In which the heart, cardiovascular system and respiratory organs receive the main load. 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, the implementation of cardio training plays a key role in the state of human health. But still, the initial goal of most exercisers is to burn fat. After all, cardio is the best way to do it.
This article will cover the basic rules for cardio training, as well as advice on how to make cardio training more effective and burn fat much faster.
Cardio Intensity
The main indicator of intensity is the heart rate, which will vary depending on your age. It is customary to calculate the pulse 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. We explain why. The body consumes carbohydrates as energy, that is, when you perform physical activity, it is they that are burned as “fuel”, and not fats.
However, the supply of carbohydrates is not unlimited and after about 20 minutes of cardio training it is depleted. After that, the body begins to turn to its energy reserves - fats and begins to burn them as "fuel".
Thus, shorter sessions of cardio training, at a loss excess weight will have virtually no effect. But do not 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 start catabolic processes and also uses proteins as energy, breaking them down to amino acids.
Drawing a conclusion from the foregoing, you can determine the optimal duration of cardio training. It should be between 30 and 55 minutes.
Cardio training + 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 the time the body spends mainly carbohydrates as energy, then after it ends, carbohydrate reserves tend to zero.
Carrying out cardio training immediately after strength training, we begin to lose fat not after 20 minutes, but almost after 2-3 minutes. It will certainly be quite hard to do, say, a run after a hard strength training session, but the result is worth it.
In addition, doing cardio after strength training will have a positive effect on muscle growth. Since cardio training makes the cardio- vascular system, then blood circulation becomes faster, and this will positively affect muscle recovery.
Accelerated blood circulation quickly removes anabolism products and unnecessary toxins from the muscles, which greatly inhibit the recovery process and often cause overtraining. In addition, fast blood circulation delivers useful substances to the muscles that contribute to their growth much faster.
Interval cardio training will give you the best results!
Cardio training has undergone numerous studies and scientists have come to the conclusion that interval cardio is the best way to burn fat.
Its essence lies in the fact that 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 type of cardio training is more complex, but it also forces the body to increase the metabolic rate, and, accordingly, the rate of fat burning. In addition, this speed is maintained after training, so fats are burned for some time even at rest.
Here is an example of doing interval cardio training:
Spend 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 a fast run and 1-2 minutes for a slow run, depending on your physical capabilities.
Conclusion
The best cardio exercise will be running, so, if possible, give preference to it. Of course, cycling, swimming and various cardio equipment are also a good option but still running is the best.
Run 4-5 times a week if you need to lose enough excess weight. If you just want to keep yourself in shape and help your body gain muscle mass, then one or two times a week after strength training will be more than enough.
Below is a video review of cardio equipment, as well as some helpful tips for their use:
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Cardio training is the fastest and effective method fight against overweight, volumes and formation beautiful body. This is a whole range of wellness techniques that help not only lose weight, but also develop endurance, strengthen the heart and fortitude.
Choose your 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 trains, the metabolic process improves and, of course, fat burning increases.
Combining cardio with proper nutrition, you can achieve the desired results in a short time. But it should be remembered that the process of fat burning 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 5 of the most popular programs.
- Long workout for fat burning.
- Interval cardio.
- Fartlek.
- Super circuit training.
- Cross training.
This intense workout over a long steady state distance. A long workout is a workout with the same load for a long time without rest.
A good example of sustained cardio training would be running at a steady pace, or cycling.
Interval training is much more intense than long-term training. Fat with such a load is burned faster and more actively. Interval training alternates levels of difficulty and allows for short periods of rest. This can be a run with alternating speeds, provided that 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 prepared people. Speed and tempo also alternate here, but the alternation is not sequential. High intensity is replaced by anaerobic work, low speed and recovery periods.
This is an aerobic circuit that involves alternating cardio with aerobic weight training. 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 volumes, but also support muscle tone of the whole body.
This type of load involves the alternation of cardio workouts, different in duration and load. For example, you spend 20 minutes on a treadmill, then 10 minutes on a stationary bike, and finally 10 minutes on elliptical trainer. Also, the types of load can be alternated every day.
Through long-term research, a training system has been established for quick and harmless weight loss. We recommend applying. By using it you will get excellent result in the fight against excess weight.
All about exercises for the lower and upper press. Beautiful abs want to have everything.
Cardio exercises
Below are the most popular and effective types loads of cardio training:
- a ride on the bicycle;
- elliptical trainer;
- swimming;
- step - aerobics;
- rowing;
- walking;
- boxing;
- badminton;
- yoga.
When to do cardio
Firstly, cardio workouts are best done 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 in the evening, or simply do not have the opportunity to exercise in the morning.
