What's your avg. cardio time?

MRSchultz

Cathlete
I was just curious how much time any of you spend doing cardio? I have about 20 pounds to lose and was just wanting something to compare too.

Thanks. Marcia :)
 
Usually 45 minutes unless I'm doing the CTX cardios which are 30 minutes.
 
Hi Marcia,
The amount of my cardio varies depending on whether my weight work is with total body tapes or with a split series. When I do a split series (just finished 3 weeks of s&h) I do about 3 hours of cardio. When I do a total body weight tape I do about 4 hours of cardio.
-joy
 
I average about 45 minutes as well. Usually about 4 times a week. Some days I try to go for 60 including the stretch. On those days it's usually Circuit Max or Interval Max - when I am really trying to push myself. However, when I started getting back to my fitness regimen about 9 months ago (after being sporadic about it for 5 yrs), all I could do at the time were 20-25 minute cardio workouts. It all depends on how fit you are I think. I've lost over 25 lbs since then (eating clean all the while... well mostly) and have just gradually upped the lengths as I felt better and got stronger. Now I'm a cardio junkie. Anyway, I believe you should do as you feel... whatever your body is telling you.
 
I run 4x/week for 30-45 mins, a long run on sat for 1 hour. Lately I'm doing interval max once a week which is an hour

So I guess about 3-4 hours a week

marnie
 
I average 50 minutes a day. Not counting warm up/cool downs. I do 1 straight cardio tape (50+min)and a mixed cardio/strength/tone tape usually about 45 minutes, so there's some cardio in that (dep on tape, not PS series, or S&H, but usually the firm tapes). When I run 2 x wk my goal is 60 min and I usually get close that. I do this 6 times a wk. (not to mention ab work)
Faythe
 
I've heard that shorter, but more intense sessions of cardio, particularly intense interval training sessions, are better than longer, more moderate sessions for burning fat and calories.

I've further heard that long slow distance cardio can release hormones that can cause fat storage. I guess a key question here is how is long is long, and how slow is slow.

Soooo much info out there. Cathe has said we each need to see what works for us personally.

Jeanne
 
That's strange, I've never heard that about long slow distance cardio causing fat storage? Look at distance runners & cyclists; they are usually quite thin with very little body fat. This is because after they use up their glycogen stores (from stored carbs) they begin tapping into stored body fat for fuel. This only happens after a long period of time

You're right, there is sooooo much info out there; it's hard to decipher what's true & false

marnie
 
The most recent place I read this was in Jeff Everson's Planet Muscle. I know many find this magazine offensive, but it is free and talks about my favorite topic.

_IF_ there is validity to the theory, I'd counter and say that running and cycling done by these people is not "Slow" albeit "long". Which takes me back to: what is "Slow"?

I believe Jeff recommended a heart rate of approximately 145-180 for your rest-interval cycles. Of course this would depend on your age, fitness level, etc. and is a very broad guideline. But I think 145 is not all that easily reached. 180 certainly is not.

