Cut to Ribbons Without Cardio

I read the cover story about Ben Booker in the July ’10 IRON MAN and was particularly surprised that he maintains such low bodyfat year-round without doing a lick of cardio. When I had the chance to speak with him recently, Ben made it clear that it’s possible through a combination of his intense style of training, in which he takes all sets to failure, and a dedication to strict eating.

“I don’t eat junk food, and I don’t consume any alcohol,” he stated. Booker feels that if more people would make that same commitment, they would be a whole lot leaner while doing a whole lot less cardio.

“I see a lot of people using cardio to compensate for eating things they know they shouldn’t, as well as drinking on a fairly regular basis.” Not only would many of us be free from the drudgery of ample cardiovascular training, but chances are we would have more muscle to show for our efforts with the weights.

“Particularly for those with a fast metabolism like me, cardio makes it very difficult to gain or even maintain size,” says Ben.

So if you don’t particularly enjoy cardio—and most of us bodybuilders don’t—start thinking about simply eating cleaner and maintaining a faster workout pace with shorter rest periods between sets. You may find you don’t need anywhere near as much cardio as you think to be ripped, and you might also be pleasantly surprised to find yourself putting on new mass too. Sounds like a win-win situation to me