In which the main load is received by the heart, cardiovascular system and respiratory organs. The goal of cardio training is to strengthen these organs, burn fat, and develop endurance.
Since the heart is the main organ in the human body, cardio exercise plays a key role in human health. But still, the initial goal of most exercisers is to burn fat. After all, cardio training is the best way to do this.
This article will discuss the basic rules for performing cardio training, and you will also receive advice on how to make cardio training more effective and burn fat much faster.
Cardio intensity
The main indicator of intensity is your heart rate, which will vary depending on your age. It is customary to calculate your heart rate as follows: 220 minus your age. Thus, for a person who is 25 years old, the maximum heart rate should be 220-25 = no more than 195 beats per minute.
The most optimal training intensity will be at a heart rate of 70-80% of the maximum.
Duration of cardio training
Cardio training, with a goal, should last at least 30 minutes. Let's explain why. The body consumes carbohydrates as energy, that is, when you perform physical activity, they are burned as “fuel”, not fats.
However, the supply of carbohydrates is not unlimited and after about 20 minutes of cardio training it is depleted. After this, the body begins to turn to its energy reserves - fats and begins to burn them as “fuel”.
Thus, shorter sessions of cardio training, to lose excess weight will have virtually no impact. But you shouldn’t overdo it with the duration of the workout. After about an hour of cardio, we begin to lose muscle along with fat. This is due to the fact that the body at this time begins to launch catabolic processes and also uses proteins as energy, breaking them down into amino acids.
Drawing a conclusion from all of the above, you can determine the optimal duration of cardio training. It should be between 30 and 55 minutes.
Cardio+strength training
The combination of both is a real explosive mixture in terms of fat loss and gain. muscle mass. Based on the fact that during a workout the body spends mainly carbohydrates as energy, then after it ends, carbohydrate reserves tend to zero.
By doing cardio training immediately after strength training, we begin to lose fat not after 20 minutes, but almost after 2-3 minutes. It will, of course, be quite difficult to do, say, running, after a heavy strength training, but the result is worth it.
In addition, performing cardio training after strength training will have a positive effect on muscle growth. Since cardio training forces the heart to work actively vascular system, then blood circulation becomes faster, and this will have a positive effect on muscle recovery.
Accelerated blood circulation quickly removes anabolic products and unnecessary waste from the muscles, which greatly inhibit the recovery process and often cause overtraining. In addition, rapid blood circulation delivers nutrients to the muscles much faster, promoting their growth.
Interval cardio training will give the best results!
Cardio training has undergone numerous studies and scientists have concluded that the best way to burn fat is interval cardio training.
Its essence is that a cardio exercise, such as running, is performed at different intensities, that is, you do not run at the same pace throughout the entire workout, but alternate between a high pace and a low one.
Again, this version of cardio training is more complex, but it also forces the body to increase its metabolic rate, and, accordingly, the rate of fat burning. In addition, this speed is maintained after training, so fats are burned for some time at rest.
Here is an example of interval cardio training:
Do a 5-minute warm-up, after which, for 15-30 minutes, alternate running at a very fast pace with running at a slow pace. The duration of the intervals should be 1 minute for fast running and 1-2 minutes for slow running, depending on your physical capabilities.
Conclusion
The best cardio exercise is running, so whenever possible, give preference to it. Of course, cycling, swimming and various cardio equipment are also good option, but still running is the best.
Jogging 4-5 times a week if you need to lose a lot of excess weight. If you just want to keep yourself in shape and help your body gain muscle mass, then once or twice a week after strength training will be more than enough.
Below is a video review of cardio equipment, as well as some useful tips on their use:
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Cardio training is the fastest and most effective method fight against overweight, volumes and formation beautiful body. It's a whole complex health-improving techniques, which help not only to lose weight, but also to develop endurance, strengthen the heart and fortitude.
Choose cardio workouts gym or at home, depending on the amount of free time and money.
Cardio training is suitable for beginner athletes.
