as how much your intensity is altered by having a very real chance of falling vs. a stationary cycle being idiot proof, I'm not sure.

Sprinting is low on your list. I recall reading that eccentric loading is one disadvantage of sprinting. Would stairs rank higher, because of (I assume) less eccentric loading than sprinting on flat ground? FWIW, I've been been sprinting stairs hard at 8 rounds of 20s:100s work:rest. I'd rather have a prowler, but stairs be free.

Eh, yea they are somewhere between sprinting and elliptical. There is still quite a bit of pounding on running stairs and for the uninitiated I worry about achilles and foot injuries, but they are pretty good overall.

Hello Jordan the Wingate/Watt bike as far as I can tell is a cycle. Is it the specific nature of the cycling motion that makes it your best choice or is it more to do with the precise control you get over resistance etc? I'm asking because I cycle to work, and there are hills that I could sprint. My current strategy is treadmill intervals and hills sprints, which are way down your list.

Both the specific nature (lack of eccentric) and lack of impulse/ground reactive forces makes cycling relatively easy on the joints/easy to push the intensity with less relative risk of injury than other modalities. Some data shows it's superiority to treadmill work given the same time spent doing each.

GODS !! Last time I was here I was trying to get this very answer out of you for my cardio training... Here I log in at random still wondering the same thing and here it is... Thank you as always !!... BTW why why why isn't your book released yet !??!? Take my money already :-P

Oh ya so how long of a total workout would be best without hindering intermediate gains but still getting the most out of the calorie burn? 30 minutes total time?

Start low volume and titrate as necessary. I generally start people at 5-7 rounds initially and go from there.

[vanslix]

Where would going balls out on a road bike be? With the weight, balance, and speed I could see it being pretty good especially if you have some hills. But then you can't adjust the resistance so maybe comparable to sprinting?

I've found I can go more balls to the wall and torch my quads and lungs on a stationary bike. I'm that sense, that probably fits HIIT cardiopulmonary workload required better. Conversely, I've found more of a total aspect on my mountain bike. Going head over handlebars is a bitch and warrants avoiding. So your entire CNS and mental focus is playing into it, as well. It's also just more fun to go outside in my opinion.

[MAD-DUKE]

A nice Watt bike or similar would work, but yea they are pricey. I have a C2 and really like it FWIW

Im not sure if this falls under the same category or similar, but i was trying to decide between getting a cycle ergometer, C2, watt, or Prowler/Sled for efficiency versus price.
Is there a way you can list your items again by How superior they are?

Something like
Wingate is 3 times better for cardio conditioning then Prowler Sled option.

If the differences between Prowler/Sled to Wingate is very minor then it seems from a cost perspective that Prowler/Sled dominates.
However if I am losing out on 25% more effectiveness or more... then I really have to start to seriously consider wingate.

C2 or Watt bike is this as good as wingate or on par with Prowler Sled?

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Hard to say if I could quantify it, especially without data outside my own experiences. That said, I'd say a WattBike or Wingate bike are ~3x greater than a prowler simply because I think people are more likely to use the bike vs the prowler, you don't have to "set up" a bike, take it outside (weather!) and neighbors don't give a shit if you're doing HIIT at 10pm unless you're using a prowler or sled.

That said, for overall training variation I'd prefer a prowler or sled for all the things you can do with them that you can't do on a bike (face pulls, rows, pull thrus, etc).

I think a Watt bike is about the same as a wingate, tbh.

[wk105]

What do you think of the 6 second peak power test on the Watt bike vs. the SJV as a way to test genetic potential for explosiveness?

[ColoWayno]

Jordan, I've noticed that it's much easier to get to my max HR on an inclined treadmill than on a bike (no Wingate, just regular sprinting). I don't know if that's a good or bad thing really, but do you think that's generally true? I have tried doing ghetto wingates but I wasn't focused on HR at the time.

[tnumrych]

Hard to say if I could quantify it, especially without data outside my own experiences. That said, I'd say a WattBike or Wingate bike are ~3x greater than a prowler simply because I think people are more likely to use the bike vs the prowler, you don't have to "set up" a bike, take it outside (weather!) and neighbors don't give a shit if you're doing HIIT at 10pm unless you're using a prowler or sled.

That said, for overall training variation I'd prefer a prowler or sled for all the things you can do with them that you can't do on a bike (face pulls, rows, pull thrus, etc).

I think a Watt bike is about the same as a wingate, tbh.

Jordan, lets say an individual is on a budget that does not allow purchasing a Wingate (~$3000), or a Wattbike (cheapest I could find was ~$1600 on Ebay). However, an Airdyne or (~$400) or a heavy flywheel spin bike is within said budget. With consideration to "more likely to use the bike vs the prowler, you don't have to "set up" a bike, take it outside (weather!) and neighbors don't give a shit if you're doing HIIT at 10pm unless you're using a prowler or sled.", which one would you recommend?

[MBasic]

Sprinting is low on your list. I recall reading that eccentric loading is one disadvantage of sprinting. Would stairs rank higher, because of (I assume) less eccentric loading than sprinting on flat ground? FWIW, I've been been sprinting stairs hard at 8 rounds of 20s:100s work:rest. I'd rather have a prowler, but stairs be free.

Sprints OR Hill sprints? I like hill sprints myself, up a slight incline, not really a hill.
The increased grade slows you down enough to where you can't crazy fast (less LIKELY to pull something, but can happen). The "eccentric componet" seems to be minimal to me, Hill Sprints don't really make me sore (or barely so). . . .anymore.

I think Hill Sprints and the Prowler are the better than fast biking IMO. Sprints you do actually use your whole body, your back and core has to tense up, you have to swing your arms pretty hard. Prowler to use your arms, shoulders, etc . . .the core is engaged. More total energy being used, all at once.

[Derf123]

I think people on WattBikes tend to be better than people on Wingates - at least I heard so.