Thread: Best type of cardio training?

For those out there who regularly train for fitness - what do you do for your cardio? I'm working on my new years resolution for the third year in a row to loose weight. I've made dietary changes, but I need to get on a more regular work out schedule. I don't frequently have a lot of time during the week to do so between work and family - so I want and need to make the most of my workout time. I've got a weight bench, which is great for working the arms. I want to get going on a good cardio workout though, since that's where a lot of the weight loss and agility is going to come from.

Running is hard to beat. Any cardio is better than none. Do something you can stick with would be best

To achieve lasting weight loss you need to work from three areas. First, and most importantly is your nutrition. I normally suggest 1 to 1.25 grams of protein per lean body weight that you want to achieve, spread out out over 6 meals. Thats right you need to eat every 3 to 4 hours. Example, your weight is 250 and you want to be 200, you should have 200 to 250 grams of protein total for the day. That's 33 grams of protein per meal. For carbs, I would start at 1 gram per lean body weight, spread out over the first 4 meals of the day. After a week if you are still gaining weight, reduce to .75 grams. Meals 5 and 6 are only greens and protein.
Your weight training should be done in sets of 20 with only 30 to 90 seconds rest between sets. (keep the heart rate up)
For cardio you should start with 3 to 4 hours per week, with 2 thirty minute HIIT work outs. HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training. An example would be walk for 5 minutes to warm up then 30 seconds at full out run then recover for 30 seconds then sprint again. Do this for 20 minutes then walk for 5 more minutes to bring the heart rate down.
When you build muscle you will burn more fat all day long. When you stop doing cardio for the day you pretty much stop burning fat.

I can suggest alot of stuff. too much to cover in a reply. Send me your e mail address and I will send you some really good stuff for cardio.

Thanks
Mike

Swimming is probably the best in terms of calories and low impact, bicycles are next and then running which, as you get older, can be harder on the body. As was mentioned your calorie intake is the most important. It can take about 30 seconds to eat a 400-500 calorie desert or candy bar or big mac and it will take an hour to burn those same calories working out. At a moderate pace it's about 10 calories per min you will burn running or riding so you can see it's going to be much easier to lose by restricting your intake than by adding more time to your workout. Obviously both are important and beneficial but losing weight is just simple math - calories consumed and calories burned.

Short time frame: Running.
Low Impact in a short time: Swimming or the Glider thing at the gym
Low Impact, no constraints: Bicycle.
Low Impact, in snow: Snow Shoes, Cross Country Skiing or Skate Skiing

Something with family: Walking/pushing stroller

I go for a run during the week.
Run or Snowshoes on weekend.

Kill two birds with one stone; set up a circuit training program. Set up a bar for some dead lifts, a bar for curls, some dumbbells for military press, throw in some body weight stuff and just don't rest between stations. Cardio and strength in one shot.

A treadmill setup with a TV on the wall works for me. Then if you have a favorite show or DVDs only allow yourself to watch them when on the treadmill.

Your 40s are really a hard decade as far as fitness goes. I was in the best shape of my life at 40, now, not so much lol. Started eating lots and fruits and vegetables, improving my diet before I went to the point of no return. My feet started killing me. Feet were designed to carry someone 40 lbs lighter.

What you eat is most of it. Forget fast food, pizzas, salt, grease, and all that, forever. My taste is actually changing now where I don't crave such food which is great.

When I lose another 15 lbs, I'll start going to the gym again. Not vanity - I know that no one cares what you look like at the gym. I just want better cardio/fitness before working on firming everything up.