Palying & Maximum Cardio Success

Playing Your Cardio Right

Cardiovascular activity, referred to simply as "cardio," should be as much a part of your body-sculpting endeavors as pulling and pushing those metal plates.

RUNNING (Outdoors): Believe it or not, this exercise reminds me a lot of Howard Stern. Running is a full-body exercise in which only you channel the motion, resistance, and weight distribution.

TREADMILL: Running is the same vigorous exercise whether done outdoors or in. Running is the same vigorous exercise whether done outdoors or in. It doesn't wear and tear your body the way running on the tarred street will.

STAIRMASTER & STEPPERS: Stairmasters, whether they're the rotating kind or the step versions, are both excellent methods of losing weight and shedding body fat.
Yet, many fitness experts have concluded that stairs work may be insufficient in your quest to get in shape. For one, the exercise relies solely on lower body movement and tends to abandon the upper torso.

STATIONARY BIKES: When you ride the stationary bike, it feels like you aren't going anywhere.

SWIMMING: The benefits for the heart and lungs are endless. Not every fitness club has a swimming pool.

Maximum Cardio

Depending on your goals and body type, different amounts of cardio may be required.

MAXIM 1: Your body type and goal for training will dictate the type, frequency, and length of your cardio.When your goal for cardio is general health, you have a few decisions to make about what type of cardio you will perform. Many people enjoy taking long, slow runs. Enjoying cardio is important, so if you find an enjoyable method of cardio, there is no reason why you should discard it.

MAXIM 2: Find cardio that you enjoy, and do it when you feel you have the most energy
There are many styles of cardio.There are many styles of cardio. People preach about training in the "zone" of a particular heart rate for maximum fat burning benefit. Moderate cardio means your body will recover quickly - your heart rate will return to normal within a short period. Intense cardio, which elevates your heart rate beyond the "zone", may not burn as much fat during the exercise, but your body will take longer to recover. To better understand this, let's consider a situation where you burn 200 calories during exercise. While the "hour" cardio kept you in the "zone" for fat burning, guess what?

MAXIM 3: The less time it takes to burn the same amount of calories, the more calories you will expend later that day
Just because high intensity cardio may burn more calories doesn't make it superior to moderate cardio except with respect to calories burned. Remember, too, that if you are training for a marathon, all of the 20-minute high intensity cardio in the world will not prepare you fully to run 20+ miles. You must perform the moderate, long duration cardio to prepare your body for the event.
Your heart rate can provide you a lot of information about your training. Over time, your resting heart rate should decrease.

MAXIM 4: Many people are very intrigued by the readouts on machines when they perform cardio. For example, calories burned are based on your weight. When I did my morning run this morning, the readout said that I burned 610 calories in 30 minutes. Because the next time that I perform cardio on that machine, I'm going to push myself harder and try to burn 650 calories. 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.

MAXIM 5: A slow, moderate run may take 45 minutes to burn 400 calories. If your training permits, try to build in as much variety as possible.

MAXIM 6: 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). Even if you are in top shape, a little cardiovascular exercise can still benefit your general health. Consider various styles of training, different terrains, and new types of equipment to train on.