Cardiovascular exercise is an important component of general health. While
certain people may require different amounts and types of cardio, everyone
should engage in at least a little cardiovascular activity each week. There
are many methods for training which all have their advantages. You should
learn what works for you and what you truly enjoy so that you will continue
to perform cardio and reap benefits of good health.
Cardio Exercise Tip 4: Use your heart rate as a tool for feedback
about your progress, not as a “RULE” for fat loss (i.e. the “zone”, etc)
Many people are very intrigued by the readouts on machines when they perform
cardio. Unfortunately, those numbers are based on generic equations that fit
the “general population” rather than you as an individual. For example, calories
burned are based on your weight. A 200-pound person at 8% body fat will have
the same formula applied as a 200-pound person at 30% body fat. However, the
more that you train and the leaner you are, the less calories you will burn
during the same activity. In this example, the 8% person will actually burn
fewer calories than the 30% person, due to their level of health and amount
of lean mass. There are also issues with metabolism, activity throughout the
day, nutrition, and many other factors that are not taken into account.
Does this mean that the readouts are worthless? Not at all. In fact, they
are very useful. When I did my morning run this morning, the readout said
that I burned 610 calories in 30 minutes. While I may not have truly expended
that amount of energy, it is a great reference for me. Why? Because the next
time that I perform cardio on that machine, I’m going to push myself harder
and try to burn 650 calories. Again, I may not actually be burning 650 calories,
but you can be certain that if the readout gives me that number, I will be
working harder next week than I did today. So it is a great tool to gauge
your own progress. It is also a great tool to mix up your style of training.
If I do a high intensity workout and burn “400” calories, then I know if I
come back and perform moderate training, I can shoot for “400” calories and
expend about the same amount of energy during the activity.
Cardio Exercise Tip 5: Do not take the readouts on cardio machines
literally - use them as a scale to gauge your own progress
It is interesting to learn the various ways that different styles of cardio
expend energy. A slow, moderate run may take 45 minutes to burn 400 calories.
However, the same amount of calories might be expended in a 15 minute, high
intensity run. This is due to the fact that your heart rate becomes extremely
elevated, and your muscles begin performing extreme work in order to help
you accelerate through the intense periods. On the same token, a “slow” jog
on a steep incline may burn the same amount of calories. In this situation,
your body is fighting against gravity, so again you are still performing “high
intensity” effort despite the slower pace.
As a final ingredient, consider variety. I can guarantee that if you always
use the treadmill, your body will become so efficient at using the treadmill
that you will begin to burn fewer calories doing the same workout. On the
other hand, if you perform treadmill work one session, stair climber work
another session, then go for a jog, you will continue to see the benefit of
increased calorie expenditure. If your training permits, try to build in as
much variety as possible. This will keep the fat melting off and continuously
improve your cardiovascular condition.
Cardio Exercise Tip 6: Variety is key - whenever possible, vary
not only your style of training (i.e. moderate, high intensity, etc) but also
the terrain or equipment that you train on
I often have clients complain that they don’t have access to the right equipment
to perform much variety with cardio. If you simply purchase an inexpensive
jump rope, you can easily train two different exercises: jogging, and jump
roping. Now consider different styles of training: moderate (low intensity),
high intensity interval training, and just high intensity training (where
you try to elevate your heart rate and maintain that throughout the duration
of the exercise). This alone provides 6 different possibilities for a cardio
session, which is more than enough variety to change things throughout your
training cycles.
Cardiovascular exercise is an important component of general
health. While certain people may require different amounts and types of cardio,
everyone should engage in at least a little cardiovascular activity each week.
There are many methods for training which all have their advantages. You should
learn what works for you and what you truly enjoy so that you will continue
to perform cardio and reap benefits of good health.
Don’t let someone fool you into thinking cardio isn’t necessary. Even if you
are in top shape, a little cardiovascular exercise can still benefit your
general health. The key is to change the style and frequency of cardio to
suite your lifestyle and fitness goals. Consider various styles of training,
different terrains, and new types of equipment to train on. As always, learn
your body and don’t use any one else’s rules to dictate your training. Keep
a good journal, and find out what works for you. Peak cardio is a sure way
to move closer to your peak physique.