Tune Up Your Cardio Training to Burn Maximum Fat
If your goal is lose fat, the first thing you probably think about is cardio. But people simply hate cardio or get bored with it easily. A good cardio session on treadmill or bike is good for performing cardio but too often can lead to boredom or monotony. To burn maximum fat with your cardio routine and be closer to your goal, you need utilize effective cardio strategy such as intensity, variety, and timing in your cardio training program.
1. Use high intensity interval training
To optimize calorie burn you need to keep your body from the old routines. One way to do that is to use high intensity interval training or HITT. HIIT is a cardiovascular training technique that involves bursts of high-intensity work, alternated with periods of rest. HITT is shown to be more effective at burning fat than longer, steady-pace turns on the treadmill or bike. Not only that but short, intense bouts of cardio exercise increases your metabolism rate over the subsequent 24 hours that result in greater calorie burned than long, light bouts of cardio exercise.
2. Add variety
The treadmill is the choice of most people for cardio. But too much time on the treadmill can lead cardio boredom and monotony. To make the most out your cardio routine or maximize your your calorie burn, you need to add variety. So instead of walking on that treadmill for 45 minutes or stepping on that Stairmaster for 30 minutes, try mixing it up. Do some interval training with your cardio; for example. Do interval training on a row machine, elliptical, and bike all together for instance. The combined 30 minutes of interval training that you spend on any of these machines is more efficient at helping you burn off fat than the 75 minutes you would otherwise spend trying to pace yourself. Kickboxing, dance class, and jump ropes are some other way that you can also used to add variety in your cardio training.
3. Do cardio first in the morning or after weight training
Doing cardio after weights or in the morning on an empty stomach will burn the greatest amount of fat. During both of these times your body is slightly carb-depleted, making fat the primary fuel source for energy. Since glycogen stores are at their lowest at that point, your body will tap into fat stores quicker. If you can’t do it early, schedule your cardio after weight training, so you will be fresher for your resistance workout. If your goal is to lean out, follow your weight training with cardio. Since lifting depletes glycogen stores, your body is more likely to use fat as its first fuel source during cardio. Also, the combination of the two results in a higher caloric burn postworkout.
The Workouts
Here is a workout routine that will add intensity and variety to your cardio training. Before each workout, take 5-10 to warm up. Make sure you stretch appropriately so your muscles’ range of motion is sufficient for the work ahead.
Workout 1: Interval Training A
Equipment:
- Treadmill, elliptical, bike, rower
Workout:
- 5-minute warm-up
- 25 minute 1:1 high/low intensity ratio
- 5-minute cool-down
Workout 2: Interval Training B
Equipment:
- Treadmill, elliptical, indoor or outdoor track
Workout:
- 5-minute warm-up
- 25 minute 1:2 high/low intensity ratio
- 5-minute cool-down
Workout 3: Up and Back Interval
Location:
- Indoor or outdoor track
Workout:
- 5-minute warm-up
- Sprint 100 meters + walk back to start
- Sprint 200 meters + walk back to start
- Sprint 300 meters + walk back to start
- Sprint 400 meters + walk back to start
- 5-minute rest
- Repeat cycle in reverse order
Workout 4: Hill Repeats
Location:
- Treadmill with incline or outdoor hill
Workout:
- 10-minute jogging warm-up
- Perform 10 50-yard sprints up an incline with 1-minute walking recovery between each sprint
- 10 minute flat jogging cool down
- 5-minute cool-down
