Cardio Varieties
Below are a few ways to change you cardio routine to really make the most of your time in the gym.
1. Continuous Vs Intermittent
Researchers found that when healthy men did three 10-minute sessions of moderate-intensity running, they burned the same number of calories as when they ran at the same intensity continuously for 30 minutes.
Therefore from a psychological point of view if you hate cardio, it may be best to do it in intervals as below:
• 10 minutes cardio
• 20 minutes weights(e.g. chest workout)
• 10 minutes cardio
• 20 minutes weights
or something similar.
Researchers from The College of New Jersey (Ewing) examined the effect of exercise intensity order.
Twelve subjects performed two 30-minute exercise sessions. One consisted of 15 minutes of high-intensity exercise followed by 15 minutes of low-intensity exercise; in the other session, the intensity was reversed, low to high.
There was no difference between the two sessions for caloric expenditure.
The most interesting finding was that during the lower-intensity portion of the high-to-low exercise, fat-burning was higher.
Therefore, performing periods of high-intensity exercise before lower intensity can cause more fat-burning while also feeling easier.
3. Use Resistance/Weights
Research out of the Korea Sports Medical Nutrition Institute in Seoul found that the using light resistance (using dumbbells or resistance tubing) while doing cardio helped reduce bodyfat and bodyweight.
Start with low weight and use a variety of different exercises:
• Biceps curls;
• Overhead presses;
• Boxing punches;
• Overhead triceps extensions;
and I'm sure you can think of many others.