How to choose to do cardio or strength training first? The order of combining cardio and strength training is as follows:
Cardio must be done before strength training if you want to lose weight.
Post-strength cardio should be done if you want to gain muscle mass, tone up, and strengthen your heart and lungs.
A good option would be such a combination - cardio at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of strength training. With this option, it should be noted that the duration of one cardio period should not exceed 20 minutes, otherwise your body will be exhausted.
Workout duration
Those who want to lose weight quickly must learn one thing important rule: You can not overdo it either in cardio training or in strength training. You need to do it moderately, gradually increasing the load and duration of the workout.
The optimal lesson time for beginners will 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 workouts burn fat faster than other workouts;
- cellulite dissolves;
- the muscles responsible for breathing are strengthened;
- cardio training is good for the heart;
- Decreased heart rate at rest
- all muscles are strengthened;
- improves blood circulation;
- metabolism improves;
- blood pressure decreases;
- reduces the risk of diabetes;
- the volume of the lungs increases;
- reduces the risk of heart attacks;
- mental state improves;
- cardio training is suitable for men and women.
Minuses:
- excessive stress on the cardiovascular system, joints and ligaments in some types of cardio training.
Proper nutrition
Doing cardio training should not forget about nutrition. The diet should contain fewer calories, and also filled with all the necessary vitamins, proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
At the same time, you should not severely restrict yourself in food, and even more so, starve. Otherwise, you will not only not lose weight, but also ruin your stomach, lower your immunity.
Approximate daily diet
In the morning your breakfast can be boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, natural protein cocktail, 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 be protein. This is cottage cheese, white meat, white fish, nuts, a natural protein shake.
Don't forget about snacks. Snacks can be fruits, vegetables, dried fruits and nuts.
Proper breathing
When doing cardio, you need to breathe often and shallowly. Many experts advise inhaling every third step, or inhaling and exhaling for 2 counts. In any case, your breathing should be light and shallow, but this is only for interval and short workouts. If you are running a distance, you should breathe deeply and infrequently. Focus on a full breath, and then do the same full exhalation..html Arm training with dumbbells at home.
When doing cardio, you should be in comfortable clothes and shoes. If you ignore this, you can get quite significant injuries.
You can not overdo it with the load. Do everything gradually and moderately, constantly increasing the time and load of your workouts.
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 pain in your body or tired and tired, give your body a break for a few days.
Before starting cardio, be sure to warm up for 5-10 minutes, as your muscles should be warmed up.
Drink plenty of water. But water should be drunk only during periods of recovery during training, otherwise the load on the cardiovascular system will increase greatly.
Lead healthy lifestyle life.
Many people think that it is possible to play sports effectively only in the gym under the supervision of a coach. Nevertheless, another category of people by their example proves that you can play sports at home. Exists a large number of options for physical activity from dancing to strength exercises that can be done at home. If your goal is not only to make your body toned 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 imply 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 is cardio training.
By and large, cardio training is long-term physical exercises of low and medium intensity with the rhythmic repetition of certain physical exercises. Cardio training includes the following types of physical activity:
- Sports walking;
- Step aerobics;
- Dancing;
- Biking;
- Swimming.
Benefits of cardio training
Cardio has become so popular for a reason. Regular exercise like this has a positive effect on the body. Benefits of this type of exercise include:
Contraindications
Before carrying out any physical activity, it is worth assessing your health status. If you seriously decide to do cardio training, you should visit a doctor and undergo the necessary studies: from a clinical blood test to an electrocardiogram. Cardio training is contraindicated in such conditions:
Fundamentals of a complete cardio workout
One of important indicators, which will allow you to assess the intensity of cardio training, is the calculation of the heart rate (HR). Before starting a workout, calculate the 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. Training that is accompanied by a higher heart rate will lead to a rapid depletion of strength and, in addition, will impose unnecessary additional stress on the heart muscle.
The optimal indicators of 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. Performing physical exercises with 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 you can put your fingers on radial artery opposite hand at the wrist and count the beats in 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 loads. Later on, when regular classes sports, when you get used to the sensations during a workout, you yourself will be able to understand when it is necessary to change the intensity of the loads without constantly measuring the pulse.
There is another indicative test that allows you to assess the adequacy of the load. If a person during the exercise is not able to speak, answer questions without difficulty, this means that the intensity of the load must be reduced.
A set of cardio exercises
You can't exercise on a full stomach. Therefore, it is better to perform physical exercises two hours after eating. The exercise program should look like this:
- Warm up;
- Actually cardio training;
- Final part.
