Don't Abuse Cardio
June 13, 2005
By Michael Stefano
eFitness Guest Columnist
Whenever I discuss this issue, I'm reminded of Mary, the overweight aerobics instructor. She led four or five, foot thumping, heart pounding classes every day, and her students could barely keep up.
So why is Mary fat?
For most of us, cardiovascular, or aerobic exercise, usually has one main goal: elevate heart and breathing to a level where fat is burned as the body's primary fuel, and at the fastest possible rate. To this end, it's a smart idea to incorporate at least a moderate amount of cardio into your weekly workout regimen.
But it's not the actual activity (jogging, swimming, stepping) where most of the benefits are gleamed. As a matter of fact, jogging for a half an hour barely burns off one doughnut.
Define Aerobic Exercise
When you exercise aerobically, you train your muscle cells to burn fat all day, every day. The production of certain fat-burning enzymes is greatly enhanced, thereby expanding the benefits of aerobic exercise to 24 hours a day. Again I ask, "Why is Mary fat?"
Let's look at what it means to "train aerobically." In other words, what defines aerobic exercise, and compare it to what Mary is putting her body through.
Exercise physiologists measure cardiovascular exercise with heart rate. Numerous formulas exist for calculating your optimum fat-burning heart-rate zone. But, for the purposes of this article, we'll call it 60 to 80 percent of maximum heart rate capacity.
Maximum heart rate also needs to be defined, as it differs with every individual. For the sake of safety, apply the formula of (220 minus age) to determine your estimated heart rate max.
(220 - 40 = 180)
Forty-year-old Mary has an estimated max heart rate of 180 beats per minute. With a few simple calculations we determine Mary's fat burning zone to be between 108 (60 percent) and 144 (80 percent) beats per minute.
Every day, Mary leads her loyal students, but her heart rate never breaks 95. For Mary, the classes cease to be an aerobic event.
Sure she's burning some extra calories at the moment, but we've already determined that the greatest impact on weight loss is achieved through the ability of the body to adapt to these repeated cardiovascular demands and increase its capacity to use fat as fuel.
The same situation befalls many faithful proponents of cardio. An initial weight loss of a few pounds barely seems worth the countless hours spent on the treadmill or exercise bike. It's obvious that an adjustment needs to be made with this approach.
Short and Sweat
Keep it short and keep sweating. A moderate amount of cardio (as low as 15 to 25 minutes), performed anywhere from two to five times per week, and at the correct heart rate, will prevent any cardio routine from becoming a stroll in the park.
The reduction in time and energy expended enables you to devote some extra effort to your resistance training. A moderate amount of resistance, or strength training, when married up with your cardio program will greatly enhance the overall effectiveness and impact on your body.
Short Circuit Your Workout
Circuit training delivers the benefits of both cardiovascular and resistance training in one workout. By simply sequencing exercises with a short rest between sets (one minute or less), as well as priming the pump with five or 10 minutes of traditional cardio (a quick warm-up stint on the stationary bike or treadmill works nicely), you can get a two-for-one effect.
Doing so will add some lean muscle mass, increase overall metabolism, and change the shape of your body, not just burn fat.
Remember, traditional cardiovascular exercise needs to remain challenging to sustain its effect. Measuring heart rate is one way of ensuring adequate intensity exists, and exercise continues to be effective. Also be sure to combine your aerobic exercise with some strength training, the true leader in full body conditioning. Circuit training, a great time and energy saver, is the perfect combination of both modes of exercise.
June 13, 2005
By Michael Stefano
eFitness Guest Columnist
Whenever I discuss this issue, I'm reminded of Mary, the overweight aerobics instructor. She led four or five, foot thumping, heart pounding classes every day, and her students could barely keep up.
So why is Mary fat?
For most of us, cardiovascular, or aerobic exercise, usually has one main goal: elevate heart and breathing to a level where fat is burned as the body's primary fuel, and at the fastest possible rate. To this end, it's a smart idea to incorporate at least a moderate amount of cardio into your weekly workout regimen.
But it's not the actual activity (jogging, swimming, stepping) where most of the benefits are gleamed. As a matter of fact, jogging for a half an hour barely burns off one doughnut.
Define Aerobic Exercise
When you exercise aerobically, you train your muscle cells to burn fat all day, every day. The production of certain fat-burning enzymes is greatly enhanced, thereby expanding the benefits of aerobic exercise to 24 hours a day. Again I ask, "Why is Mary fat?"
Let's look at what it means to "train aerobically." In other words, what defines aerobic exercise, and compare it to what Mary is putting her body through.
Exercise physiologists measure cardiovascular exercise with heart rate. Numerous formulas exist for calculating your optimum fat-burning heart-rate zone. But, for the purposes of this article, we'll call it 60 to 80 percent of maximum heart rate capacity.
Maximum heart rate also needs to be defined, as it differs with every individual. For the sake of safety, apply the formula of (220 minus age) to determine your estimated heart rate max.
(220 - 40 = 180)
Forty-year-old Mary has an estimated max heart rate of 180 beats per minute. With a few simple calculations we determine Mary's fat burning zone to be between 108 (60 percent) and 144 (80 percent) beats per minute.
Every day, Mary leads her loyal students, but her heart rate never breaks 95. For Mary, the classes cease to be an aerobic event.
Sure she's burning some extra calories at the moment, but we've already determined that the greatest impact on weight loss is achieved through the ability of the body to adapt to these repeated cardiovascular demands and increase its capacity to use fat as fuel.
The same situation befalls many faithful proponents of cardio. An initial weight loss of a few pounds barely seems worth the countless hours spent on the treadmill or exercise bike. It's obvious that an adjustment needs to be made with this approach.
Short and Sweat
Keep it short and keep sweating. A moderate amount of cardio (as low as 15 to 25 minutes), performed anywhere from two to five times per week, and at the correct heart rate, will prevent any cardio routine from becoming a stroll in the park.
The reduction in time and energy expended enables you to devote some extra effort to your resistance training. A moderate amount of resistance, or strength training, when married up with your cardio program will greatly enhance the overall effectiveness and impact on your body.
Short Circuit Your Workout
Circuit training delivers the benefits of both cardiovascular and resistance training in one workout. By simply sequencing exercises with a short rest between sets (one minute or less), as well as priming the pump with five or 10 minutes of traditional cardio (a quick warm-up stint on the stationary bike or treadmill works nicely), you can get a two-for-one effect.
Doing so will add some lean muscle mass, increase overall metabolism, and change the shape of your body, not just burn fat.
Remember, traditional cardiovascular exercise needs to remain challenging to sustain its effect. Measuring heart rate is one way of ensuring adequate intensity exists, and exercise continues to be effective. Also be sure to combine your aerobic exercise with some strength training, the true leader in full body conditioning. Circuit training, a great time and energy saver, is the perfect combination of both modes of exercise.
...Carole