For most folks, cardio is a dreaded word that means thirty to sixty minutes-plus each day on some piece of gym equipment slowly building up a good old-fashioned sweat. At the end of the session, when the time expires, you’re left wondering if you really melted away some of that fat that has covered up your striated and ripped appearance since your last show.
To some that truly understand the science behind doing the proper form of cardio at the correct time it has become a lifestyle, a way to rise above mediocrity and take their overall fitness game to an entirely different level. In order to have and maintain a well-functioning body, one must have a strong heart. Cardio performed the optimal way – using specific, intense sessions – can produce tremendous results, building a strong heart and lungs and turning your body into a smooth-running, fat-burning machine!
The key to sustainable fat loss is being able to burn more calories throughout the day whilst you’re not training or being active. Remember, we burn the greatest amount of fat during this non-training period, the largest portion of our day, while we are resting, eating, working, sleeping, along with the many other activities that we don’t even think about.
Too many people focus on the amount of calories they burn solely while on their cardio machine. Most people get thrown off course here, for they look at the gross and not net calories expended. Many of the calorie monitors out there are inaccurate. The same can be said for Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calculations that people use today.
If you are looking to yield optimal results for hard-hitting fat loss, prioritize your training around increasing your metabolism. For example, a one-hour jog on the treadmill may burn more total calories than a ten minute HIIT session in that same workout, however HIIT has been proven to be the most effective training for increasing your Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) which effects how many calories you burn after your workout. This increase can last for 16 hours to several days!
Let me emphasize this point. I may burn 400 calories during forty minutes on the elliptical at 60% of my Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). My Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) will drop to baseline within two hours, so I would have expended approximately 650 calories during that workout. Great, right? But compare that to doing 15 minutes of HIIT at 85% of your MHR and burning only 200 calories. In this second scenario I am given a gift as my EPOC will skyrocket and I will burn an extra fifty-five calories each hour for 24 hours! That translates to burning approximately 1520 total calories! This is why certain people seem to be doing nothing while still leaning out.
Steady-state cardio workouts are as simple as they come. You perform your activity at a steady, challenging-but-manageable pace (60 to 70 percent of maximal capacity) for 20 minutes or more, aiming for a heart rate of 120 to 150 beats per minute.
So why perform HIIT? Big Benefits!
HIIT workouts are slightly more complex. Perform your activity as hard as you can (90 to 100 percent of maximal capacity) for a brief, set time period (usually two minutes or less), then back off for a predetermined rest interval (usually three minutes or less), and repeat the cycle four times or more.
HIIT can increase VO2 max for both high intensity and endurance athletes. VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use and transport during exercise. You want this number to be high because it enables us to use more fat as fuel instead of glucose. Since our fat stores tend to be much higher than glycogen stores, it is preferential to be able to get the highest percentage of fuel from fat during exercise. While sprinting uses a high amount of glycogen because it is such a high-intensity form of exercise, the rate at which you change from fat burning to sugar burning is higher in individuals with a higher VO2 max.
HIIT trains the body to effectively remove metabolic waste from the muscles between intervals. By quickly removing lactate and other byproducts resulting from high intensity exercise, you enable the body to be primed and ready for another bout of high intensity exercise with less rest.
HIIT is one of several ways to boost both testosterone and growth hormone levels. Since these hormones are highly responsible for muscle gain and fat loss, you should be doing all you can to keep levels high.
Examples of HIIT training:
By now you should have the idea. The key is to do a full body exercise for a certain period of time, and follow it up with a short rest interval, and then get right back into it.
To progress with HIIT, you are going to want to vary your interval times. Try lowering the amount of rest time between high intensity intervals, or try jogging instead of walking. Try shaving just 5 seconds off every rest interval each time you work out. Eventually, you will be performing your exercise at a higher speed for a longer period of time than when you started.
Why not give high-intensity interval training a try. You don’t need to do it every single workout, but maybe do it once a week to start to see how it goes. Be sure to give yourself a good warm-up period to prevent injury, and be sure you have an interval timer to use to keep track of your interval times.
It’s important to note that your body will take longer to recover from super high-intensity workouts, so you shouldn’t do this kind of training daily. Yoga, stretching, foam rolling, light cardio or any other activity that increases blood flow and aids in circulation will help you along with recovery.
Good luck! I wish you great fat loss in your future.
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