WEEK TWENTY :: What Is The Best Type Of Cardio For Fat Loss?

[L_Asso]

Congrats UliqMadiq & bigcalves! Great Articles!

[fLexX421]

Before you start any program set out what your goals are.
to lose fat and to lose as minimal muscle as possible, you need to balance things out.
1. watch your calories
2. up your protein intake
3. do cardio workout, however not everyday

You cannot base everything on cardio, you keep in mind that diet is even more important then the cardio you perform.
After you have that set, then you can start your cardio choices.

I would start off by doing a 5 day cardio workout with 2 days off
Mon= 15 min of HIIT(morning) Chest/Bi's (afternoon)
Tue= 30-40 mins choice of elliptical/treadmill/step machine immediately followed by abs
Wed= 15 min of HIIT(morning) Legs/Back (afternoon)
Thur= 30-40 mins choice of elliptical/treadmill/step machine immediately followed by abs
Fri= 15 min of HIIT(morning) Shoulders (afternoon)
*(HIIT should be done starting of with week one at about 8 mins, then the following week should be increased to 10, week 3 should be done at 12, then finally until 15 min)
if you happen to have some type of metabolic booster, i suggest you take it in the mornings, perhaps a cup of coffee, or green tea. Boosting your protein intake is beneficial, as well as more milk and calcium. Cutting carbs out roughly about night time around 5-6 hours before bed suggested.

As for the rest of the week on the weekends i would lay off the weights and the gym all together, however playin a sport may be good on the weekend, a little bit of basketball or biking would be beneficial but not necessary.

**BUT remember the bulk of the work is diet, you have to watch your calories and what you eat.**

[xclavo3]

Good info

[jmaxeden]

Good Thread. Will follow!

[xevets]

thats a really good summary fLexX421 has right there. Im sure anyone would see change in a month.

[TrustHaddin]

Hey Friends,

Congratulation to all of you. I am new one here. I hope you will stay and enjoy for a long time in this community.

Thanks and Regards.

[manwell]

When it comes to losing fat everyone has a theory. Some people say that slow is the way to go while others say fast will put fat in the past. Ask yourself this question. What type of athlete would you rather look like? A marathoner? Or a sprinter? A marathon runner looks sickly thin with little muscle mass while a sprinter is lean and muscular which is much healthier looking then the marathon runner. Although I prefer the sprinters physique I am a full supporter of doing both types of cardio to add variety to a workout and strengthening the heart muscles.

Sprinters do workouts called fartleks which is a Swedish word referring to short bouts of sprints followed by short bouts at a slower pace. In bodybuilding terms that is called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT in my opinion is better then endurance cardio because it makes muscles work harder and in time makes muscles stronger which burns more fat. Also, HIIT burns more calories throughout the day then endurance cardio does. Endurance cardio burns more calories during activity then it does throughout the day while HIIT works just the opposite.

To perform HIIT you can do anything.... biking, running, stairclimber etc. You just have to be able to go from fast to slow over and over again for about 15-20min. Choose what intervals you would like to go at and perform HIIT with whatever exercise you decide to do. I usually go 1 min sprint and 1 min jog but its up to you and what you can do.

To make cardio more fun I enjoy listening to music. I bring a mini disc player with me and it makes time fly by and it also gives me an extra push when I need it. Perform HIIT 3 times a week and do a longer endurance at a lesser intensity cardio workout once or twice a week just to add some variety.

Cardio is important to do not only because of the stored up fat from last winter but its also important to do it because of your heart. Big muscles do not mean anything if you can't walk up a flight of stairs without collapsing. Do cardio long enough to get up a good sweat and increase your heart rate. As long as your not over doing it cardio can be a very healthy and helpful tool in anyones routine.

Very good and to the point. Well answered

[TrueAmateur]

Good info

Yeah it is! I thought the same thing when I read it 7 years ago before you bumped it!!!! Sigh...

[ntroupe]

I am a big believer of HIIT

[rocketdan9]

imo nothing touches HIIT in terms of fat burning/muscle salvaging effectiveness. And all you need to do is for 10-15 minutes 3 to 4 times a week.

Example on treadmill, 1 min walk then 1 min sprint (8.0mph), 1 min walk, then 1 min sprint (8.5 mph)... until you reach 10.0 - 11 mph sprints.

Slow long duration cardio is a waste of time in comparison.