Women's Health June 9, 2026 0 Comments

Unlock the Secret Fat-Burning Hack Bella Hadid’s Trainer Swears By—No Muscle Loss, All Gains!

Ever find yourself tangled in the endless cardio conundrum swirling all over the internet? Like—does a leisurely stroll even count as cardio, or are you just pretending? And seriously, how much HIIT is actually too much before your legs throw in the towel? Trust me, I’ve been there, caught between catchy TikTok tips and glossy Instagram workouts, wondering if I’m wasting my time. That’s exactly why Joe Holder, a health consultant and Nike Master Trainer (yes, the same guy who’s trained Bella Hadid), is flipping the script on what cardio really means. Gone is the vague “just do cardio” mantra; in comes “conditioning”—a smarter, more intentional way to dial in your training based on what your heart and muscles actually need at different intensities. Intrigued yet? Let’s unpack Joe’s 3-2-1 formula that breaks conditioning into manageable tiers—because your workouts should work with you, not leave you guessing. LEARN MORE

3 min read

Advice on cardio can feel confusing, especially when the internet gets involved. Is working at a lower intensity a waste of time? Does walking count as cardio? How much HIIT is too much? All that noise is precisely why health consultant and Nike Master Trainer Joe Holder—who has previously worked with high-profile clients including Bella Hadid—says it might be time to rethink what cardio actually means.

“The term ‘cardio’ has become very broad and almost vague, whereas ‘conditioning’ asks a more useful question: how well is your cardiovascular system prepared to meet the different energy demands of life and training?” says Holder.

“When you look at it through that lens, you start to realize there are low-, moderate- and higher-intensity demands that we experience physically. Each intensity creates different adaptations in the body, but they all serve to feed each other if balanced appropriately.”

This framing is helpful, he adds, because it removes the guesswork.

“Instead of simply saying, ‘I’m going to do cardio’, you can be more intentional and say, ‘I’m doing this type of conditioning at this intensity because I’m trying to improve this specific quality’.”

What is the 3-2-1 Cardio Formula?

In other words, we need to view conditioning in three broad tiers, advises Holder: lower intensity, medium intensity and high intensity.

That’s where the 3-2-1 formula comes in.

“The lower the intensity, the more you can do it—so think three lower-intensity sessions a week,” he says.

“Lower-intensity conditioning is your Zone 1 and Zone 2 work—the type of steady-state movement you can sustain for longer periods of time, such as brisk walking, cycling, easy jogging and hiking.”

“Research suggests this type of training is particularly effective for improving aerobic efficiency [how well your body converts cardiovascular effort into speed or power], mitochondrial function [how cells generate energy], fat oxidation, cardiovascular health and recovery capacity,” adds Holder.

“It also tends to create less fatigue, which means people can generally perform it more frequently while still supporting strength training and body recomposition goals.”

Medium-intensity conditioning, meanwhile, is “challenging, but not all-out”.

Holder says that on an effort scale of 1-10, it usually sits around a 6-8.

“This is where intervals often come into play, like working hard for two to four minutes followed by a recovery period. It essentially helps teach the body how to sustain harder efforts more efficiently over time.”

High-intensity conditioning, then, edges towards an all-out effort, says Holder.

“Supermaximal interval training pushes even beyond that feeling through very short bursts of maximal work—think sprint intervals, assault bike efforts, hill sprints or explosive circuits.”

This type of conditioning is crucial, with research showing these methods “can significantly improve VO2 max, insulin sensitivity, anaerobic capacity, speed and power output in a relatively time-efficient way”.

However, “they also create the greatest recovery demand and can interfere with your goals or recovery if overused”, so moderation matters.

The idea of the 3-2-1 formula is to complete three lower-intensity, two medium-intensity and one high-intensity session each week, although you can adapt it depending on your schedule, goals and fitness level.

“The key is understanding that each tier has a role,” says Holder.

How the 3-2-1 Formula Supports Body Recomposition

“If body recomposition is the goal, there are two things to think about: training stress and nutrition,” says Holder.

“Most people either only do low-intensity cardio or constantly push high intensity, but the science increasingly supports a more balanced approach.”

If you’re doing too much exercise and not recovering properly, you can push your body into an overly stressed state.

“If the body feels chronically stressed, exhausted or under-recovered, people often stop responding well to the workouts they’re doing.”

That’s why, when starting out, Holder recommends building gradually.

“Strength gains, muscle development, hormonal balance and fat loss all rely on the body’s ability to recover and recalibrate over time,” he says. Finding the right balance is crucial for body recomposition.

And don’t forget nutrition.

“Body recomposition is not always about aggressively cutting calories. It’s about understanding the actual goal. Are you primarily trying to gain muscle, lose fat or do a bit of both? From there, you need to nourish appropriately to support that outcome.”

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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.