Doing the right cardio for your goal

There are a many opinions about doing cardio. I use the word “opinion” because everyone’s goal is different and everyone reacts differently to each type of cardio. However, I will give you some facts about the types of cardio and let you decide which one best fits your needs.

Steady-state cardio, in the “fat burning zone” will ultimately burn fat and you will exceed a fair amount of calories, although, it can be BORING!

Fast paced/long distance cardio, primarily for overall increase in cardiovascular output. This is a long drug out run/cycle/swim etc with the sole purpose to increase your cardiovascular stamina. This is not to say you won’t lose some fat, but because your body works off of certain energy sources, you will only burn the most fat in the first part of your run (30 – 60 minutes).

HIIT, or what most of us know as High Intensity Interval Training. This is the process of performing all-out effort for 30 – 60 seconds and then slow way down for 30 – 60 seconds, repeated for 15-20 minutes. This will ultimately increase your overall metabolic output with an increase in fat burning from anywhere between 24-72 hours. Raising fat burning hormones such as epinephrine and norepinephrine and suppressing insulin levels.

Stated above are just three common cardio types, which ones you decide to do are up to you. However, if your overall goal is to hold on to your lean muscle while burning fat, I would ponder the thought of doing a little bit of everything. Here is an example:

Monday: Steady-State Cardio

Tuesday: HIIT Cardio

Wednesday: Fast-Paced/long distance Cardio

Thursday: HITT Cardio

Friday: Steady-State Cardio

Again, this is just ONE example of a weeks’ worth of cardio if your primary goal is to burn overall body fat. The main point you should get out of this is, find what works for your goal and your body and stick with it! There isn’t a single cardio type that melts fat off your body overnight, but you can definitely be more efficient at it.

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