Cardio training for weight loss
During intensive physical activity without the use of weights, ventilation of the lungs actively occurs, the cardiovascular system is trained, the metabolic process improves and, of course, fat burning increases.
Combining cardio training with proper nutrition, you can achieve the desired results in a short time. But you should remember that the fat burning process begins after 20 minutes of active cardio training.
Workout programs at home and in the gym
There are many cardio training programs, each of which is good in its own way. Below we will look at the 5 most popular programs.
- Long-term training to burn fat deposits.
- Interval cardio training.
- Fartlek.
- Super circuit training.
- Cross training.
This intense workout over a long distance of steady state. Long-term training is training with the same load for a long time without rest.
A good example of steady-state cardio training would be running at a constant speed or cycling.
Interval training is much more intense than continuous training. With such a load, fat is burned faster and more actively. Interval training alternates levels of difficulty and allows for short rest periods. This can be running with alternating speeds, provided the sequence is repeated in a certain time period (20 - 40 minutes).
One of the varieties of interval training, which is more suitable for physically fit people. Here too, speed and tempo alternate, but the alternation is not sequential. High intensity is followed by anaerobic work, low speed and recovery periods.
This is an aerobic regimen that involves alternating cardio training with aerobic weight training exercises. Super circuit training is the most effective option in the fight against fat and excess weight in the shortest possible time. Such loads provide not only a reduction in volume, but also support muscle tone whole body.
This type of load involves alternating cardio training, varying in duration and load. For example, you spend 20 minutes on the treadmill, then 10 minutes on the exercise bike, and finally 10 minutes on the exercise bike. elliptical trainer. Also, types of load can be alternated every day.
Through long-term research, a training system for quick and harmless weight loss was established. We recommend using . Using it you will receive excellent result in the fight against excess weight.
All about exercises for the lower and upper press. Everyone wants to have beautiful six-pack abs.
Cardio Exercises
Below are the most popular and effective types cardio training loads:
- cycling;
- elliptical trainer;
- swimming;
- step - aerobics;
- rowing;
- walking;
- boxing;
- badminton;
- yoga.
When to do cardio
Firstly, it is better to do cardio training in the morning, when your body is full of energy and does not feel tired. The exceptions are when people feel better in the afternoon or evening, or simply do not have the opportunity to exercise in the morning.
How to choose to do cardio or strength training first? The procedure for combining cardio and strength training is as follows:
Cardio training should be done before strength training if you want to lose weight.
Cardio after strength training is essential if you want to gain muscle mass, tone up, and strengthen your heart and lungs.
A good option would be this combination - cardio at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of strength training. With this option, you should take into account that the duration of one cardio period should not exceed 20 minutes, otherwise your body will be exhausted.
Duration of training
Those who want to lose weight quickly must learn one thing important rule: Don’t overdo either cardio or strength training. You need to exercise moderately, gradually increasing the load and duration of the workout.
The optimal training time for beginners would be 40 - 60 minutes three times a week, then you can increase the number of workouts to 4 -5.
Pros and cons of cardio training
Pros:
- Cardio training burns fat faster than other workouts;
- cellulite resolves;
- the muscles responsible for breathing are strengthened;
- Cardio training is good for the heart;
- heart rate at rest decreases;
- all muscles are strengthened;
- blood circulation improves;
- metabolism improves;
- blood pressure decreases;
- the risk of diabetes is reduced;
- lung volume increases;
- the risk of heart attacks is reduced;
- mental state improves;
- cardio training is suitable for men and girls.
Cons:
- excessive stress on the cardiovascular system, joints and ligaments in some types of cardio training.
Proper nutrition
While doing cardio training, you should not forget about nutrition. The diet should contain fewer calories and also be filled with all the necessary vitamins, proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
At the same time, you should not severely limit yourself in food, much less starve. Otherwise, you will not only not lose weight, but also spoil your stomach and lower your immunity.