Warm up is the exercise of moderate intensity. This allows you to prepare the body for more serious stress. For a warm-up, running in place, torso tilts, leg swings, and shallow squats are suitable. The duration of the warm-up is five to seven minutes.
After warming up the muscles, it's time to proceed directly to cardio loads. The set of exercises can be the most diverse.
The first set of exercises
Plyometric push-ups. Take a horizontal position on the floor, as in a regular push-up, leaning on straightened arms and toes. Keep your body and legs in one straight line, without bending at the waist. Push up and then push your body up with maximum force. In this case, the palms should come off the floor. The main thing is to land softly.
jumping out. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, sit down strongly, pushing your pelvis back. At the same time, it is important not to tear off the heels from the floor and not to tilt the body forward. Now push off with your feet and jump as high as possible. Gently lower yourself to half-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 shift your weight onto your hands and, straightening your legs back, lightly jump out. From the emphasis lying down, repeat the exercise in reverse order, returning first to a sitting position, and then standing.
The second set of exercises
Exercise rock climber. Take a lying position, push up. Now alternately bring your right knee to right hand and then the left knee to the left hand. Return to starting position.
Running at a low start. Take a pose, as in a low start before running. Now take one leg under you, and pull the other back. At the same time, change the position of the legs, while pushing off the floor, it is important to transfer the weight to the hands. The same exercise can be performed symmetrically and with both legs.
sawfish. Lower yourself into an emphasis lying down, just lean not on your palms, but on your bent elbows. Transfer your weight to your forearms. without bending into lumbar, push the 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 training with the first set of exercises. Each exercise should be repeated approximately fifteen times per top speed without taking breaks. After completing the complex, you need to rest forty seconds. Then proceed to the exercises of the second complex in the same way.
With regular training and good exercise tolerance, increase the exercise to twenty to thirty times. When this is not enough, just increase the number of cycles. That is, after completing the first and then the second complex, rest 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 the effectiveness of training, it is important to make it more diverse, so it is recommended to change the exercises periodically.
In general, it is necessary to start with moderately intense loads lasting no more than thirty minutes. With each week, you can extend the workout for another ten minutes, until you reach the hourly duration of cardio training.
After doing the exercises, in no case should you stop abruptly. Take a step, take a few deep breaths in and out. You can also do muscle stretching exercises.
How often should you do cardio? If your goal is to maintain optimal performance of cardio-vascular 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 more often, five times a week, but remember that with aerobic exercise, fat breakdown occurs only half an hour after the start of the workout.
Grigorova Valeria, medical commentator
And using Cardio in your workout routine is an 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 is Cardio and cardio training, 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 is always running. This is an erroneous opinion that has been held for many years. In fact, cardio training is any physical activity, which increases heart rate and breathing along with the involvement of large muscle groups. These can be rhythmic movements that are performed repeatedly. Even the word cardio / cardio comes from the Greek word "kardia", which means heart, which provides a clue why cardio is so important. In most cases, a relatively low intensity is used, while the time of physical activity increases, as a result of which the process of fat burning and training of the heart takes place.
When to do cardio?
Depending on individual needs and personal goals, you can do cardio before, after, or as part of a workout.
Using cardio before a workout is done as a warm-up to warm up your muscles, increase blood flow, increase your heart rate, and boost 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 done for an average of 10 
minutes.
Cardio after strength training is used most often 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 method- this is when in training you spend all the glycogen and after strength you start cardio training. In this case, you will spend the maximum subcutaneous fat. As a hitch, you can do cardio training for about 5 minutes, and for burning fat up to 30 minutes.
Cardio as a workout has several goals. Firstly, it is a training of the cardiovascular system and endurance, and secondly, cardio is used to correct body weight. Moreover, these tasks right approach can be implemented in parallel. In the vast majority of cases, cardio training is still resorted to precisely because of their fat-burning effect. Such workouts are performed on average 3-5 times a week for 30-50 minutes.
Why is it important to do cardio?
Cardio increases your heart rate and respiration rate, which leads to increased circulation. This means that more blood goes to the muscle cells, enriching them with oxygen and flushing out the toxins that are formed due to hard training. In turn, toxins can be eliminated on their own, without the use of muscle loads, but this takes a long time, which as a result is bad for muscle recovery and growth. Also, with the help of cardio training, muscles are well restored, which is what most bodybuilders actually 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
To date, there are not a small number of loads and types of cardio training.
It could be classic prolonged cardio training, it uses the same load for a long period of time 30-60 minutes without rest.
