By Susan Jan
There are some key factors to consider when exercising, in order to achieve maximum results. These factors include: the duration of each exercise, the intensity, the frequency you workout, and whether or not you use interval training. This article will examine each of these aspects to help you achieve the maximum benefit from your cardio workouts.
Cardio is important for both weight loss and good cardiovascular health. Some body builders forget the importance of cardio because they do not want to lose muscle mass as a result. It is important that part of your exercise regime focuses on aerobics. Contrary to what some people believe, cardio will not reduce your muscle mass. It will help you build endurance and gain more definition in your physique. Below is a list of reasons why you should keep up-to-date with your cardio workouts.
* Lowers blood pressure and resting heart rate.
* Burns calories.
* Helps prevent disease, such as heart attacks and obesity.
* Increases endurance.
* Good mental health.
* Sheds off that layer of unwanted fat.
* Increases blood flow to your muscles, which results in more nutrients being delivered to them.
Intensity
Intensity means how hard you are working during your activities. Intensity is a key component for optimal health and fat loss. Beginners should target a heart rate lower than 55% of their maximum heart rate, while intermediate and advanced people should aim for about 65-90%. Your maximum heart rate level is approximately 220 minus your age, but of course this may vary depending on your fitness level. Gym and fitness equipment usually have hand sensors that will tell you what your heart rate is so that you can maintain a good level of intensity throughout your workout. If you find these sensors annoying to hold or you're outside, an easy way to see how hard you are working is to see how well you can talk. If you can sing during your workout, you are most definitely slacking. If you can barely talk, you are probably working too hard. The idea is to be able to talk, but with some difficulty.
Duration
Duration is how long you do a continuous aerobic activity in one session. Ideally, you should be training between 20 and 60 minutes per session. If you are a beginner, you may start by doing shorter workouts of about 10 minutes at a time. Once you become stronger and more comfortable, you should start to increase your exercise time. You should NEVER, EVER strain yourself, especially if you are new to exercise. If you feel weak, sick or dizzy, slow down or stop, and of course, consult a physician if you have any health problems before you begin. Note, that although cardio will not promote muscle loss, if your goal is to add mass you should only be doing about 20-30 minutes at a time or else you will burn too many calories.
Frequency
You should generally perform cardio workouts 3 to 5 times per week. You should never space your cardio sessions out for more than 48 hours because your body can start to loose the positive effects from the previous workout.
Interval Training
Interval training is a cardio workout that will take less time than a regular cardio workout and burn more calories. This type of workout is very effective and you will only need to do it for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. An example of interval training is to run for 3 minutes and walk briskly for 2 minutes. You continue this cycle until your workout is complete (do not forget to warm up). This type of workout is great for preventing the boredom that can come with steady-state cardio and boosts fat loss. Remember that you should always be changing the duration of your running and walking time to keep your body guessing. This type of cardio can be done on virtually any cardio machine, and also outdoors.
Source: physicalfitnessarticles.net
There are some key factors to consider when exercising, in order to achieve maximum results. These factors include: the duration of each exercise, the intensity, the frequency you workout, and whether or not you use interval training. This article will examine each of these aspects to help you achieve the maximum benefit from your cardio workouts.
Cardio is important for both weight loss and good cardiovascular health. Some body builders forget the importance of cardio because they do not want to lose muscle mass as a result. It is important that part of your exercise regime focuses on aerobics. Contrary to what some people believe, cardio will not reduce your muscle mass. It will help you build endurance and gain more definition in your physique. Below is a list of reasons why you should keep up-to-date with your cardio workouts.
* Lowers blood pressure and resting heart rate.
* Burns calories.
* Helps prevent disease, such as heart attacks and obesity.
* Increases endurance.
* Good mental health.
* Sheds off that layer of unwanted fat.
* Increases blood flow to your muscles, which results in more nutrients being delivered to them.
Intensity
Intensity means how hard you are working during your activities. Intensity is a key component for optimal health and fat loss. Beginners should target a heart rate lower than 55% of their maximum heart rate, while intermediate and advanced people should aim for about 65-90%. Your maximum heart rate level is approximately 220 minus your age, but of course this may vary depending on your fitness level. Gym and fitness equipment usually have hand sensors that will tell you what your heart rate is so that you can maintain a good level of intensity throughout your workout. If you find these sensors annoying to hold or you're outside, an easy way to see how hard you are working is to see how well you can talk. If you can sing during your workout, you are most definitely slacking. If you can barely talk, you are probably working too hard. The idea is to be able to talk, but with some difficulty.
Duration
Duration is how long you do a continuous aerobic activity in one session. Ideally, you should be training between 20 and 60 minutes per session. If you are a beginner, you may start by doing shorter workouts of about 10 minutes at a time. Once you become stronger and more comfortable, you should start to increase your exercise time. You should NEVER, EVER strain yourself, especially if you are new to exercise. If you feel weak, sick or dizzy, slow down or stop, and of course, consult a physician if you have any health problems before you begin. Note, that although cardio will not promote muscle loss, if your goal is to add mass you should only be doing about 20-30 minutes at a time or else you will burn too many calories.
Frequency
You should generally perform cardio workouts 3 to 5 times per week. You should never space your cardio sessions out for more than 48 hours because your body can start to loose the positive effects from the previous workout.
Interval Training
Interval training is a cardio workout that will take less time than a regular cardio workout and burn more calories. This type of workout is very effective and you will only need to do it for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. An example of interval training is to run for 3 minutes and walk briskly for 2 minutes. You continue this cycle until your workout is complete (do not forget to warm up). This type of workout is great for preventing the boredom that can come with steady-state cardio and boosts fat loss. Remember that you should always be changing the duration of your running and walking time to keep your body guessing. This type of cardio can be done on virtually any cardio machine, and also outdoors.
Source: physicalfitnessarticles.net