Approximate daily diet
In the morning your breakfast may be boiled eggs, omelette, cottage cheese, natural protein shake, fruits, cottage cheese casserole, yogurt, milk porridge, bran. The main task of breakfast is to saturate the body for the whole day.
For lunch, it is best to eat soups, meat, fish in addition to vegetables. It should be remembered that meat and fish are good boiled and baked, as well as steamed.
Dinner should consist of proteins. This is cottage cheese, white meat, white fish, nuts, and a natural protein shake.
Don't forget about snacks. Snacks can include fruits, vegetables, dried fruits and nuts.
Correct breathing
When doing cardio training, you need to breathe frequently and shallowly. Many experts advise inhaling every third step or inhaling and exhaling in 2 counts. In any case, your breathing should be light and shallow, but this is only during interval and short-term training. If you are running a distance, you should breathe deeply and infrequently. Focus on inhaling fully, and then exhaling as fully..html Arm training with dumbbells at home.
When doing cardio training, you should wear comfortable clothes and shoes. If you ignore this, you can get quite serious injuries.
You cannot overdo it with the load. Do everything gradually and in moderation, constantly increasing the time and load of your training.
Do not give preference to only one type of training and load. Alternate them, change them, try something new, don’t let your body get used to it.
If you feel body pain or tired and tired, give your body a break for a few days.
Before starting cardio training, be sure to warm up for 5-10 minutes, as your muscles should be warmed up.
Drink plenty of water. But you should drink water only during periods of recovery during training, otherwise the load on the cardiovascular system greatly increases.
Lead healthy image life.
Many people believe that effective sports can only be done in the gym under the supervision of a trainer. Nevertheless, another category of people proves by their example that you can play sports at home. Exists large number options for physical activity from dancing to strength exercises, which can be done at home. If your goal is not only to make your body fit and slim, but also to improve your health, pay attention to cardio training.
Aerobic exercise
All physical exercise are divided into two types: aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic exercise involve the implementation of muscle movements due to the energy released during the oxidation of glucose molecules with oxygen. At anaerobic exercise energy is obtained from the breakdown of “fuel” substances in skeletal muscles without the participation of oxygen. Aerobic exercise includes cardio training.
By and large, cardio training is long-term physical exercise of low to medium intensity with rhythmic repetition of certain physical exercises. Cardio training includes the following types of physical activity:
- Race walking;
- Step aerobics;
- Dancing;
- Cycling;
- Swimming.
Benefits of Cardio Exercise
Cardio training has become so popular for a reason. Regular training such as this has a beneficial effect on the body. Among the beneficial effects of this type of physical activity are:
Contraindications
Before undertaking any physical activity, it is worth assessing your health status. If you seriously decide to take up cardio training, you should visit a doctor and undergo the necessary tests: from a clinical blood test to an electrocardiogram. Cardio training is contraindicated in the following conditions:
Basics of a complete cardio workout
One of important indicators, which will allow you to evaluate the intensity of cardio training, is to count your heart rate (HR). Before starting your workout, you should calculate your maximum heart rate. And this is done using a simple formula:
Heart ratemax = 220 - age.
That is, if a person is thirty years old, his maximum heart rate is 190 beats per minute. A workout that is accompanied by a higher heart rate will lead to rapid exhaustion of strength and will also place unnecessary additional stress on the heart muscle.
The optimal heart rate when performing cardio training is 60-70% of the maximum heart rate. That is, for a thirty-year-old man, the optimal heart rate will be 132-154 beats per minute. Exercising at a lower heart rate for this man simply cannot be called cardio training.
During training, beginners need to regularly monitor their heart rate. This can be done using a special device - a heart rate monitor, or by placing your fingers on radial artery opposite hand in the wrist area and count the blows for fifteen seconds, and then multiply the resulting figure by four. And now, based on the existing heart rate, increase or, on the contrary, reduce the intensity of the load. In the future, when regular classes sports, when you get used to the sensations during training, you yourself will be able to understand when it is necessary to change the intensity of the load without constantly measuring your pulse.
