Traditional "Cardio" a.k.a. "Aerobics" ak.a. "A Waste of Time"
The
*trick* to cardio and weight loss is not about how long you can go, or
even how many calories the machine says you've burned - its all about
your heart rate! Your H.R. determines whether you're burning mostly air
(too easy!), fat (somewhat intense), or muscle (too high - not good!)
Hopefully you know from science class, our bodies
are like machines that run on fat, carb's, and protein from our food as
fuel… But, the catch is the lower the intensity of exercise, the easier
it is, the higher the percentage of calories we burn are coming from
stored *fat* rather than carb's or protein. This is because we are
working the "aerobic" pathway, which is a long slow process
metabolically, but favorable for us in terms of *fat loss*.
Once
you're working at an intensity above your "anaerobic" threshold, which
is around 85% of your maximum HR (when its hard for you to breathe), you
start to burn protein a.k.a muscle - and thats a big no-no! We always
want to work towards building muscle, because it makes your metabolism
faster, makes our stronger, and also gives the look of a defined, toned
shape. Doing short sprints is a great way to push yourself to the limit,
but still give your body just enough time to recover, so it doesn't
have to resort to stealing your hard-earned muscle to keep going.
A
great example of this is comparing a marathon distance runner, and an
Olympic sprinter. Which 1 tends to look frail and skinny, and which is
lean and ripped?
This is because of "The Fat Burning Zone"…
You
may be familiar with this term. However - if your goal is to lose
weight, you need to be burning more calories than you take in through
eating. So, even though you burn mostly *fat* when working at an easier
intensity, the *total* amount of calories burned is going to be low -
unless, you stay in that fat-burning heart rate zone (65-85% of your
max) for *at least* 45 minutes to 1 hour.
This is what is runners call a long, slow, distance (LSD) session.
I
recommend this type of workout only 1-2 days a week, because its
time-consuming, but valuable especially on days after a tough,
high-intensity session, as a way to allow your body to recover, and
still get in some exercise. The most efficient way to workout and do
your "cardio" is using weights and sprints, so you're still sculpting
your muscles, plus keeping your heart rate up. And this type of
"interval" training can take a fraction of the time of an LSD workout.
For example:
1 minute each: Squat + Shoulder (Overhead) Press
30 seconds: Burpees
1 minute each: Side Lunge (Alternating) + Push up
10 reps: Pull ups or Rows
3-4 rounds of this and you've achieved way more than the equivalent of 45 minutes on the boring elliptical.
You
could also switch things up by going for 20 minutes on the clock to see
how many sets you can get through, creating a competition with
yourself.
Be sure to do a warm up, and then record your weights, rep's, and time results.
In conclusion, heres my suggestion:
If
you can only start out in the gym 1-2 days a week, make sure you hit a
total body circuit. You can also do this at home with resistance bands
or body-weight exercises.
Think of 1
exercise for each muscle group (legs, shoulders, core, chest, back) and
give it your maximum effort for 30-60 seconds, and then switch
exercises.
Ideally,
to be in the best shape your goal should be to train 5-6 days a week,
alternate between a quick 20 minute, high-intensity circuit, and follow
it up the next day with a moderate intensity workout, but remember that
should last for about an hour… It could include weight lifting, yoga,
swimming, jogging, or even an easy "aerobics" type class like step or
kickboxing (only thing Im not a big advocate of is "spinning" because
you're hunched over & sitting on your ass, which is the last thing
anyone needs) You can also still use traditional cardio machines, but
I'll give my suggestions for the best ones and how to incorporate them
into your program in my next post.
As long as you do something you enjoy, are consistent, and get your body moving, you'll be on your way to reaching your goals.
There
are many other benefits to doing other weight circuits and super-sets.
Mixing up your workouts not only makes it interesting, but keeps your
body guessing, so you don't hit the dreaded plateau. Its a really good
idea to keep notes on your progress, so you can always kick it up, push
harder, lift heavier, and jump higher.
Best of luck in working toward your fitness goals. I know I gave you a lot of info. here so questions are welcome!
Always remember to keep *yourself* first in taking care of your health, its up to you to make it a priority!
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