One of the most common questions you will probably be asked as a PT is about fat reduction. Here is a list of various points that are good to keep in mind.
- According to English, CARDIO means: "Having to do with the heart and blood vessels." It essentially means repeated low-intensity exercise that helps you improve your overall cardiovascular health.
- Cardio exercises are those that raise your heart rate to between 65 and 90% of your maximum rate.
- An easy way to calculate your maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. For example, the maximum heart rate for a 28-year-old is around 192 (220-28=192).
- To find out your cardio frequency, multiply your maximum heart rate by 65% and 90%.
- So, the heart rate for the same 28-year-old should be between 125 (192×0.65) and 173 (192×0.9).
- Cardio has many benefits, including reducing blood pressure and improving heart health and lung function. Despite all these good reasons to do cardio, the main reason for most people is to burn fat.
- Cardio is one of the best ways to burn lots of calories while losing extra body fat and giving your metabolism a real boost.
- The rule of thumb is that if you find it difficult to hold a conversation because you are gasping for breath, the intensity is too high. On the other hand, if your breathing hardly changes, you are not working hard enough.
- If you are a beginner or have not done any cardio activities for several months, you should limit your first sessions to 10-15 minutes. After a couple of weeks, you will have built up your endurance and can increase your cardio training to 20-60 minutes. You start burning more fat than carbohydrates after 20 minutes. Therefore, shorter cardio sessions are best for maintaining your current weight, while longer sessions are best for losing weight.
- If you are looking to maintain your current weight, 60-90 minutes per week is appropriate. How you choose to do this, in one or more split sessions, is irrelevant and depends on your stamina and time.
- If you are looking to burn maximum fat, you need between 2-5 hours of cardio per week. Each training session should then be 40-60 minutes long.
- The best time to do cardio for maximum fat loss is first thing in the morning before breakfast, after you have slept for 6-8 hours. At this time, your blood sugar level (glucose) is very low and your body uses stored fat as an alternative source of energy.
- Those who persevere with their cardio training and manage to make it part of their daily routine will see good results.