Short 4 to 10 minute cardio sessions

might just be the missing switch your

body needs to start improving your

fitness. Now, I'm not claiming that

these micro cardio sessions will give

you the body of a Greek god. This is not

a secret hack. It won't give you a

ripped six-pack. What it could be is a

return to a more natural way of

integrating movement into our lifestyles

that helps to improve circulation,

energy levels, mindset, and bodily

rhythms so that everything else falls

into place. And it can give you so much

more energy and motivation in everything

that you do.

And it's obvious when you really think

about it.

Many people look at cardio as being

detrimental to muscle growth and only

somewhat useful for weight loss. Those

that aren't in the habit of demonizing

cardio, meanwhile, will often act like

it's only useful if you're dripping

piles of sweat at the end.

>> Micro

wave.

>> But cardio has countless other benefits,

and one of the most potent is what it

can do for your energy levels, both in

the short term and in the long term. If

you're someone who comes home from work

and collapses on the couch, who intends

to work out but finds themselves making

excuses because they just feel too

tired, then you might need this because

doing just 5 minutes of light cardio is

enough to turn your evening around

entirely. This could be 5 minutes of

jump rope in the garden, 5 minutes of

shadow boxing, or even just bouncing on

the spot gently or dancing around the

kitchen. Very often, what we think of as

being very tired or exhausted even is

actually just lethargy. We're tired

because we've been inactive, not because

we've exhausted ourselves. And that has

its own kind of momentum. This may or

may not coincide with reduced mood and

motivation even. 5 minutes of jump rope,

though, can change that instantly by

increasing cerebral blood flow, getting

blood and oxygen to your brain, and

thereby increasing focus and alertness.

It will also raise your core

temperature. And alertness is known to

track very closely to temperature. It

will put you in a slightly more

sympathetic state, meaning you'll

increase the production of excitatory

neurotransmitters like norepinephrine

and dopamine. This alongside feel-good

neurotransmitters like serotonin. You'll

also wake up the muscles and joints,

eradicating somato sensory amnesia and

lubricating the joints so you don't feel

stiff and slow. You'll be in a slightly

more fight orflight state, but

crucially, you won't overshoot it. Just

5 minutes of gentle cardio will ensure

you don't end up more exhausted than you

started. It's like a mini warm-up for

whatever it is you want to do. Not

necessarily exercise, but you know,

cooking or reading.

Likewise, these small doses are more

palatable. Even if you're really tired,

you should be able to bring yourself to

do just a bit of light jump rope or to

throw a few punches for 5 minutes. The

barrier is very low, but following that,

you'll have far more energy to direct

towards exercising fully later. I highly

recommend doing this whenever you feel

that slump in energy and motivation.

This change activity throughout the day

is what has made me more energetic and

productive as a parent on a constant

sleep deficit than I was when I was

young and carefree.

>> Micro

scope.

>> Oh, and a key added benefit of these

shorter workouts is that you don't sweat

too much. If you do 5 minutes of light

jump rope outside or with your top off,

you can do this without having to get

changed or shower. All this can

massively improve adurance. And there

are lots of ways you can fit in this

kind of training into your lifestyle.

Unlike a 40-minute run, you don't need

to leave the house for an hour or buy a

treadmill. You can just jog on the spot,

for example, or do skater hops. You can

also dance for 5 minutes or do shadow

boxing, something that's also great for

mobility and propriception. Kettle bell

swings are a brilliant option and even

high rep calisthenics can work this way.

Two sets of 100 push-ups will ramp up

the heart rate. Plus, you're getting

some muscle building benefits as well.

But the method I'm showcasing here, and

the one I recommend perhaps most highly,

is jump rope. Jump rope is easy for

anyone. It's fun. It can be done in your

front garden, and it offers other

benefits like skill development, timing,

ankle hysteresis, and more. I'm using

ropes from today's sponsor, Cross Rope.

Cross Rape make extremely highquality

ropes that feel incredible in the hand

thanks to their advanced spin mechanics

and perfectly ergonomic handles. They're

durable and last forever, and you don't

need to worry about them getting tangled

up. But there's way more to cross rope

than that. Thanks to their quick release

button, you can easily swap out

different ropes. Choosing weighted

ropes, for example, that will increase

energy expenditure and add a little

extra resistance for your upper body.

This also impacts on the speed of the

rope with the heavier options giving you

more breathing room to learn cool tricks

if that's your jam. Then there's the amp

handles that integrate with the mobile

app to count your jumps, track your

progress, and guide you through

workouts. This is perfect for gamifying

the process and helping you see

improvements over time. I tried getting

into jumping rope for years, but it was

my first set of crossroads that really

got me into it thanks to how great they

feel to use and how this improves the

whole experience. Get your own at the

link below and use code bionir to get

15% off your order.

