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Maximize your cardio sessions by knowing your goals:
What is your goal when approaching cardio? Are you training for a specific sport, to improve your health, or to lose excess weight?
The growing trend towards a cardio workout is focusing more heavily on weight loss. Although we hear about the positive effects cardio and regular exercise has on overall health and weight loss, we don't receive much information about how to approach it.
Too often, people will make the decision to get in shape and just take off jogging or climbing on a machine without ever really understanding the mechanics of what they are doing. For example, you'll find that when working out, most people prefer to use sweat levels as the primary indicator of a good workout. When in reality, the only thing sweat levels actually indicate are increased heat levels within the body, which is not an accurate measurement of energy exerted.
Understanding the mechanics of your cardio workouts is just as important as any other fitness activity, where harder doesn't always mean better. Especially in weight loss, people tend to believe that the harder and faster they work equates to more fat that can be burnt per session. The scientific truth behind cardio vascular exercise highlights that we each have a target rate at which to exert our energy, where excess exertion results in the burning of muscle instead of fat. Take track and field athletes for example. These athletes are constantly running and lifting to the maximum extend their bodies can endure, yet their physiques typically contain little muscle in comparison to body builders. Knowing how hard to push yourself is one of the KEYS to maximizing your results.
What's the best type of cardio to do?
When trying to lose body fat any type of cardio is good, only as long as it is consistent. The fastest weight loss results are achieved through reaching and maintaining the most efficient level of effort, measured through your heart rate. Keeping this rate consistent over a lengthened amount of time will provide much faster results than overextending yourself.
Improving comfort is an easy way to ensure consistency over time. If you're miserable with one method of cardio then switch to something more comfortable. You will find it easier to maintain your optimal heart rate longer, and you'll be less likely to become burnt out.
I'm in a wheelchair. What cardio can I possibly do?
Through my own personal experience, here are some wheelchair exercises, which are great for increasing the heart rate:
Ø Wheelchair basketball
Ø Pushing yourself in the wheelchair
Ø Hand cycle machine
Ø Sitting on the floor peddling the bike with your hands
Ø Swimming
Ø Recumbent bike (depending on injury level)
Ø Rowing
Ø Other advanced techniques to get your heart rate up are doing super sets and combo sets while lifting weight. That way you are receiving the benefits of muscle stimulation and cardio all at once.
Ø Or any other activity that keeps you active - just be creative.
Ø Speed Bag (Wheelchair Users)
*Diet is extremely important to wheelchair users because we do not burn as many calories as somebody that is walking. Remember, you will not have to burn off certain calories and carbohydrates if you never consume them in the first place.
Cardio workouts are as follows if you are trying to lose excess body fat:
5 to 15 minutes = High Intensity
16 to 40 minutes = Medium Intensity
41 to 60 minutes = Low to Medium Intensity (*Burning Fat*)
* Try to target your heart rate for however long you plan on doing cardio. I recommend going no longer than an hour at a time during your cardio session, unless you are training for something specific. Always warm up for 5 minutes before beginning.
~ADVANCED CARDIO WORKOUT~
5 minute warm-up
30 seconds as fast as you can go
1 minute & 30 seconds = Low Intensity
*Repeat this for 20 to 25 Minutes
Then a 5 minute cool-down
Do you have any last words of advice?
Just stick with it, give it time, and believe! Finding what works best for you is the key to your success! Train Hard and Good Luck!
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