Jeanne
 
Hi Marnie and everyone!
Just your friendly neighborhood nurse here, putting in her two-cents worth!
All the replies to Marcia's post are good and true...to some extent.
I subscribe to Muscle Media, which, IMHO, is one of the most reputable sources for the lay person (non-medical professional)to get research-based info on the effects of exercise and nutrition. To, perhaps, lay to rest some of the mysteries of long-slow aerobic work versus high intensity bursts of cardio, I am going to quote from an article written in the October 2001 issue on "Guerilla Cardio".
"BUILDING A BETTER FAT-BURNING PROGRAM"
"Recently, Dr. Izumi Tabata, PhD., and colleagues from the National Institute of Health and Nurtrition in Tokyo, Japan, set out in search of 'the ideal' aerobics training protocol--one that would most efficiently increase fat burning and cardiovascular fitness. Such a plan, the researchers believed, should be:
"HIGH INTENSITY: For years, we've been told that low-effort aerobics is the best method for burning fat. New research tells another story. While studies show high-intensity aerobics may burn a little less fat than its low-intensity counterpart DURING the time actually spent exercising, the total expenditure of calories (and fat) is up to 50 PER CENT GREATER with intense cardio. You see, most of the fat you burn with high-intensity cardio occurs AFTER exercising, not during the workout itself. Research presented in the journal 'Medicine and Science In Sport and Exercise' shows that when you work out using high-intensity intervals, the total amount of calories your body burns is elevated up to 142 PER CENT MORE than low-effort aerobics within the hour after your workout. And it doesn't stop there. Research published in the journal 'Metabolism' shows this potent post-exercise 'burn' may persist for up to 48 hours after exercising.
FITNESS PROMOTING: The more fit you become, the more likely you are to use fat as fuel for any given activity. Peak fitness is generally defined as having both a high aerobic AND anerobic capacity. Your maximum oxygen capacity, or VO2 peak, is generally considered the best measure of aerobic fitness. As exercise intensity increases beyond your VO2 peak, your body shifts to anaerobic (without oxygen) energy production. In the face of this oxygen debt, lactic acid levels build up in tissues, making your muscles feel sore. Your ability to continue exercising at this point is called anaerobic capacity. Notice that athletes in sports where a high level of both aerobic and anaerobic fitness are necessary (wrestling, basketball, boxing, speed skating, etc) are some of the leanest, most muscular individuals around. Unfortunately, with most of the cardio programs offered up today, its a case of either/or. You either maximally stress your aerobic system (like most slow-go cardio programs) OR maximally stress your anaerobic system (like most high-intensity cardio programs with long rest periods). So clearly, a cardio program that maximally improves BOTH aerobic and anaerobic capacity would be a Godsend.
BRIEF: Too much aerobics burns muscle! And muscle not only helps you look leaner and stronger, it also makes your body more metabolically active. The ideal cardio program would be just long enough to "spark" your metabolism for that important post-exercise fat "burn" but not so long that it begins to eat away at your hard-earned muscle!"
The article goes on to produce comparative study results that support short bursts of VERY VERY intense exercise (working at 170 per cent of VO2 max)in eight sets of 20 seconds each with a 10 second rest between. Granted, that's only 4 minutes of exercise total, but the results were amazing. This type of program is one used during training of the Japanese speed skating team...the guys who took away a LOT of speed skating medals at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
What I took away from the article is this: I can (and do) exercise for approximately 45 minutes each cardio session. Whether Im doing a Cathe tape or working on the elliptical in the gym, I incorporate "intervals" into my program. I do the warmup, then, every three to four minutes, I'll jump higher, kick higher, etc (or pedal faster at a high resisitance if on the elliptical) for 30 seconds to 1 minute...inotherwords, until I find I'm breathing so hard I CAN'T pass the "talk test" (which is an indicator of anaerobic effort). Personally, this means my heart rate is in the high 170 range. After that effort, I bring my movements down to where I can breathe easier, but not so far down that I get comfortable. This is the "active recovery" we've all read about so much. Then, after another two to three minutes, I do it again. (And again and again.....you get the picture)
Granted, my approach isn't as intensly intense as the example given in Muscle Media, but I have noticed faster improvements in my ability to perform during exercise than any other approach I've used before. Also, I stay very warm (and continue to sweat) for a solid hour (or more) post-exercise. I've also seen greater gains in what I can lift during weight training than ever before....much more so now, with an interval program, than when I was just doing long long aerobics and keeping my heart rate lower.
So, take from this what you will. Anyone can "make" a Cathe tape an "interval" exercise. Modify to bring the intensity down, add more enthusiasm during intervals when you want the intensity to "smoke"! Believe me, it works. Since I started this intense intensity program (January) I have gone down two whole pants sizes. I do not weigh myself, because it is too easy to get caught up in the weight yo-yo experience. I LOOK at my body and SEE the changes, and my clothes tell the real story. Plus, I've found I am more energetic and less prone to over-use and over-training fatigue and depression than when I was exercising longer. And, my desire to exercise is higher. I don't know if its because I'm releasing endorphins faster and at a higher rate, but I actually get cranky if I take more than one day off from exercise.
Hope this helps...or maybe, it'll just stir more questions and controversy! <VBG>
For those die-hards (like me) who want their research in black and white, the article I just quoted from was derived from research published in the following journal articles:
"Effect of Intensity on Excess Post-exercise O2 Consumption" from the journal "METABOLISM"
"The Effects of Intensity of Exercise and Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption and Energy Expenditure in Moderately Trained Men and Women" from the EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHTSIOLOGY
"Effects of Moderate-Intensity Endurance and High-Intensity Intermittant Training On Anaerobic Capacity and VO2 Max" from the journal MEDICINE and SCIENCE in SPORTS EXERCISE.
Also from that same journal, "Metabolic Profile of High-Intensity Intermittant Exercises".
 
I agree with your post. I also find that interval training is most effective. But, I do more cardio than 45 minutes a day. I shoot for at least an hour to two hours a day. Long cardio days, I go up to four hours. But, I'm always training for something AND my body doesn't respond to just intervals. I'm the quintessential hourglass...men love it, I hate it. In order to burn off fat, I find that I must do more cardio than most. I've been exercising religiously for over 15 years and find that if I slack off on cardio, even while eating clean, I can get so 50's Playboy...not today's Playboy, no hips and fake boobs (mine are real, they fall into my armpits when I lie down). So, I run, I get on the elliptical, I do extra step classes at the gym, I bike, I hike with a pack-- you name it, I try to fit it in. I also do interval training every other day, either a video, on a gym machine, or while running.
What works for me isn't the norm. I WISH I could do less and still stay thin!
 
RE: weightlifting

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Feb-26-02 AT 11:28PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Amysue

Do you weight train at all? If you do not, you might find that building some muscle would boost your metabolism and lean you out. Too much cardio can be counter-productive to the point of diminishing returns, not to mention injuries and overtraining.

As for cardio, I do about 45 - 60 min. 4 or 5 days a week.

Kim
 
Hey Kim!

