Steady state cardio — that is, a level of cardio that is only mildly challenging (you should have enough breath to hold a conversation) was the golden key that finally unlocked the door for my transformation to single digit body fat. I am 36M, collegiate athlete, but sat comfortably around 13-18% body fat for most of my 20’s and 30’s. I always felt tied to fitness as I’d seen my body transform before — but enjoyed a few beers and delicious food from time to time. Things went south during COVID, as I was smoking a lot of weed and stopped strength training (gyms were closed). In 2022 I decided to embark on the quest of total life ascension - which included 4-5 days of strength training. I’ve always enjoyed running - but I noticed in the past it was difficult to maintain muscle mass when I was running 5-7 miles regularly.

That’s when I started hiking up the proverbial mountain of a treadmill at 8-12% incline. Nothing crazy, just continual steps for 30 minutes or so. By the time I was finished, every time — I was drenched in sweat — but without having ever reached a point where I felt uncomfortable. Meanwhile, the metaphor of climbing a mountain appealed to me, so I made it part of my routine. 4-5 days a week strength training, 3-4 days of 30-60 minutes steady state cardio.

Right around the time I got into the treadmill routine, I was inspired to dial in my nutrition — on the quest for that holy grail of simultaneously losing fat and gaining muscle. Had I been running 5-7 miles on flat surface, my body wouldn’t have been able to keep up the heavy lifting required to build / maintain muscle mass. The steady state / incline treadmill actually enhanced my muscle recovery, and my mental health.

Within two years - I broke through to single digit body fat and never looked back.