>> Micro

pig.

>> But like I say, any form of cardio can

do the job. And you can even mix it up.

One of the simplest things I like to do

is jog mostly anywhere that I have to

walk. So, will these short bursts of

cardio make you ripped? No, not

directly. I don't want to make any wild

claims here. You'll use around 40

calories per micro session. And if you

manage to do three of them in a day,

that's 120 calories total. Over the

course of the week, it adds up to 840

calories. Not a lot, but not

inconsequential either. Epoch, or post

exercise oxygen consumption will also be

higher than doing a single longer cardio

session. This is the extra calories that

you use after you've finished exercising

while your heart rate is still elevated.

Doing three sessions instead of one

means this happens three times instead

of once. Now, you're only likely to be

using extra calories in single digits

post-workout, but I think it still

points to why this stuff is so

beneficial because each time you'll also

be increasing insulin sensitivity.

You'll be increasing muscle glucose

uptake. If there's a strength element,

you'll be slightly stimulating protein

synthesis, too. And again, we're keeping

it short enough to avoid significant

glycogen depletion, cortisol elevation,

or fatigue that might interfere with

other workouts later on.

micro

penis.

>> These short sessions wake up the body.

In other words, after long bouts of

sitting, if you're inactive for large

periods of the day, you're going to

struggle to see effects from just 1 hour

of compartmentalized exercise. This is

the missing piece of the puzzle for many

people struggling with body

recomposition. When I did personal

training, I specifically remember

coaching someone who was restricting

calories from her diet and getting lots

of exercise, but just wasn't losing

weight. Eventually, we realized that the

issue was that she was entirely inactive

the rest of the day. She caught the

train from just outside her door and got

dropped off right outside her office,

where she would then sit for hours on

end. Diet and working out can only do so

much to counteract an entirely sedentary

lifestyle. More important in many ways

is how active we are the rest of the

time. When walking, taking the stairs,

playing with kids, dancing around the

kitchen. The great thing about micro

cardio is it emulates a more active

lifestyle. It's more natural to be

moving a little throughout the day than

to barely move all day apart from one

extremely intense bout. This makes it

actually useful for body recomposition.

Not enough to be completely

transformative on its own, but a

wonderful tool that will augment diet

and exercise. And it could well be the

catalyst that gives you the energy and

drive to achieve your other fitness

goals. And it's through these same

mechanisms that we see amazing long-term

benefits from short bouts of cardio,

too. Especially when it comes to general

health. Many of us only move if we're

explicitly exercising. That sucks, guys.

>> Micro

nus prime.

Again, our body is meant to be moving

sporadically throughout the day. And by

having these short bouts of exercise, we

develop a great kind of cardio

readiness. We train ourselves through

practice to respond better to a sudden

increase in activity and to recover

better from that training. Heart rate

kinetics refers to how quickly the heart

rate rises when we start exercising and

how quickly it falls after. Developing

this is associated with better

cardiovascular efficiency and a lower

perceived exertion during tasks. This

could have positive knock-on effects for

heart rate variability. So, it's not

just exercising that's good for us, it's

starting exercise. And if you split your

workouts into smaller chunks, you're

starting exercise more often.

You may see improved vascular

responsiveness and endothelial function,

increased vascularization.

You could also see improved V2 kinetics,

the ability to rapidly increase oxygen

uptake to meet demand. That's not the

same as V2 max. You won't massively

improve your V2 max or be able to run

marathons as a result of this. But I

hope I've demonstrated that this isn't

the only benefit of cardio. And this

more precisely mimics the kinds of tasks

that we're faced with every day. Short

bouts of activity from cold, whether

it's running for the bus, playing with

kids, fixing the fence, or carrying the

shopping. It even echoes the way we move

in teen- based sports, running for short

periods before hanging back.

It's your ability to ramp up your system

and calm it back down that will make you

more focused and energized during these

sorts of tasks. And it's exactly what

we're training here. All that and better

health that may translate to more

longevity. Short duration cardio

performed five times, three times, or

even once a day can make a noticeable

difference in that regard.

>> Micro

machines.

Oh, and if you're looking for a training

program that is all about moving more

and feeling better through healthy

exercise, you should check out my ebook

and training program, Superfunctional

Training 3, Super Mover. This program is

built around short bodyweight sessions

that build a muscle and performance

while still leaving you enough energy to

practice skills and sports. Incorporates

cardio and keeps you moving in ways that

are fun and healthy.

It'll make you look and feel more

athletic and powerful. You can find it

in the link below and it's currently on

discount for January. Whatever you

decide, the main takeaway is to keep

moving throughout the day.

And to recognize the value of even small

amounts of cardio. It's like Slub 7

said, don't stop moving. Find your own

way to it. Deep stuff. Bye for now.

Micro

cardio.