There is another indicative test to assess the adequacy of the load. If a person is unable to speak or answer questions without difficulty while performing exercises, this means that the intensity of the load must be reduced.
A set of cardio exercises
You can't do sports on a full stomach. Therefore, it is better to exercise two hours after eating. The exercise program should look like this::
- Warm-up;
- Actually cardio training;
- The final part.
Warm-up represents the performance of exercises of moderate intensity. This allows you to prepare your body for more serious stress. For warming up, running in place, bending your torso, swinging your legs, and shallow squats are suitable. Warm-up duration is five to seven minutes.
After warming up your muscles, it’s time to start directly doing cardio. The set of exercises can be very diverse.
First set of exercises
Plyometric push-ups. Take a horizontal position on the floor, as in a regular push-up, resting on your straightened arms and toes. Keep your body and legs in one straight line, without bending at the lower back. Push up and then push your body up as hard as you can. In this case, your palms should come off the floor. The main thing is to land softly.
Jumping. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and squat down strongly, pushing your pelvis back. At the same time, it is important not to lift your heels off the floor and not to tilt your body forward. Now push off with your feet and jump as high as possible. Gently lower yourself onto bent knees, going into a deep squat.
Exit at point-blank range. Sit down, press your heels to the floor, rest your hands on the floor. Now transfer your weight to your hands and, straightening your legs back, jump lightly. From a lying position, repeat the exercise in reverse order, returning first to a sitting position and then to a standing position.
Second set of exercises
Exercise rock climber. Take a lying position and do push-ups. Now alternately bring your right knee towards right hand, and then the left knee to the left hand. Return to the starting position.
Running at a low start. Assume a position similar to a low start before running. Now tuck one leg under you and stretch the other back. At the same time, change the position of your legs, while pushing off the floor, it is important to transfer the weight to your arms. The same exercise can be performed symmetrically with both legs.
sawfish. Lower yourself into a lying position, just lean not on your palms, but on your bent elbows. Place your weight on your forearms. Without bending in lumbar region, push your body back with your shoulders while sliding your feet along the floor. Leaning on your hands, pull your legs in the same way to the starting position.
Important: start your workout by performing the first set of exercises. Each exercise must be repeated approximately fifteen times per maximum speed without taking breaks. After completing the complex, you need to rest for forty seconds. Then proceed to perform the exercises of the second complex according to the same scheme.
With regular training and good exercise tolerance, increase the exercises to twenty to thirty times. When this is not enough, simply increase the number of cycles. That is, after completing the first and then the second complex, rest for forty seconds and start over. Trained people are able to do three to four such cycles in one workout.
This is an approximate set of exercises. For training to be effective, it is important to make it more varied, so it is recommended to change exercises periodically.
In general, you need to start with moderately intense exercise lasting no more than thirty minutes. Each week you can extend your workout by another ten minutes until you reach an hour's worth of cardio.
After performing the exercises, you should never stop abruptly. Take a step and take a few deep breaths. You can also do muscle stretching exercises.
How often should you do cardio? If your goal is to maintain optimal performance cardiovascular system and strengthening the body as a whole, which means three workouts a week will be enough. If you are interested in losing weight, do cardio training more often, five times a week, but remember that with aerobic exercise, fat breakdown occurs only after half an hour from the start of the workout.
Grigorova Valeria, medical observer
And using Cardio in your workout routine is important factor in the formation perfect body and strengthening the cardiovascular system. There are many studies that highlight the effectiveness of cardio training. Let's find out what Cardio and cardio training are, and also find out when and why it is important to do cardio training.
What is cardio and cardio training?
Most people today still mistakenly believe that in order to lose weight, you need to do cardio, and for some reason cardio training always means running. This is a misconception that has persisted for many years. In fact, cardio training is any physical activity, which increases the heart rate and breathing rate along with the involvement of large muscle groups. These can be rhythmic movements that are performed repeatedly. Even the word cardio itself comes from the Greek word “kardia,” which means heart, which provides a clue as to why doing cardio is so important. In most cases, relatively low intensity is used, while the time of physical activity increases, as a result of which the process of fat burning and heart training occurs.
