While I posted my initial Visual Impact Cardio Review a couple months ago, having recently completed the program I can now offer a more complete assessment of some of the highs and lows. Unfortunately I can’t provide a full overview of results since I was using the program to limit fat gain while trying to add muscle. Frankly, given my goals, I could have shelved Visual Impact Cardio until a later time and just adjusted my diet accordingly. However, I was excited to test out a new routine and see if it lived up to the high standards that Rusty Moore set with Visual Impact Muscle Building and Visual Impact for Women.
Background
As I mentioned, my goals in undertaking this program were vastly different than most. The majority of people will utilize this routine to lose a significant amount of fat. I chose to use Visual Impact Cardio to improve my overall fitness level while allowing my diet to be flexible. Ultimately, I was using my strength training and diet to add mass while using Visual Impact Cardio to limit any gains in fat. As you’ll see from the graph below, I increased my weight while only gaining a little fat. In that respect, Visual Impact Cardio helped me achieve my goal. There were definitely some fluctuations along the way, most of them driven by cheat days and a very relaxed diet, but in general I’m pleased.
Visual Impact Cardio Results
Assessment
I chose to perform the advanced routine so take that into account as I offer my comments and criticisms. First things first…you will burn a ton of calories if you perform Visual Impact Cardio as outlined. I was able to significantly increase my caloric intake as a result. Obviously for those trying to lose weight, it would be best to keep your calories constant or possibly decrease your calories if you’re shooting for rapid weight loss. Regardless, it’s easy to see how you could lose 1-2lbs per week just by implementing this program.
On the flip side, Visual Impact Cardio is really challenging. It’s set up so that you perform lactate threshold intervals earlier in the week and HIIT later in the week. The lactate threshold intervals were new to me, and quite frankly, I struggled a bit with them. The main problem occurred when I performed these workouts two days in a row. It was brutal on my legs. The good news is that I think this was driven by the intensity of the advanced routine more than anything else. The beginner and intermediate routines seem like they would be a little more forgiving. Needless to say, by the end of the advanced routine, I stuck with performing lactate threshold intervals on Monday but substituted steady state cardio on Tuesdays.
The HIIT workouts actually didn’t feel intense enough on their own. I’m used to doing sprints at 90%+ intensity. However, when combined with the lactate threshold workouts from earlier in the week, it made sense not to perform HIIT at maximum intensity. Plus, I usually take a day off in between HIIT workouts. In the case of Visual Impact Cardio, HIIT is performed three days in a row. This obviously brings up a concern regarding overtraining but since the routine is only a couple months, this should not be a huge problem for most. You can always slightly switch things up by substituting steady state cardio.
Maintenance Cardio Routine
As I discussed in my review, the theory behind the Visual Impact Cardio approach seems very sound. As such, I used it to develop my own maintenance routine that I do 30 minutes per day, 3 days per week:
Monday: 30 minute lactate threshold intervals (60 seconds at 120% lactate threshold, 60 seconds at 90% lactate threshold)
Wednesday: 15 minute “light” HIIT (30 seconds at 130% lactate threshold, 90 seconds at 80% lactate threshold), 15 minute steady state cardio
Friday: 10 minute “intense” HIIT (15 second sprint, 45 second light jog), 10 minute steady state cardio, 10 minute plyometrics (abbreviated version of me favorite HIIT workout)
Final Thoughts
I plan on using Visual Impact Cardio again in the future. In fact, I assumed I would need it after my vacation but to my surprise I only gained 1% body fat (which I’ve since burned off). That being the case, I’m going to take it easy and stick with my maintenance routine. My thought is that I’ll undertake Visual Impact Cardio again in conjunction with Phase 3 of Visual Impact Muscle Building when I’m ready to work hard to get really lean again…not my highest priority in the summer! In the meantime, the principles of the program are helping me to stay in shape. My suggestion…if you’re looking to ramp up fat burning, give this program a try.
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