Cardiovascular Workouts - Doing it right

Before you call me crazy, let me explain. I’m not saying that cardiovascular
 exercise can’t or doesn’t burn fat; it’s just that most people
 are not performing the right type of cardio workouts. Before I get into the
 details, let me first cover some of the basics.

Just like anything in life, if you want to be successful you must do two things:

1. Know what you’re doing (or learn); be knowledgeable

 2. Have a plan (detailed/well thought out)

 

 How Cardio Exercise Affects Your Body

 

 Well, I’m going to make sure that after reading this today you will be
 able to do both. So let’s start with your knowledge. It’s critical
 that you understand how your body works and what happens when you exercise.

The human body is constantly burning a mix of fuels or energy sources: fat
 and glycogen. Glycogen is energy stored in muscle cells that is primarily used
 during intense muscle contractions. Some examples of these intense muscle contractions
 would be strength training, running, hard physical work, etc. So basically,
 during low to moderate activity levels, your body first uses what’s in
 the blood stream and then uses primarily fat.

 

 When you are highly active you use more glycogen and less fat. You are probably
 wondering what all this has to do with you and your cardio workouts… right?
 Well, it matters… a lot!

 

 There are different benefits of different level of activity. Let me explain
 to you the system use, why I use it, and why it’s the most effective.
 I recommend three basic level of cardiovascular exercise:

 

 Level 1: Long easy workout (ex. walking 60 minutes

Level 2: Moderate intensity / moderate time (ex. fast walk 45 minutes)

Level 3: Short, hard workout (ex. running 20 minutes)

NOTE: It doesn’t matter what activity or piece of equipment you
 choose. All that matters is that you get to the desired level.

Let’s talk about what happens at each of the three levels. When exercising
 at the Level 1 pace, your body burns more colonies from fat, HOWEVER the total
 number of calories is small. In order for you to burn a lot of body fat at the
 easy level you would need to do it for hours at a time! Not too practical is
 it? This is not to say there aren’t benefits because there are…it’s
 just not the best choice when it comes to fat loss. The primary benefit is increased
 blood flow and circulation, which means you’ll feel better, you’ll
 recover more quickly, and you’ll be healthier in general.

Ok, let’s talk about Level 2 now. At this level you burn more calories
 but less are from fat. Moderate work will result in a larger increase in metabolism
 than the easy Level 1 and will last 2-6 hours in most cases. You also get the
 benefits of increased blood flow but you also have to remember that it’s
 a bit more stressful than Level 1. The main benefit, or I should say possible
 benefit is increased endurance (cardio/respiratory) If your workouts are progressive
 (challenge the body’s systems to work harder over time nearly each workout
 if possible).

Last but not least Level 3. At this level you burn the most calories per unit
 of time. You also burn less fat during the workout, but the plus side is you
 deplete muscle glycogen which means you’ll be less likely to store “new”
 fat because any excess calories will be stored in the muscles instead. This
 type of workout also results in the largest increase in metabolism, which will
 generally last 4-24 hours or more.

The Level 3 workout is by far the most effective when it comes to fat loss
 for four reasons:

1. Burn more calories in less time

 2. Largest increase in metabolism that lasts the longest

 3. Helps to add and maintain muscle tissue

 4. Depletes muscle glycogen which means you’re less likely to store new
 fat

So what’s your goal? As you can see there are benefits at each level
 and how often you perform each workout should be based on your goals. You can
 get the benefits of all three but you must be cautious in how you structure
 your program. Here are some general guidelines to follow:

If your primary goal is:

Fat loss


1-3 Level 3 (10-20 mins)

 1-2 Level 2 (20-30 mins)

 1-2 Level 1 (40-60 mins)


Optional Endurance

 

 1 Level 3 (10-20 mins)

 2-3 Level 2 (20-40 mins)

 1-2 Level 1 (40-60 mins)

 

 General Fitness

 

 1 Level 3 (10-20 mins)

 1-2 Level 2 (20-30 mins)

 1-2 Level 1 (40-60 mins)

 

 So to recap, you really need to know what your goals are, and what levels you
 need to be at and how often. Below is a link to a chart that gives you
 the heart rate zones for all 3 of the workouts based on your age.

NOTE: If you are on blood pressure regulating medication you should
 first consult with your doctor and reduce the numbers by 10 each. If you are
 not currently exercising or have not exercised at the different levels before
 I advise you build up your intensity slowly.

If you would like more information on cardiovascular exercise please give me
 a call. You reach me at 240-731-3724 or by emailing jesse@achieve-fitness.com

Heart Rate Based Cardiovascular Exercise Guidelines

 

 Click
 here for Guidelines

 

 Jesse Cannone is a certified personal trainer and author of the best-selling
 fitness ebook, Burn Fat FAST. Be sure to sign up for his free email course as
 it is full of powerful weight loss and fitness tips that are guaranteed to help
 you get the results you want.

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By Jesse Cannone CFT, CPRS, CSPN