When to do cardio training?
Depending on your individual needs and personal goals, you can do cardio before, after, or as a workout.
Using cardio before exercise is done as a warm-up to warm up your muscles, increase blood flow, increase your heart rate and raise your energy levels. In simple words, cardio as a warm-up is used to prepare the body for stress in order to avoid all kinds of injuries and sprains. As a warm-up, cardio is performed on average 10 
minutes.
Cardio after strength training is most often used for those who want to get rid of excess fat and burn the lion's share of calories, and also as a cool-down. Most effective way- this is when during training you spend all your glycogen and after strength training you start cardio training. In this case, you will use up as much as possible subcutaneous fat. As a cool-down, you can do cardio training for about 5 minutes, and for burning fat up to 30 minutes.
Cardio serves several purposes as a workout. Firstly, it trains the cardiovascular system and endurance, and secondly, cardio is used to correct body weight. Moreover, these tasks are the right approach can be implemented in parallel. In the overwhelming majority of cases, people resort to cardio training precisely because of its fat-burning effect. Such training is performed on average 3-5 times a week for 30-50 minutes.
Why is it important to do cardio?
Cardio training increases your heart rate and breathing rate, which leads to increased blood circulation. This means that more blood flows to the muscle cells, enriching them with oxygen and flushing out toxins from them that are formed due to hard training. In turn, toxins can be eliminated on their own, without using stress on the muscles, but this takes a lot of time, which as a result has a bad effect on muscle recovery and growth. Also, with the help of cardio training, muscles are well restored, which is what most bodybuilders do on rest days. It is important to understand that cardio training improves health and improves oxygen metabolism in the body. 
Types of Cardio Training
Today, there are quite a few loads and types of cardio training.
It could be a classic long lasting cardio training, it applies the same load over a long period of time for 30-60 minutes without rest.
There is also interval training, the point is that throughout the training, the heart rate and loads change. This good way increase the level of your ANSP. Typically these workouts last from 20 to 30 minutes.
Another variety interval training This Fartlek. This involves non-systematic periods of recovery with intensive training, they may contain high intensity, high speed, low intensity and recovery periods.
And the last one is cross training, the principle of alternation is applied here. For example, you can change exercises every 10-15 minutes. Those. your training program may constantly change. This is a very popular method used to treat injuries.
As for classic cardio training, there are three most popular of them:
Running (classic) - of course, this is the most popular cardio workout due to its simplicity and effectiveness. You can run anywhere and at any time, without the need to visit gyms and without special simulators. This effective training, which will help you in the fight against excess fat, as well as increase your level of endurance.
Jumping rope - for this workout you will need only one piece of equipment, a “jump rope”. You can perform the workout both at home and at fresh air. Jumping rope, like running, is also a great way to burn calories.
Cycling - If you have a bicycle, it is a great tool for cardio training and increasing your endurance. But you spend a little less calories here than in the previous two methods.
Remember that working at a very high heart rate is detrimental to the heart, this leads to type D hypertrophy (when the walls of the heart become thicker). Therefore, if you suddenly feel symptoms of angina pectoris (pressing pain, burning in the chest extending to the shoulder blade, shoulder or collarbone), this means that you urgently need to stop the load.
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Cardio guide: we'll tell you who, when and how to do cardio training.
Do you need to do cardio training at all, when exactly do you need to do cardio and in what volumes? Zozhnik understands everything related to cardio.
What is cardio
The name “cardio”, in fact, comes from the Greek word kardio - heart. Therefore, in theory, cardio training is training the cardiovascular system. However, in fitness rooms, “cardio” began to be classified as any kind of exercise. aerobic exercise: running, elliptical walking, cycling and most group jumping jacks.