Just a quick Hello and to say thanks for sending Jamie & Dave our way for the Olympics. They were just too cute! I loved watching them dance(skate). They definitely deserved a Gold medal!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: weightlifting

Kim,
I do weight train. I hit every body part twice a week. I use all Cathe's weight tapes plus I go to the gym. I mix it up with heavy rotations and then try to hit more endurance (Power Hour, Circuit Max, etc.) training. I have definition, it's just that the fat as I get older likes to hang onto the tops of my hips and across my belly. It's not bad, but noticable to me. I've made progress, but as I said, my body type just loves a rounder me.
Amy
 
RE: weightlifting

Howdy, I average 58 minutes per cardio workout. I run either 3 or 4 days per week. One run is long--at least 90 minutes. One is a speed workout. Short with intense spurts in the middle. Then easy cool down. Then I'll do one or two moderate paced runs of 5-6 miles. I also do 1 or 2 Cathe workouts from 30 to 60 minutes.

I disagree with the statement that too much aerobics burns muscle. It can but supplying your body with the correct pre and post workout nutrients circumvents the loss.

I like to mix it up. I go all out sometimes and take it easy at others. Honeybunch once described herself as an intensity junkie and I am there, baby, but when running 10 miles one must pace oneself. My resting heartrate is 44, making high intensity a must if I want to feel worked out. That's what I love about running and Cathe. They kick it up big time. I really only start to get happy after the first 30 minutes of a run. Then the endorphin fairy pays me a visit and life gets good!
What was the question?:)
Bobbi http://www.plauder-smilies.de/chicken.gif Chicks Rule!
 
RE: abdominal fat and menopause

Amy...
Just out of curiousity, are you getting that "particular" age? meaning menopausal? I just turned 46 in January, and for the last few years, have noticed that my fat likes to deposit itself more in my mid-section than ever before in my life. I am built like the typical Marilyn Monroe of the 50's....short waisted, but slender through the shoulders and ribcage, flaring out to sumptuous (I like that word<G>) hips and thighs. Even at my leanest and meanest, I'm more curvy through the hips. I always prided myself on my slim and trim waist.
Until the first F-word birthday hit!!! (Forty...shudder!!!)
From reading I've done, menopausal and peri-menopausal women will have a greater tendency to deposit fat in their midsection...something to do with depleting estrogen and progesterone. Unfortunately, this is a more dangerous type of fat, as it interweaves through the abdominal organs and can be an early indicator of heart disease. I am hoping that my exercising lifestyle along with "clean" (most of the time) eating will prevent my becoming a statistic. I am also terrified at the thought of hormone replacement therapy, which is still some years away for me (I still get regular periods) but a concern, nonetheless.
Anyone here have some thoughts on becomming peri-menopausal? On hormone replacement therapy? On the effects doing Cathe and FIRM etc has had on entering "that certain age group"?
One note...I do find that regular, intense exercise makes my monthly flow more "vigorous"...ie. it lasts 5 to 6 days and has a definite pattern of ebb-flow-ebb, more like my periods were when I was younger. In times when I haven't been exercising regularly (at least during the past ten years or so) I've found my period becomes more painful, longer, and the flow is not as "healthy" as it was when I was in my twenties and thirties.
Any thoughts, comments??
Thanks
Hugs
Lynn FInn
 
RE: the top of the hips and across the belly

Hi Amysue

I hear what you are saying about those fat deposit places. To look at my shoulders, arms, legs and glutes, I would guess my bodyfat to be extremely low but then to look at the spot just above my belly button, the percentage must jump big time. Part of it must be age but another part is my less than clean eating. Others probably don't notice but I do.

Kim
 
RE: Hey Debbie - our resident social planner!

Hi Debbie

Yes, I was proud of the effort the Canadian athletes put forward this year.

I thought I would mention how I appreciate your positive input into this forum on many occasions since I mostly smile at your posts but stay silent. You go girl!

Kim
 
RE: abdominal fat and menopause

:-jumpy Yes! Yes! Yes! I will soon be 49 years old and feel certain menopause is just around the corner from me as my weight is piling up in my middle! Ugh! And my periods have become a little sporadic.

I would recommend What Your Doctor Didn't Tell You About Menopause or The Bible Cure for Menopause by Dr. Don Colbert. The last book is very inexpensive and is very informative. I'm sorry I can't remember the author of the first book, but he too, is a physician. Both of these books are written from a holistic point of view with treatment being diet, exercise and natural herbs and supplements.

I'm currently using a natural progesterone that evens out my moods and keeps my periods regular. When I stopped using it my periods stopped and I was not a very nice person. :-(

Deb
 
RE: the top of the hips and across the belly

Most of the weight gain experienced later in life is due to a reduction in activity and the subsequent loss of muscle mass. Stay active and strength train! Women are at a much greater risk from heart disease than from cancer, even breast cancer and reduced estrogen wreaks havoc on those old bones. While I dislike the idea of HRT, it might just be the lesser of two evils. I am going to research natural HRT when the time comes but if necesssary I'll use traditional HRT. I am definitely an apple and that worries me but I am also very active and very conscious of my diet and the role it plays in my longevity. I think the key is to stay in the same range as far as your weight is concerned.

Bobbi http://www.plauder-smilies.de/chicken.gif Chicks Rule!
 

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