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Here are three basic truths about cardio exercise:
1. Your body type and your objective for keeping fit
will determine the type, frequency and length of your cardio.
2. Find cardio that you like, and do it when you consider
you have the most energy.
3. The less time it takes to burn the same amount of calories,
the more calories you will expend later that day.
Just how important is cardio? If you never, ever engage in
“recreational eating,” you’re likely to
keep a year round low body fat level that gives you the luxury
to leave out cardio. For the rest of us who splurge a bit
when it comes to nutrition, cardiovascular exercise provides
a great method of burning excess calories. In 1978 the American
College of Sports Medicine published a report recommending
that cardio should be done at least three times a week.
Cardiovascular and endurance exercise works the slow twitch
fibers of the body – the ones that use oxygen as they
burn fuel, unlike power training. It should be done after
power training, rather than before, so muscle fatigue doesn’t
get in the way of ability to do strength exercises and the
neuromuscular dexterity needed for coordination exercises.
Doing cardio/endurance training directly after power training
helps to develop stamina – the body’s capacity
to deal with lactic acid and the other metabolic side effects
of concentrated muscular exertion.
Another approach is to do cardio one day and weight lifting
on the other. The disadvantage is that spending your full
workout on either one or the other does not allow enough time
for your body to recover between workouts, possibly leading
to over-training. If you are training for endurance or performance
skills like biking, hiking, marathons etc., you can start
with the cardio and do weight lifting in your spare time.
One of the most useful, convenient and time-efficient forms
of cardio is jogging. All you require is a high-quality pair
of running shoes and the vast outdoors. Ask your doctor if
running is the right activity for you if you’d like
to start this form of exercise, and follow these tips from
the American Council on Exercise:
• Avoid bouncing, and keep your head level.
• Keep your shoulders down and relaxed.
• Hit the ground with your heel first, and then roll
to the ball of your foot, pushing off from your toes.
• Take time to warm up and cool down before and after
a run.
• Don’t increase your total distance more than
10% per week.
• If anything hurts, take time off until it feels better.
Cardio Machines
The key to sticking to an exercise schedule is taking pleasure
in the exercise itself. It’s best to stick to the basic
machines that will permit you to achieve that heightened state
of cardiovascular output in a natural way, which your body
prefers. The purpose of cardio machines is to ultimately help
you keep your cardiovascular system healthy. This can also
be achieved without machines, by activities such as running,
walking, jogging, swimming, playing sports, etc.
Cardio For Women
| Women fall into six body frame shapes, each with its
own cardio program. |
1. The A-Frame. These women carry
weight in the lower section of the body, mostly in
the hips, thighs and buttocks, while their waists
and busts are small. To get rid of the surplus weight
in the lower section, this body type should zone in
on lower body cardio such as walking, cycling, or
use of the elliptical machine.
2. The V-Frame. These ladies have
wide shoulders, large bust, narrow hips and thin legs.
The stepper is a good form of cardio to burn calories
and add thickness to the legs.
3. The H-Frame. Women with this frame
have an athletic build, but with a large waist and
shoulders, and a lack of symmetry. Cardio selections
should be focused on trimming the upper body and bringing
out the symmetry.
4. The Ruler. This body shape’s
dimensions of the chest, waist and hips are somewhat
equal. These women should concentrate on resistance
training, and cardio should be kept to a minimum,
preferably the stepper.
5. The 8-Frame. Also known as the
hourglass, owners of this body type are genetically
gifted. Any cardio method is fine, and keeping a variety
is best.
6. The Oval Frame. Also known as
the apple, oval-framed women are average height or
shorter, large busted, with thin legs, and they gain
weight in the midsection. Routine cardio, such as
the treadmill on an incline or stepper, are essential
to produce general weight loss.
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Cardio is catabolic and so you need to make sure that you
don’t do too much or do it at the wrong time. Cardio
may best be done first thing in the morning when glycogen
levels in your body are at their lowest. Your cardio exercises
should vary. Once you have been cutting for some time and
you wish to up the cardio then you can start to do it twice
a day, i.e. early mornings and after weights, but you should
still try to have at least one rest day per week and try to
remember good nutrition.
If you’re ever tempted to overdo cardio, remember that
the whole point of adding an extra 250-500 calories to your
diet is to permit additional nutrients and energy to sustain
the development of new muscle tissue. You’ll only be
burning off the extra calories you need for growth if you
keep on doing cardio every day for extended periods. Never
completely stop doing cardio – 20-30 minutes 3-4 times
per week is part of a healthy lifestyle.
Related Articles
10 Cardio Tips
The Necessity
for Cardio Exercise
Why You Need Cardio
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