Cardio Benefits:

[chrispghmuscle]

Ok, Cardio has more purposes than just burning f at:

It Increases your lung capacity, it will make you breath much
better.

It helps you sleep better than before.

It helps you feel good about yourself.

It helps you burn f at and Calories fast; and even faster with
just a proper diet.*

It will help you reduce any stress you have.

Cardio will reduce the risk of you having a heart attack, high
blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc.

Your heart will be able to work better because cardio will make
it strong so it doesn t have to pump blood as hard as it had
to before. Remember your heart is a muscle too.

If you lift weights, then Cardio is a must, it will cut your
muscles, make you more defined and will i ncrease your s tamina
and endurance. The heart will be able to pump more blood into
your muscles and you'll recover faster from each workout.

* Remember that in order to l ose f at by cardio you must follow a proper diet; otherwise the f at you just lose with your cardio activity will be regained.

Cardio Routine:

This is an example of what you can do for a routine, and it doesn't necessarily have to be like this, remember to do what you like for cardio exercises, so here it is for one week, change the routine as you please:

Monday: Low Intensity, Long Duration Cardio (walking, stationary bicycle, etc). 20 Min.
Tuesday: Low Intensity, Long Duration Cardio. 30 Min.
Wednesday: Medium Intensity, Medium Duration (running, swimming,etc.) 10 Min.
Thursday: Day off. (You can do crunches, 20-50 to start getting your abs in shape).
Friday: Low Intensity, Long Duration Cardio. 30 Min.
Saturday: Day off.
Sunday: High Intensity, Short Duration (Stationary bike, sprinting, etc), 5 Minutes.

[mikeh40+]

The Truth About the Fat Burning Zone


Part 1: Your Target Heart Rate Zone
Do you exercise because you want to lose weight? If so, you probably know that cardio exercise is a key factor in helping you lose weight. Many people are warned to stay within their 'fat burning' zone for the best results, but do you really burn more fat if you work at lower intensities? Is it the most effective way to help you lose weight?

The Ugly Truth

The body does burn a higher percentage of calories from fat in the 'fat burning zone' or at lower intensities. But, at higher intensities, you burn a greater number of overall calories which is what you should be concerned about when trying to lose weight. The chart below details the fat calories expended by a 130-pound woman during cardio exercise:

Low Intensity - 60-65% MHR High Intensity - 80-85% MHR
Total Calories expended per min. 4.86 6.86
Fat Calories expended per min. 2.43 2.7
Total Calories expended in 30 min. 146 206
Total Fat calories expended in 30 min. 73 82
Percentage of fat calories burned 50% 39.85%


From The 24/5 Complete Personal Training Manual, 24 Hour Fitness, 2000

In this example, the woman burns more total calories and more fat calories at a higher intensity. This isn't to say that low intensity exercise doesn't have it's place. In fact, endurance workouts should be a staple of a complete fitness program along with shorter, higher intensity workouts or even interval workouts which are a great way to burn calories and build endurance. To figure out your own intensity levels, start by calculating your target heart rate zone.

What is Your Target Heart Rate?

In order to figure out which zone you're in, you first need to figure out what your own target heart rate is. You can do this by using the Karvonen Formula. You can also use any number of target heart rate calculators to get your heart rate zone, but many of them do not incorporate your resting heart rate (which makes it a bit more accurate).

Below is an example of the Karvonen formula for a 23 year old person with a resting heart rate of 65 beats per minute (*to get your resting heart rate, take your pulse for one full minute.):

220 - 23 (age) = 197
197 - 65 (resting heart rate) = 132
132 * 65% (low end of heart rate) OR 85% (high end) = 85.8 OR 112.2
85.8 + 65 (resting heart rate) = 150 112.2 + 65 (rhr) = 177
The target heart rate zone for this person would be 150 to 177

For this person to work in his 'fat burning' zone, he would need to stay around 150 beats per minute or lower. To work within his 'cardio' zone, he would need to work at 150 bpm or higher. This step-by-step article will help you learn more about finding your target heart rate and how to use it.

Part 2: Setting Up Your Cardio Workouts
How Often Should You Exercise?

When it comes to cardio, it's up to you and your goals how much you do and how often. For weight loss, most experts recommend 60 or more minutes of moderate intensity activity most days of the week, but if you're a beginner, you may need to start at a lower level of exercise. For beginners, you might start with three days of cardio exercise for 20 or more minutes, adding time each week. If you're an intermediate or advanced exerciser, you can do cardio anywhere from 4 to 6 days a week, keeping in mind that varying your workouts and doing different activities, intensities and durations will offer great weight loss results

How Hard Should You Work?

While you won't burn as many calories in the 'fat burning' zone, you can certainly add it to your weekly routine. These workouts are great for endurance since you can exercise for a longer period of time than if you're working out at a higher intensity. Each week, you might have one long workout in the lower end of your THR and one shorter workout at the high end of your THR. Another option is interval training, an intense workout where you alternate high intensity intervals and recovery intervals. For workout ideas, check out these Cardio Workouts which include interval training.

To monitor your intensity, make sure you keep track of your target heart rate, or use a perceived exertion chart to make sure you're not working too hard.

[anildewani]

I have just one word for this post and that is WOW

I learned a lot about cardio today. It is beneficial to us in many ways. Nice to know that.

Thank you mike, for such a great reply. You described some really great points in your reply.

[mikeh40+]

I have just one word for this post and that is WOW

I learned a lot about cardio today. It is beneficial to us in many ways. Nice to know that.

Thank you mike, for such a great reply. You described some really great points in your reply.
your welcome, thats what were all here for..