Go to any commercial gym, and the most common thing you’ll see is cardio — cardio, cardio, cardio.

Don’t get me wrong: cardio has enormous benefits. You’ll see improvements in fat loss, heart health, and endurance for your sport (or in the bedroom). But too much can sap your strength gains, muscle mass, and wreck your physique gains. Also, you need more variety than just the treadmill, stationary bike, and elliptical for your go-to cardio machines.

How much is “too much?” What’s the worst form of cardio? And just what the heck should we be doing? For this roundtable, we quizzed four of the top fitness experts to give you the best answers to boost your cardio, crush your training, and get the body you want.

As always, if you have any questions/comments, leave them below and we’ll help!

For Cardio, Guys Do Far Too Much ____________

Tony Gentilcore

Thinking that running is all they need to train their legs. You need progressive overload, not pavement.

Jeremey DuVall

High-intensity cardio. I’ve never met a guy that walked too much, but I have had to tell guys to tone down the Insanity-esque workouts.

Sean Hyson

Jogging. Unless you want to run a marathon, you don’t need to run for an hour multiple days per week.

Marc Perry

Biceps exercises. The biceps is a very small muscle group and it’s absurd how many sets some guys to for biceps!

What Is The Best Type Of Cardio For Fat Loss?

Tony Gentilcore

I actually like doing more bodyweight/mobility/activation type circuits that address one’s weaknesses and imbalances. I can do something like:

A1. Goblet Squat x10
A2. Yoga Plex x5/side
A3. TRX Row x10
A4. Pallof Press x 10/side
A5. Kettlebell Swing x10

Perform in circuit fashion with as little rest as possible in between, then rest 45-60s at the end. Perform 3-5 circuits.

And achieve an effective stimulus where they elevate their heart rate, but not elicit all the wear and tear that comes with traditional cardio.

However, assuming someone is fit enough and doesn’t have any contraindications, I think standard sprints or stadium sprints are the bees knees.

Jeremey DuVall

A combination of HIT training with multiple low-level cardio sessions (45 min walks) throughout the week.

Sean Hyson

I think interval training is the best when you consider how little time it takes. Although I do like aerobic work for long periods (walking, not jogging) done regularly.

Marc Perry

I think high intensity interval training, and in particular, sprinting. Your entire body is working intensely to propel yourself forward. It’s also a very natural form of exercise that has a functional purpose. A less high impact form of cardio that’s very easy on the joints would be swimming sprints.

True Or False (And Why): No Cardio While Bulking

Marc Perry

False. I think some cardio will help the strength and muscle building workouts significantly. If you are in terrible cardio shape, your workouts are not going to be as intense as they could be. It’s that simple. So once there is a baseline of cardiovascular capacity which may be reached with or without cardio, then strength workouts can be maximized.

Tony Gentilcore

False. I think some is okay. The key word is some. You can’t “bulk” and then go out and run ten miles because you’re scared to lose your abs.

I actually encourage more people to get up early and go for walks in the AM. Grab your iPod, put on a podcast, and walk for 25-30 minutes.

If someone still has an aesthetic bias, I’m not opposed to tossing in 1-2 movement based or GPP days during the week.

Jeremey DuVall

False unless they’re an extreme hardgainer. There is such a thing as limited cardio. When people do absolutely no cardio, they typically get fat and lose all ability for work capacity training. I think one or two sessions of 20 minutes is a fair amount when bulking.

Sean Hyson

False. Your heart still needs exercise and it won’t cut into your mass gains that much if you’re eating a ton.

The Most Ineffective Method Of Cardio Is __________

Sean Hyson

Anything where you’re locked into a machine that does the work for you.

Tony Gentilcore

Slooooooooow, drawn-out, please-someone-sparta-kick-me-in-the-face-make-it-stop steady state cardio.

Jeremey DuVall

I’m going to say long-distance running but not for the typical reasons. I love running, and I do it to this day despite everyone bashing endurance athletes. The problem is in moderation. Running 10 miles every day is not effective unless you’re an ultra endurance athlete. Your form of cardio should match your goals so the most ineffective method of cardio is going to be goal-dependent (i.e. sprints are ineffective for marathon training while marathon training is ineffective for gaining weight).

Marc Perry

Walking on a flat surface from the perspective of improving aerobic capacity. It’s healthy to move, and it’s very healthy to walk, but it’s not going to move the needle much for someone who is already in shape to get in better shape. Walking up stairs, or a hill would be more effective. For people who are very old, walking may provide more cardiovascular benefit, but not someone who is young and healthy. More strenuous exercise will do the trick.

If You Could Only Ever Do One Form Of Cardio, What Would It Be?

Marc Perry

Sprinting for sure. Sprinting requires lunging, twisting, and pushing off the back leg, so many movement patterns are at play. It’s also very high intensity and functional.

Tony Gentilcore

Stadium sprints. They kick your ass, and they’re VERY knee friendly, as they’re less of a decelerative component to them.

I’m lucky in that I live in Boston and Harvard’s football stadium is like three miles from my apartment. My girlfriend and I will go there on Sundays and spend a good 20-30 minutes performing stadium sprints.

Sean Hyson

Sprints.

Jeremey DuVall

Surprisingly, run. I like to think when I’m running and it allows me to get out and explore as well.