# Guerilla cardio



## xtrustisyoursx (Jun 2, 2009)

Anyone have any experience with using guerilla cardio (tabata sprints) to lose weight? I've kind of started it, and it's kicking my butt! Just wanted to make sure that butt-kicking is worthwhile.


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## Tiger (Jun 3, 2009)

May require a bit of explaining.


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## ShadyDavey (Jun 3, 2009)

It looks absolutely brutal. 

A warm-up period of 4 minutes at 50% of maximum effort followed by four sets of :

20 second sprint
10 seconds rest 
20 second sprint
10 second rest

Finished with 3 minutes of a cool-down at 50% of maximum effort again, all performed before breakfast to get the maximum possible fat-burning results.

As usual the caveat is that unless you're already in shape just take it easy until you can handle the exertion levels (this is the same workout that apparently put olympic-level speed skaters on their backs). 

Looks worthwhile, I don't know any more about it than that. Is it working?


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## Tiger (Jun 3, 2009)

Those 'olympic level speed skaters' must be really out of shape because its not a particularly hard sounding workout, even by High School girls track standards.


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## ShadyDavey (Jun 3, 2009)

It doesn't sound particularly difficult - 12 mins of aerobic activity even at those sorts of levels isn't insane. That said, I think its a fairly new innovation and perhaps its actually deceptively hard.

*shrug*


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## Tiger (Jun 3, 2009)

You went from 'It looks absolutely brutal' to 'It doesn't sound particularly difficult' in two posts. 

And theres nothing innovative about it at all. If what you described is all there is to it then its basic interval training.

Slapping an edgy name like 'Guerilla Cardio' (What that name has to do with the workout I have no idea) on it doesnt make it unique or more effective. People have been running sprints forever.


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## ShadyDavey (Jun 3, 2009)

It does look brutal from one angle but its one of those excercises that as I said, could be completely deceptive and is of course dependant on HOW HARD you sprint. A flat out 200m sprint (or however far you can cover in 20 seconds) followed by a 10 second rest...then another sprint....if I sauntered thats fine, if I went for it I would be on my chinstrap at the end - heck, even before then tbh. 

Its essentially what I know as Shuttle Runs/Interval training (Fartlek in a basic form) and hey - an I didn't think of the name. Its just some grunt slapping a cool tag on it and running round in M65 trousers/Cam Cream in order to promote it.


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## klutvott (Jun 3, 2009)

I do something like that on a exercise bike. Works for me. Went down from 105kg to 87kg.


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## God Hand Apostle (Jun 4, 2009)

I actually have the "Muscle Media" magazine that featured the "Guerrilla Cardio" workout from like 2000 or 2001. Never did it because I was always a "distance" type.

Here ya go: 
http://www.cs.unm.edu/~wneumann/files/guerilla_cardio.pdf
Internet...wow!


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## Tiger (Jun 8, 2009)

I forgot you sent those!

Unfortunately I dont think theres much in that article for me. Im at the point where its just about doing more more more, my first goal is to do ten sets of 100 in a day, then move up towards 2000.

I can do over a thousand a day easily as it is, but thats in sets of 50 or so. Its not the same doing 100's.

Enough of my BS though, tabata exercise does work, thats for sure, but its just that. Not *Guerrilla Cardio!*


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