First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes yes, it is true, you can lose fat by resistance training. But, are you maximizing your ability to lose fat? No. I understand the craze behind not having to do cardio… but in the long run, being lazy will never get you to where you want to be. & if you do get somewhere, it will not be near your top growth/development potential. I’m not saying run 5 miles every day or even do cardio daily. But it should be integrated, used as a tool for recovery & creating the proper environment to be in a deficit, which is needed for fat loss to occur. Also, did we forget about the cardiovascular system, chronic diseases, blood flow, oxygen delivery, conditioning your cardiovascular & respiratory system, longevity, & much more. With that being said, even if you are just trying to maintain or stay healthy, some form of aerobic fitness should be integrated. 

Let’s see what intensities work best for goal specifics:

What are the benefits/downfalls of moderate intensity cardio?

1. Fat Loss: It burns calories, helping create a caloric deficit. This is necessary for fat loss. 
2. Muscle Retention: When paired with a proper diet (adequate protein intake) and resistance training, moderate cardio is less likely to compromise muscle mass compared to excessive high-intensity or prolonged cardio sessions! Keep this in mind when deciding if you are in a deficit or surplus. If you are in a deficit & you are already training hard & hitting a low number of calories, be careful going into prolonged sessions of cardio. It can become catabolic & begin to breakdown muscle, especially if your body is demanding energy required for the activity that you do not have. 
3. Sustainability: Moderate-intensity cardio is often easier to sustain long-term because it’s less taxing on the body and joints in comparison to high-intensity workouts.
4. Recovery: It can serve as active recovery, improving blood flow without overexerting the body.
5. Keep in mind that you can overdo moderate intensity aerobic activity. This can lead to muscle loss, especially when paired with an inadequate caloric intake or lack of strength training.
6. Moderate intensity may not be as time-efficient as higher-intensity cardio for calorie burning. If you are someone with a busier schedule, I would recommend still doing cardio. But higher intensity might be more up your alley.

What are the benefits/downfalls Low-Intensity Steady-State (LISS) cardio:

1. Low stress on the body, preserves muscle, good for beginners or recovery.
2. The ability to use fat as a fuel source, due to its occurrence at lower intensities. This helps support fat loss when paired with a proper deficit. 
3. Way easier to recover from lower intensity aerobic fitness, due to its less demanding nature in comparison to moderate & high intensity. Low impact. 
4. Beginner friendly. Suitable for @ fitness levels. Can be done @ longer durations without an excessive amount of fatigue.
5. Improved cardiovascular health. Strengthening the heart, lungs, cardiovascular system & respiratory system, improving circulation & conditioning. Not to the extent of higher intensity cardio though. 
6. Promoting mental clarity due to its steady, repetitive nature. Stress reducing. 
7. Helps those who are aiming to maintain lean mass. It is the least likely to interfere with the muscle recovery process. With that being said, you still need to resistance training in order to maintain, as well as continue to grow/maximize hypertrophy. 
8. LISS is time consuming, requiring longer bouts & sessions. 30-60 minutes is a common window for LISS. Necessary for a higher caloric burning. 
9. Slower caloric burn in comparison to other intensities. Your body adapts quickly to steady-state cardio. This will reduce the effectiveness of it, unless you can progressively increase intensity or mix it up. Try not to do LISS every day, alternate it with moderate & high intensity intervals. 
10. Other downfalls like the risk of reaching a plateau, limited cardiovascular challenge, repetitiveness causing less adherence (you burnout quicker because it gets boring faster), &less EPOC or afterburn effect. 
11. This is great for those who are participating in active recovery, seeking low impact activity for rehabilitation, those who enjoy longer cardio sessions that are trying to lose weight, & beginners. As well as those trying to minimize a catabolic response to their musculature (maximize skeletal muscle retention). 

What are the benefits/downfalls High Intensity cardio? 

1. The most efficient for burning calories out of all of the other lower intensities. Shorter time requirement, making it ideal for those who are time stringent. 
2. Boosts in cardiovascular health. Increasing VO2max, which is short for "maximal oxygen uptake". It is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise. It is a key indicator of your cardiovascular fitness and overall aerobic capacity.
3. EPOC: post exercise caloric burn kicks in. After being stored to resting state, your body continues to stay in a caloric burning state. 
4. Muscle retention: Short bursts of high effort primarily use stored carbohydrates for fuel, sparing muscle tissue compared to prolonged low-intensity cardio.
5. These sessions last anywhere from 10-20 minutes, making them time efficient. They also help you put up numbers quickly (increased caloric burn). 
6. Mental toughness through the roof! It will challenge you not only physically, but mentally as well. Build better discipline & resiliency. 
7. Improving your sensitivity to insulin. Regular high-intensity workouts improve your body’s ability to process and store glucose, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
8. Higher risks of injury due to the explosive requirement during most high intensity activities. Movements like these can cause strain to the muscles, tendons, & joints. This is especially true of your form is terrible or you are compensating. 
9. Not quite suitable for everyone. More advanced, as well as those who it may be unsafe for them to participate. Joint issues, past health problems that could interfere (not always), etc. 
10. Possibility of losing muscle. It does generally spare muscle at a higher rate in accordance to steady-state cardio. But, too high of frequency weekly can contribute to muscle loss. Use it as a tool, don’t over use it!
11. It is necessary to recover more after participating in high-intensity cardio. Shocking the nervous system and muscles, requiring more recovery time. Overdoing it will lead to burnout/overtraining.
12. Excessive sessions without adequate rest can stress the cardiovascular system. This will increase  the risk of overtraining. Also, be cautious of doing the same HIIT style cardio too often, you will hit a plateau. 

Look, it is important to integrate cardio. But do not rely on it for fat loss. It is just a tool. You need to ensure that all components of training/recovery are locked in. 

• Ensure that you are properly resistance training 3-5or6 days a week (dependent on goals, experience level, etc.)
• Make sure you are doing 1-2 higher intensity cardio sessions a week. 2-3 sessions of moderate or LISS. This structure is truly dependent on your goals. You should be doing some sort of cardio @ least 3-5 days a week. I recommend mixing it up. You do not want to hit a wall & become stagnant!
• Do not overdo it. It will interfere with the recovery-growth process. Moderate or low-intensity options are safer if recovery is a concern.
• Stop believing you should not be doing cardio. 
• Eat & recover! If you are in a deficit, then be in a deficit. But just because you are cutting does not mean you need to go overboard with the cardio. The more you burn, the more you need to intake to ensure you are staying within your caloric range. 
• Reach out for more aerobic fitness & cardio recommendations. 

Cardio is essential for improving heart health, boosting endurance, and supporting fat loss. It strengthens your cardiovascular system, helping your body deliver oxygen efficiently during exercise and daily activities. Regular cardio reduces the risk of heart disease, lowers blood pressure, and enhances mental health. Combined with resistance training, it promotes balanced fitness and long-term wellness.