심장 강화 운동에 대한 조언은 혼란스러울 수 있습니다. 특히 인터넷이 관련될 때 더욱 그렇습니다. Is working at a lower intensity a waste of time? Does walking count as cardio? How much HIIT is too much? All that noise is precisely why health consultant and Nike Master Trainer Joe Holder—who has previously worked with high-profile clients including Bella Hadid—says it might be time to rethink what cardio actually means.
“The term ‘cardio’ has become very broad and almost vague, whereas ‘conditioning’ asks a more useful question:how well is your cardiovascular system prepared to meet the different energy demands of life and training?” says Holder.
“When you look at it through that lens, you start to realize there are low-, moderate- and higher-intensity demands that we experience physically. Each intensity creates different adaptations in the body, but they all serve to feed each other if balanced appropriately.”
그는 이 프레임이 추측을 없애기 때문에 도움이 된다고 덧붙였습니다.
“Instead of simply saying, ‘I’m going to do cardio’, you can be more intentional and say, ‘I’m doing this type of conditioning at this intensity because I’m trying to improve this specific quality’.”
In other words, we need to view conditioning in three broad tiers, advises Holder:lower intensity, medium intensity and high intensity.
That’s where the 3-2-1 formula comes in.
"강도가 낮을수록 더 많은 활동을 할 수 있습니다. 따라서 일주일에 세 번의 저강도 세션을 생각해 보세요."라고 그는 말합니다.
“Lower-intensity conditioning is your Zone 1 and Zone 2 work—the type of steady-state movement you can sustain for longer periods of time, such as brisk walking, cycling, easy jogging and hiking.”
“Research suggests this type of training is particularly effective for improving aerobic efficiency [how well your body converts cardiovascular effort into speed or power], mitochondrial function [how cells generate energy], fat oxidation, cardiovascular health and recovery capacity,” adds Holder.
“It also tends to create less fatigue, which means people can generally perform it more frequently while still supporting strength training and body recomposition goals.”
한편, 중간 강도의 컨디셔닝은 "도전적이지만 전면적인 것은 아닙니다".
홀더는 1-10의 노력 척도에서 일반적으로 6-8 정도라고 말합니다.
“This is where intervals often come into play, like working hard for two to four minutes followed by a recovery period. It essentially helps teach the body how to sustain harder efforts more efficiently over time.”
High-intensity conditioning, then, edges towards an all-out effort, says Holder.
“Supermaximal interval training pushes even beyond that feeling through very short bursts of maximal work—think sprint intervals, assault bike efforts, hill sprints or explosive circuits.”
This type of conditioning is crucial, with research showing these methods “can significantly improve VO2 max, insulin sensitivity, anaerobic capacity, speed and power output in a relatively time-efficient way”.
However, “they also create the greatest recovery demand and can interfere with your goals or recovery if overused”, so moderation matters.
The idea of the 3-2-1 formula is to complete three lower-intensity, two medium-intensity and one high-intensity session each week, although you can adapt it depending on your schedule, goals and fitness level.
"핵심은 각 계층에 역할이 있다는 것을 이해하는 것입니다."라고 홀더는 말합니다.
“If body recomposition is the goal, there are two things to think about:training stress and nutrition,” says Holder.
“Most people either only do low-intensity cardio or constantly push high intensity, but the science increasingly supports a more balanced approach.”
If you’re doing too much exercise and not recovering properly, you can push your body into an overly stressed state.
“If the body feels chronically stressed, exhausted or under-recovered, people often stop responding well to the workouts they’re doing.”
그렇기 때문에 홀더는 시작할 때 점진적으로 구축할 것을 권장합니다.
“Strength gains, muscle development, hormonal balance and fat loss all rely on the body’s ability to recover and recalibrate over time,” he says. 신체 재구성에는 올바른 균형을 찾는 것이 중요합니다.
And don’t forget nutrition.
“Body recomposition is not always about aggressively cutting calories. It’s about understanding the actual goal. Are you primarily trying to gain muscle, lose fat or do a bit of both? From there, you need to nourish appropriately to support that outcome.”
Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK . An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist . 그녀는 특히 스포츠, 운동, 웰빙에 대한 접근성을 높이기 위해 지역사회 내에서 일하는 사람들과 인터뷰하는 것을 즐깁니다. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. 달리기를 좋아하는 Hannah는 어려서부터 단거리 선수였지만(멀리뛰기도 즐김) 이후 장거리 달리기로 전환했습니다. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.