Captured by : pg 3- lead_3
Doing cardio has clear, in-your-face benefits for everyday life. Unfortunately, though, many people don't know what constitutes effective cardio. Is it a run around town or an hour on the elliptical? A walk on a super-inclined treadmill, or a 10-mile jog?
Many people lack this specificity within their cardio program. When it comes to lifting weights, they have detailed notes of sets, reps, personal records, and arm growth progressions. For cardio, however, they slough off the numbers and progressions in favor of 20-30 minutes at a moderate intensity.
Well, guess what. Your cardio training should be approached with the same precision as a well-executed weight training program.
And its benefits should never be minimised. Because not only is cardio good for cardiovascular health, it also increases aerobic capacity as well. And lets not forget, its an effective tool in terms of fat loss.
Here are some basics that will help.
Warm-up
Doing a dynamic warm-up will increase mobility, decrease your chance of injury, and prepare your body's systems for the task at hand. Don't overlook warmups. Skip them and you're bound to get hurt.
Plan
Know exactly what you're doing ahead of time. Aim for two or three sessions per week and workouts that progressively get harder. Moreover, if you always end up skipping out on your cardio, then do it when you first get to the gym, or on your "off days." It's not necessarily when you do it”just as long as you don't skip it. The best time to workout, however, is in the morning after you've fasted all night and when your blood sugar is low.
Focus
If you have a magazine or book that you thought about catching up on while you worked out, throw it out. Nobody has ever gotten fit while reading and doing cardio. You can only focus on one thing at a time, make it your workout. Save the book for before bed.
Mix it up
Unless you’re training for a long-distance race, avoid staying at the same pace for an extended period of time. - Varying degrees of intensity will increase your metabolism better than steady work will. Incorporate sprints either into your normal run or as their own workout session.
Also try mixing in bodyweight exercises between your runs. This will help break up a "boring session" and add a strength-building component to your workout.
Fitness is a discipline
Ignore that voice in your head that tells you to slow down, take a break, or just flat-out quit. Fitness is a discipline. Learn to embrace the work. One great cardio session has never gotten anyone anywhere. One month of great cardio sessions has. Get into a routine, keep a workout log and stick with it. Develop a process from warm-up to cool down.
Documenting your progress will keep you in tune with what works and what doesn't. The main thing is to record your time, no matter how bad it might be. Then, the next time you go out, simply beat that time. And you will. Gradually, workout by workout, you'll be running more and walking less.
BOX
Cardio for your health
5 x 30 minutes of moderate exercise weekly, like walking at 3 to 4.5 miles per hour3 x 25 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly, like HIIT workouts, jogging or running at 5 mph or faster, cycling at more than 10 mph
Cardio for weight loss
A minimum of 5 x 30 to 50 minutes of moderate exercise weekly. Aim to burn 300 calories a session (an hour-long power walk at 4 mph or 35 minutes of HICT, or High Intensity Circuit Training).*
*Based on a 140-pound woman
