Fitness

Cardio Madness

By Gule Sheikh



I see it all the time in the gyms, women on the cardio machines and men pumping their chest and biceps. Although most people are starting to pay attention and research their workouts, I still find there is a comfort in continuing to do the same workouts over and over. Heck, I do it too. I get lost in my workouts and can literally workout my back for 2 or more hours and cardio is definitely my least favorite thing to do! However, we need to remind ourselves to focus on balancing all area’s and not becoming complacent in the gym, or any other area of our lives for that matter.

So how much cardio is really necessary?

It all depends on what your goals are, what your lean muscle vs body fat ratio is. How much you train with weights and how your overall diet looks like. Regardless of your goal, cardio is essential for everyone to ensure cardiovascular health.

The healthier your heart is, the more efficiently your heart will pump blood to the rest of your organs as well as reduce the risk of heart disease!

So, how much cardio is essential for me to loose weight, and look lean?

Today I am going to give you some advanced techniques to use cardio to your advantage. You will benefit from a heart rate monitor to check your heart rate. You will go from 60% to 90% heart rate max.

Before you begin this routine, remember, this is NOT for everyone. In fact, I would argue that your diet plays a big part in your overall outcome and if you want to maintain lean muscle mass you must adhere to the strict diet as well! This is to take your current program to that NEXT level of weight loss success! This is the first series of how to jump start your cardio. After 4 weeks, you can take out 1 rest day from this version.

So here goes:

Day 1

45 Mins Steady State on a bike, elliptical, treadmill or stair master at 70% Heart Rate Max.

Day 2

30 Minutes Skipping

Day 3

OFF

Day 4

HIIT Training: 30 seconds speed drill and 1 minute steady state. Hit 80% of your Heart Rate Max on the 30 seconds intervals. Make sure to warm up for 7-10 minutes steady first and then cooldown for 10 minutes at 60% Heart Rate Max.