cardio question

[THE SMACK]

ok.. ive been tryin to up my cardio from what it used to be.. it used to only be like stationary bike id say twice maybe three times a week, for about 20 mins.. but i raelly hate that thing..how good is running as far as cardio goes?
i started running and it seems to be makin a world of difference in my appearance, especially in my gut.. a trainer told me if ur having problems with some stubborn fat that u cant get rid of, run everyday or every other day and it can loosed in up or even burn it off... it seems like its working but im beatin myeslf to death when i try to do legs after a week of running 3 or 4 miles everyday.... someone drop me a line see if u can help me out.. thanks guys

 

[bignate73]

im not sure what the hell your trainer is thinking by making an irresponisble statement like "loosened up". maybe he is talking down to you, but if he honestly thinks that running will "loosen up or maybe burn it off" he might want to get some more technical background.

running is a good cardiovascular exercise, BUT, the goal if you are trying to burn bodyfat is to get to a particular target heart rate. most people who just start out running blow right past that heart rate into cardiovascular endurance heart rate ranges. the key with the lower bodyfat THR is that a higher percentage of the calories burned come from stored bodyfat, with the higher heart rates you run the risk of eating some muscle.

ask your trainer what heart rate you should get into. if he doesnt use whats called the "karvonen formula" to calculate it for you....fire him. he sounds like a moron based on how you described his reasoning for taking up running.

every day of running will probably lean you out, but at the same time, dont expect to gain a whole lot of muscle either. your calorie expenditure will go thru the roof. ie, you will have to eat a whole hell of alot more just to get into a calorie SURPLUS, which is the ideal for growth. chances are you will lose the bodyfat, some muscle and be lean, but then you will have to gain back what you lost. better to go slower and keep your muscle.

 

[Hoffmeister]

Try doing intervals for cardio. You can do them on the treadmill, stairs, running, etc.

I do them 2:1, after some light jogging for warmup. Run/Sprint for 30 seconds, walk/light jog for 60 seconds. I total about 20-25 minutes.

Intervals are better overall for fat loss. It's not about the calories you burn during the exercise, it's about the effect it has on total calories burned the rest of the day.

 

[IGoRyEk69]

Try to keep HR @ 60% of your MHR. To calculate your MHR subtract your age from 220. Also, if you get a chance do your cardio before eating anything, it'll have more effect. There's actually a better formula to calculate your target heart rate I saw in a fitness magazine, I'll look it up and post it here.

 

[8-]]

Cardio on an empty stomach in the morning - works wonders for fat loss (especially with an ECA stack).

Keeping your heart rate at 60-65% of max is meant to be the optimum for fat loss

Unfortunately it is very hard to keep your heart rate at this when you're on a rowing machine or bike as you want to strain harder. 65% is very easy to get to even with relatively light rowing.