How do I get results from my cardiovascular workouts?
Q: I have some questions about how to maximize my cardiovascular workouts. I have read a lot on this topic but am confused because I always seem to get conflicting opinions. My goal is to lose body fat and get in better shape, but I am no longer getting progress. I’m currently doing cardio five times a week for 60 minutes. Should I add weight lifting? Should I increase my time or my intensity? Do longer cardio workouts work better for fat burning, and how much can I afford to eat during the holidays when doing the amount of cardio that I’m getting in weekly?
A: It seems everyone associates cardio with getting in shape, but there’s a lot more to it than running aimlessly like a hamster on a wheel. You have to do it correctly, or you could actually do more damage to your metabolism. Here are some answers to your questions to make sure you’re getting the most out of your workouts.
Cardio works better combined with weight training
Some things were just meant to be together, like pancakes and syrup, knives and forks, nuts and bolts, Demi and Ashton - OK, scratch that last one, but you get the idea. Cardiovascular training is an important piece of the fat-loss puzzle, but without weight training it’s like eating cheese without the crackers. It just doesn’t work. This is because cardio burns calories, but it won’t change the overall makeup of your body. If your goal is to tone up and get in better shape, weight training is a must. Weight lifting will improve your overall body composition, and studies prove that weight training boosts your metabolism for hours after you’re finished working out, while cardio will only burn calories for short periods of time. When you combine the two together, you have a deadly metabolic combination.
Cardio must be challenging
It’s important to understand that in order to get results from your cardio workouts, you have to work outside your comfort zone. If you focus on time and distance alone, you’ll never reach your full potential. Instead, find a level of intensity that’s hard but doable, and be sure to change it as your workout gets easier. Keep in mind, it only takes a couple weeks for your body to get used to your workouts, so be sure to throw it a curve ball every two to three weeks, and you’ll avoid periods of no progress.
Shorter, intense sessions work better than long distance
Don’t fall into the more is better trap when it comes to cardio; instead, focus on shorter, more intense sessions from 15 to 45 minutes for best fat-burning results. Too often, people with good intentions believe that if they do massive amounts of cardio, they’ll have a better chance of getting in shape, when actually they’re burning muscle, destroying the body’s ability to burn fat. On the other hand, shorter, more intense sessions will burn fat and spare muscle, accelerating your metabolism. Remember, bigger muscles burn more fat, and too much cardio can make you skinny-fat.
Cardio is not an excuse to eat whatever you want
Most people work out because they want to look good, be healthy and enjoy some of the guilty pleasures in life, but you have to understand that just because you pay your dues in the gym or on the cardio deck, it’s not an excuse to eat whatever you want all the time. Try and eat a sensible diet 85 percent of the time and treat yourself the other 15 percent of the time. You’ll get much better results from your cardio workouts, and you’ll appreciate eating what you want now and then as a treat and not a lifestyle.
Put all these pieces together and maximize your cardio workouts for best results.
