Tired of doing endless miles and wondering if any of it is actually doing something? You’re not alone. Cardio is important, yes, but so silent you can’t tell if it’s paying off. If you cannot stand to do another minute of silent and exhausting work, perhaps it is time to try some loud training.

The Silent Killer

High blood pressure or hypertension is often called “The Silent Killer,” and for good reason. It, with other cardiovascular complications, is one of the largest contributors to disease, the health-care burden, and early death worldwide. The symptoms of very high blood pressure (180/120 mmHg or higher) are headaches, nausea, anxiety, and nosebleeds, to name a few. However, the symptoms of more moderate hypertension (140/90 mmHg or higher) are much more insidious. Indeed, the World Health Organization estimates that 46% of adults with hypertension are unaware of their condition.

According to the American College of Cardiology, the oldest known case of coronary artery disease is of an Egyptian princess from circa 1550 BC. The modern fixation with heart health began in the 1950s after President Eisenhower suffered a cardiac event, which rocked the whole world. This motivated doctors and scientists alike to study heart health, to understand the root causes to be able to prevent and cure heart disease.

A Short History of “Cardio”

Many protective factors were identified, including a diet low in salt, a low BMI, and low cholesterol, to name a few. However, the world decided to focus on one particular factor: cardiovascular fitness. Having a strong, well-trained heart means less risk for hypertension and other related cardiovascular issues. And besides, it is something you have control over. The way to train your cardiovascular system is, of course, Cardiovascular Training, or “cardio” for short. Thus, the cardio health craze was born.  

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Tons of low-intensity aerobic work to not only improve your heart health, but also to lose weight and “get toned.” This meant tons and tons of jogging, spinning, circuit training, and whatever else researchers and fitness industry professionals could come up with. Cardio became the default prescription for heart health – a quiet (and very popular) antidote to the silent killer.

The Silent Exercise

If high blood pressure is the silent killer because you can not feel it, then cardio is the silent exercise, because you have no idea if it is doing anything. If high blood pressure feels like nothing, then lowering your high blood pressure also feels like nothing.

Knowing what we know in 2025, most people do not stick with cardio for very long. The fact that it is silent makes it inherently unmotivating. It is not rare to meet someone who has done a marathon 10 years ago, and never run again. Furthermore, cardio for weight loss is extremely overrated. The calories-in-calories-out equation was heavily skewed incorrectly to the calories-out portion for a good while. People focused on increased exercise to outrun a bad diet, but with the advent of medication like semaglutide and other related substances, we know that the best and easiest way to lose weight is with diet and appetite control (a totally different essay).

What this all means is that even though you put in the miles, you most likely will not see or feel any physical changes in your body. Your heart will, of course, be healthier, but you will look and feel the same. Maybe that is good enough for you, but personally, I want to look and feel better with exercise.

Loud Training

The opposite of low-intensity long-duration cardiovascular work is high-intensity anaerobic resistance training, or in plain English, strength training. Because of the fascination with cardio, strength training fell out of favor. Resistance training would make you "bulky" and was generally seen as a lower form of exercise compared to cardio. It would take decades for researchers to recognize the benefits of strength training for health.

Contrary to cardio, resistance training will transform your body in a way that is impossible to miss. If you perform a proper strength training program, you will see changes within a couple of weeks. Ironically, you will need to eat more, not less, and you will gain weight, but still lose fat.

Incredible, I know. The usual experience is that after a few weeks, you will start to notice that your pants are snug around the thighs and hips but loose around the waist. An excellent sign that you are building muscle and losing fat. I usually do not tell my new clients this because it sounds too good to be true. It is much more fun for them to be pleasantly surprised, and once they see the very loud results, they are hooked on strength training.

Also, do not underestimate the cardiovascular component of strength training. After a heavy set of 5, you will be huffing and puffing, and most novices report that their cardio got better without even training for it. Though this will not be the case forever.

Combining Loud and Silent Exercise

Cardio will not make you much stronger, but resistance training will. Resistance training will also improve your cardio for many months if performed correctly. However, there comes a time when resistance training will not be enough for your cardiovascular health and you need more work capacity to do the loud and heavy work. The silent work doesn’t build visible muscle, but it supports the strength training behind the scenes.

The intermediate stage usually calls for more sets, and you will be huffing and puffing if you have previously neglected your cardio. While you can rest 15 minutes between your 5 sets of 5, it does not mean that you should, and besides, who has 3 hours to spend in the gym nowadays? At a certain point you need to be in shape to train.

As a healthcare professional and strength coach, I usually tell people the standard recommendation of 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity (roughly a heart rate of 100-130 BPM) aerobic work per week as a way to be in shape for their strength training, but also for general health. The modality does not matter, so long as your heart rate is elevated. Some options are brisk walking, on a treadmill or outside, heavy yard work, or whatever else you can think of to get your heart rate up. Everything works and everything counts. It is also possible to substitute your dedicated aerobic work for steps, and 7000-11000 steps a day is the equivalent of 150-300 minutes a week of moderate aerobic work.

Practical Guidelines

The novice lifter who has never touched a barbell will start off by just doing their strength training 3 days a week. At this point, there is no need to think about cardio as the strength training itself is significantly more work than the trainee is used to, and it will improve aerobic capacity all on its own.

A lifter with a sedentary lifestyle should aim to increase their daily step count after the first few weeks of strength training. At least 7000 steps a day is a very realistic goal and should really serve as a baseline minimum, and even 11000 steps a day is very unlikely to impact the lifter’s strength training negatively. However, as the lifter progresses, continues to lead a particularly sedentary lifestyle, or requires additional aerobic conditioning for their sport, incorporating formal cardio may become beneficial.

There is no need to overdo it, especially with running, since the impact on the legs can interfere with strength training. You would ideally do some type of low-impact exercise like cycling, rowing, assault bike or sled pushing. 30 minutes a week (perhaps as 10 minutes 3 times a week) at a heart rate of roughly 120 BPM is plenty to start off with. Carefully titrate it up over time, and remember to keep the goal the goal. There is no need to add more conditioning if it does not improve your strength training, your health, or your sport.

Silent cardio for heart and overall health is great, but it is inherently unmotivating. In contrast, loud strength training will make you stronger, look better, feel better, and improve your cardio. But not forever. As you approach the intermediate stage, it may be a good idea to incorporate moderate aerobic exercise and/or steps for both health and strength performance. So if you want to have a healthy heart, be strong, and look as good as you feel, you should combine loud and silent exercise.

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