Your objective is to be breathing much more heavily than normal, but not so heavily that you are gasping for air.
You should be able to speak full sentences comfortably without having to stop and catch your breath. If you’re so out of breath that you can’t hold a conversation, or complete a sentence, then you’re probably working out of your target heart rate zone.
Generally, the harder you’re breathing, the higher the intensity and the more fat you’ll burn; provided you can sustain the activity for the required amount of time. If you are not breathing hard, you are not working out hard enough.
Regardless of which method you use, it’s important to understand that all target heart rates are only guidelines. Heart rates estimates are usually accurate for about 75% of the population.
This is why using your own judgment is really important during your cardio workout routines! And this is the major reason why I recommend using this method! CARDIO WORKOUT ROUTINES: DURATION OF AEROBIC EXERCISES
The duration of your cardio training is the next most important element for long term weight loss. The longer you work out, the more calories you burn, and the more calories you burn, the more weight you lose.
When the optimum duration is combined with the optimum intensity, you get the maximum benefit from your cardio workout routines. Doing a 60 minute workout with extremely low intensity, might not burn enough total calories to really have an impact on fat loss.
This is why intensity always comes first, followed by the duration, and only then by the frequency of your workout routines. Once you are working out at the right intensity, only then the duration will help you burn fat.
The reason for this is simple: you body tends to favor the use of glycogen (carbohydrate) when you start your workout, and as it is depleted, your body starts to use mostly body fat as the main energy source to fuel your cardio activity.
When your goal is to create permanent fat loss, the minimum duration of your workout routines should be 30 minutes and the maximum duration of your workouts should be 60 minutes.
Doing less than 30 minutes of cardio training will not burn enough total calories to really make an impact on fat loss.
The recommended duration for fat loss is 30-60 minutes of continuous cardio training done at a moderate to high intensity. Based on my experience, going beyond 60 minutes tends to increase the chances of injury, over-training and adaptation.
If for some reason you are not getting the results from 60 minute sessions, your next step should be to split it into two sessions, with 45 minutes in the morning, and 45 minutes in the evening.
If you simply do not have the time, or can’t make the time, then you next best option is to do 15-20 minutes of really high intensity cardio training (HIIT). This way you will maximize the calorie burning during each session. CARDIO WORKOUT ROUTINES: FREQUENCY OF AEROBIC EXERCISES
To maintain a lean, healthy body once you have reached your ideal weight, doing cardio training three times per week, for 30-45 minutes per session is the best approach that you can use.
To create permanent fat loss you will have to do cardio 5, 6 or even 7 days per week, 45-60 minutes per session, and in some instances doing double cardio per day, might not be such a bad idea.
This is the ultimate approach for creating the body of your dreams! Double daily cardio might seem a little extreme, but burning all those calories will help you to create permanent fat loss in the fastest time possible!
Of course you should never start out doing double daily cardio.
When you start your program, you will always produce good results doing cardio training three days per week, 15 minutes per session.
But within a few weeks, your weekly chart will start to show a slow down in your fat loss if you continue doing your cardio in this fashion.
Then your next step will be to increase your intensity and duration. Once you are doing 60 minutes per session at a high intensity, then you can increase to four days per week, and when your weekly weight loss chart shows that your fat loss is slowing down add another day!
The cardio frequency guidelines in this program for weight loss are to do cardio training from three to seven days per week, one time per day!
For maintaining your ideal weight, doing cardio three to four days per week, once per day is the best approach.
Double daily cardio is an option for those that want to get to their goal twice as fast. This approach is not for everyone, and should always be used with caution.
You can test it out, and if you experience overtraining, simply cut back, and use a different frequency approach to reach your ideal weight. CARDIO WORKOUT ROUTINES: HOW TO USE PROGRESSION
When you are just starting out with your cardio workout routines, the best place to begin is doing three to four sessions per week, one session per day, with each session lasting for 15-30 minutes.
Once you get more advanced, you can gradually raise your intensity, duration and frequency. You should always adjust your cardio training according to your goals and according to your body type.
Everyone is different; some people can lose body fat doing 3 cardio workouts per week with 30 minute sessions, while others might have to do double daily cardio seven days a week with 60 minutes sessions to get the same results.
This is why your weekly weight loss chart is so important; tracking your current reality on a weekly basis will help you to effectively adjust your approach, and will help to create permanent fat loss in the fastest time possible!
Now let’s cover the best exercises to use for your aerobic workout routines. These exercise are all aerobic in nature, and they are all very effective at burning unwanted body fat, and creating permanent fat loss! WALKING OUTSIDE
Walking for weight loss, is one of the best ways to start out your cardio program if you are a beginner. Even though walking might not be the ultimate fat burner in the world, it is still very effective when done right!
One of the reasons I suggest walking for weight loss is because when you are just starting out, it is always to your advantage to start out slow. Just like with your nutrition strategy, extreme changes might be too hard to handle for you in the beginning.
Walking outside is simple and easy at the same time, and if you walk at a brisk pace, you can get some really good results with it. This is especially true when you are just starting out, and your body has not adapted to this fat burning technique.
If you have been sedentary for some time, you should start out with walking for about 15 minutes, and then add 5 minutes every week to your routine, until you reach 45-60 minutes per session.
This should be done 3 times per week when you just start out, and increased to 5-7 days a week, until you see some impressive results on your weekly weight loss chart!
The biggest advantages of walking for weight loss is that it is free and you do not need any equipment. The drawbacks of walking outside are the weather and safety issues!
Please consider the area where you will be walking, because there are areas that should not be used for walking, especially during the dark hours. The weather is another thing to consider, some people can walk year round in any weather, and other only when the weather permits.
RUNNING/JOGGING OUTSIDE
Running and jogging outside is also an excellent choice to use for your cardio workout routine. The biggest advantage of these two cardio activities is that they are both extremely hig