I want to help you make the best decision for yourself in regard to cardio. So here is a bit of education so you can make that decision. Now, cardio is super important and everyone should do it!! Not only do we keep fat at bay, lean down, look better and feel stronger this way, but our heart and lungs need exercise! Not to mention the release of endorphins, improved sleep and overall health. However, not as much of it is required as you might think, and it’s not as important as lifting, so if it comes down between one or the other, because your schedule only allows so much time, lifting takes precedence!! Or I should say, resistance training takes precedence, as body weight resistance counts, and you can build muscle doing body weight resistance!
OK, so, if you know me at all, I like to do things as efficiently and effectively as possible, because it absolutely has to FIT your life Well! But that could look different depending on the individual and where they are in their fitness journey and/ or the amount of time left in their schedule. Personally, I only do 16 minutes of high intensity interval cardio 4 to 5 days a week. Now, I prescribe some of my clients 24 minutes, some of them 30, but I never prescribe any more than 30 minutes. Not only is it just not necessary to do any longer than that if a fat burn is your goal, but I want to be sure that we don’t risk burning muscle, and I don’t want to over develop their Type I (also known as slow twitch) muscle fibers making it a little more difficult to develop their Type II (fat twitch) muscle fibers, which are the fibers responsible for strength and muscle growth. If you feel that you just aren’t challenged enough with 30 minutes of cardio, you need to step up your level of difficulty during that 30 minute period. Believe me, I do sprint intervals during my 16 minutes AND IT IS INTENSE!!! Interval cardio is more effective than steady state cardio in burning fat because the important hormones that play a role in the breakdown of fat are released 4-fold when your heart is totally racing and you are drastically out of breath. And by the way, there is no wrong way to HIIT. If your goal is not burning fat, but to strengthen your heart and lungs, only about 10 to 15 of steady state cardio is plenty effective for that. Of course, 30 minutes is great too, but my goal is always to be sure you can stay the most consistent as possible, and that usually means consuming less of your time. That all being said, understand that you don’t have to do cardio on a piece of equipment. Most of the time, I do because that is what Fits my life best and I can stay the most consistent with that, but I sometimes do it outside with a walk/run and I want you to realize that cardio can also consist of dancing, swimming, riding a bicycle, going for a hike or any other activity of the sort that you enjoy and on Some of my workout programs combine the 2 (cardio and resistance) which of course is effective as well, and this is the biggest time saver of all. If you are just beginning your health and fitness journey, walking can work for you! Make sure it is very brisk and you can even walk in intervals of off intensity. No matter how you do your cardio, try to do a minimum or 3 days per week, but all the better, cardio can be done daily if your schedule allows. Never have the “All or nothing” mentality.
Comments