Actually, cardio training, namely training the heart and cardiovascular system, is most effective within a certain heart rate range, so you need to constantly monitor it. You can determine your personal range accurately and individually by taking a gas analyzer test (here). Or just use the approximate formula: 220 – your age = your maximum heart rate. Cardio training should take place between 65% and 85% of your maximum heart rate. Accordingly, for a 30-year-old person this range is approximately 123-162 beats per minute. If you train below the lower limit, the training will not bring tangible benefits, if above it, it can do harm.
This is how the “cardio” and “fat burning” zones on the machines are marked, but don’t rush to believe them.
Another very popular topic is about pulse zone fat burning (possibly because it is often noted on cardio equipment in gyms): this zone is also determined individually by a test on a gas analyzer and it is slightly lower: about 60-70% of maximum heart rate(115-135 beats/min for the average 30 year old).
However, the most important thing about this is that Cardio training for fat loss is not particularly effective(See below: why cardio is not the best way to lose weight).
Who needs cardio training and for what purposes?
But first, let’s tell who and in what cases cardio recommended:
1. Actually, regular moderate cardio training is specifically for keeping the cardiovascular system in order and, in general, for prolonging life.
Cardio helps during the period of fat burning, and interferes with it during weight gain. Choose.
2. If you are building muscle mass, then cardio training is not recommended, since its effect on muscle growth is somewhat opposite to hypertrophy. However, during the fat burning period (and you know that) having cardio in your training plan(but only together with strength training) will make your fat burning even more effective.
3. If you are losing weight, then add to strength exercises Cardio is also a good idea. But remember that cardio is not the best way to lose weight.
4. If you are working out cyclic species sports and you need to develop your endurance.
5. Cardio for recovery. Light loads have a beneficial effect on the speed of recovery - we have material about overtraining and its dangers.
Cardio training is not the best way to lose weight
Yes, indeed, in, say, 45 minutes of cardio you can “burn” more calories than during an equal-time strength training session, but the overall effect for weight loss will be worse. But strength training burns your fats mainly during rest, after your workout, significantly raising your overall metabolic rate. In addition, even the small amount of muscle that you may gain from strength training (for example, 5 kg) requires additionally 250-400 kcal per day to your regular diet. This makes it easier for you to maintain a small calorie deficit and burn fat on an ongoing basis.
The best effect on fat burning is provided by a combination of complete strength training and cardio training. For weight loss, fitness experts recommend 2-3 strength training per week, flavor it with 2-3 cardio workouts for 45-60 minutes. Moreover, it is advisable to conduct them on different days.
How long to do cardio
Experts advise doing cardio for at least 30 minutes in order for the workout to have at least some effect. But do not forget that if you are completely new to the gym, then you need to start with easy 10-15 minute workouts and gradually increase the load.
Keep in mind that doing cardio for more than an hour will burn your muscles. Scientists have discovered that although aerobics “burns” fat, after an hour of exercise the body switches to muscle tissue. After two hours of cardio training, the body loses up to 90% of leucine, an amino acid that determines muscle growth.
Multiple “Mr. Olympia” Jay Cutler does not disdain cardio during the fat burning period
Here’s what one of the most famous jocks in the world, Jay Cutler, says: “during the preparation for the competition, I decided to push the aerobics and extended the aerobic training to an hour and a half. Immediately I noticed that there was less strength, the muscles “shrank” and lost their usual elasticity. Since then, I’ve been doing cardio for no longer than 45-50 minutes.”
Cardio + strength
Let us repeat that muscle building and fat burning are not compatible, which means that it is not recommended to do cardio during the period of muscle building, but vice versa during the “cutting” period.
At the same time, it is recommended to do cardio on a separate day, but if you have to combine it, then it is better to do cardio training after strength training. If you start with cardio, you will use up glycogen and this will lead to decreased muscle strength, which means you won’t be able to load your muscles enough.
But remember that fat burning is not a type of training, but a set of measures. First of all, you must eat less than you expend, and to ensure that your muscles do not leave your body along with the fat, you must maintain them with strength training.
