If the thought of pounding the treadmill doesn't appeal, 'bardio' might sound like the perfect solution. Short for barbell cardio, the training method uses a barbell to elevate your heart rate while simultaneously challenging your muscular endurance.
Despite the new name, however, the concept isn't particularly novel. Bardio is essentially a catchy term for barbell complexes, a method that's long been used in strength and conditioning programmes to build work capacity.
What Is Bardio?
Bardio involves performing several barbell exercises back-to-back with little or no rest. Typically, you'll use the same barbell throughout the entire sequence, moving from one exercise straight into the next before resting at the end of the round.
A bardio workout could look something like this:
- 12 Deadlifts
- 10 Bent-Over Rows
- 8 Hang Cleans
- 6 Front Squats
- 4 Push Presses
Pick a weight you could comfortably press overhead for around 10 reps, complete the exercises back-to-back, then repeat for a 20-30-minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible), resting when necessary.
The weight should be relatively light – certainly much lighter than you'd use for traditional strength work. Because you're using the same load across several different exercises, you'll need to choose your weight based on the movement you're weakest at.
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What Are the Benefits of Bardio?
Stringing together big compound exercises with minimal rest keeps your muscles working continuously while sending your heart rate skywards.
A study published in Frontiers in Physiology, which compared compound and isolation exercises, found that multi-joint exercises produced greater improvements in cardiovascular fitness and VO₂ max. That makes barbell complexes a useful option for improving work capacity and muscular endurance while packing plenty of conditioning into a relatively short session.
Don't expect bardio to completely replace your regular strength or cardio sessions, though. The lighter loads and accumulating fatigue mean you won't be able to lift anywhere near the weights you would during conventional strength training.
Think of it as conditioning performed with strength exercises rather than a shortcut that allows you to tick off all of your strength and cardio work at once.
Does Bardio Actually Count as Cardio?
Bardio will certainly challenge your cardiovascular system. Perform enough squats, cleans and presses without putting the bar down and you'll quickly notice your heart rate and breathing increase.
But getting your heart rate up doesn't necessarily mean you're receiving exactly the same training stimulus as you would from traditional cardio.
Aerobic exercise typically relies on continuous, repetitive and rhythmic movements such as running, cycling, swimming or rowing, allowing you to sustain an elevated heart rate and oxygen demand for longer periods.
With bardio, muscular fatigue and the technical demands of the exercises are more likely to become the limiting factors. Your shoulders might give out during push presses or your grip could fade during rows long before your cardiovascular system has received the sustained stimulus it would during a run or ride.
That's why bardio is perhaps better viewed as conditioning with a cardiovascular component, rather than a replacement for dedicated cardio.
If improving your aerobic fitness is the goal, you'll still want some repetitive, rhythmic cardiovascular exercise in your programme. But if you enjoy lifting and want to improve your work capacity and muscular endurance while getting your heart rate up, bardio can be a useful addition.
So, despite what the name suggests, don't hang up your running shoes just yet. Use bardio alongside your aerobic training, not instead of it.
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Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.