There is also interval training, the bottom line is that throughout the workout, the pulse and load change. This good way upgrade your ANSP. Typically, these workouts last from 20 to 30 minutes.
Another variety interval training This Fartlek. Here, non-systematic recovery periods with intensive training are used, 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 change all the time. This is a very popular method that is used to treat injuries.
As for classic cardio workouts, the three most popular of them are:
Running (classic) - of course, this is the most popular cardio workout, because of its simplicity and effectiveness. You can run anywhere and at any time, without the need to visit the halls and without special simulators. This effective training, which will help you in the fight against excess fat, as well as raise your level of endurance.
Jumping rope - for this workout you will need only one piece of equipment, the "jump rope". You can perform training both at home and on fresh air. Skipping rope, like running, is also great for burning calories.
Cycling - if you have a bike, then this is a great tool for cardio training and increasing your endurance. But calories are spent here a little less 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 the symptoms of angina pectoris (pressing pain, burning sensation in the chest radiating to the shoulder blade, shoulder or collarbone), this means that you urgently need to stop the load.
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Cardio guide: we will tell you who, when and how to do cardio.
Do I need to do cardio at all, when exactly do I 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 of the cardiovascular system. However, in fitness rooms, “cardio” began to refer to any aerobic exercise: running, elliptical walking, cycling and most group jumping.
Actually, cardio training, namely training the heart and the cardiovascular system, is most effective in a certain heart rate range, so you need to constantly monitor it. Your personal range can be determined precisely and individually by taking a test on a gas analyzer (here). Or just use the approximate formula: 220 - your age = your maximum heart rate. Cardio training should take place in the heart rate range from 65% to 85% of your maximum. Accordingly, for a 30-year-old person, this range is approximately 123-162 beats per minute. If you train below the lower limit, training will not bring tangible benefits, if it is higher, it can harm.
This is how the “cardio” and “fat burning” zones on the simulators are marked, but do not rush to believe them.
Another very popular topic pulse zone fat burning (perhaps because it is often noted on cardio equipment in fitness rooms): this zone is also determined individually on a test on a gas analyzer and it is slightly lower: about 60-70% of maximum heart rate(115-135 bpm for an average 30 year old).
However, the most important thing is that cardio workouts for fat burning - not very 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 you to whom and in what cases. recommended cardio:
1. Actually, regular moderate cardio training is for keeping the cardiovascular system in order and in general for prolonging life.
Cardio helps during the period of fat burning, and hinders - during the mass gain. Choose.
2. If you are building muscle mass, then cardio training is not recommended, since their effect on muscle growth is somewhat opposite to hypertrophy. However, during the fat burning period (and you know what) having cardio in your training plan(but only together with strength) will make your fat burning even more effective.
3. If you are losing weight, then add to strength exercises also cardio is also a good idea. But remember that cardio is not the best way to lose weight.
4. If you are engaged cyclic species sports and you need to develop your endurance.
5. Cardio as a recovery. Light loads have a beneficial effect on the speed of recovery - we have a material about overtraining and its dangers.
Cardio is not the best way to lose weight
Yes, indeed, say, 45 minutes of cardio can “burn” more calories than during an equal time strength training, but the overall effect for losing weight will be worse. But strength training burns your fats mainly during rest, after your workout, significantly raising the overall metabolic rate. In addition, even the small amount of muscle that you can get from strength training (for example, 5 kg) requires additionally 250-400 kcal per day to your usual 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 has a combination of full-fledged strength training and cardio training. In order to lose weight, fitness experts recommend 2-3 strength training per week, flavor with 2-3 cardio workouts for 45-60 minutes. Moreover, it is desirable to conduct them on different days.
How long to do cardio
Experts advise doing cardio for at least 30 minutes in order for the training to have at least some effect. But do not forget that if you are a total beginner in the gym, then you need to start with easy 10-15 minute workouts and gradually increase the load.
Keep in mind that doing more than an hour of cardio burns your muscles. Scientists have found that although aerobics “burns” fat, but 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 is what one of the most famous jocks in the world, Jay Cutler, says: “During the preparation for the competition, I decided to push on aerobics and extended the aerobic training to an hour and a half. I immediately noticed that there was less strength, the muscles “shrank” and lost their usual elasticity. Since then, I have been doing cardio for no longer than 45-50 minutes.”
Cardio + strength
We repeat that muscle building and fat burning are not compatible, which means that it is not recommended to do cardio during the muscle building period, but on the contrary during the “drying” period.
At the same time, cardio is recommended to be done 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 a decrease in muscle strength, which means you will not be able to load the 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 spend, and in order to keep your muscles from leaving your body along with fat, you must support them with strength training.
