Many people ask is what are the best forms of cardio they can do and what is the differences between them.
What should I do?
Many people prefer different types of cardio for various reasons. Some prefer slow and steady cardio, known as steady state cardio (SSCV), others prefer a more intense method known as high intensity training (HIIT).
There is not a best form of cardio, however you looked at it – of course one may argue their preference however neither is the ‘right’ way to do cardio, as long as you get to your goal weight, through whatever method you choose.
There are however reasons, perhaps when one is heavy in weight, recovering from injury or wants to keep things simple and don’t want to pound their joints and so are the are what I personally consider the best forms to get rid of fat hitting the cardio road too hard.
When doing steady state cardio (SSCV) we usually recommend between 30 to 60 minutes per day, 4 to 6 days a week when cutting, which can be increased to twice that amount towards the end of the cut, a few weeks from the competition.
As a rule of thumb for all steady state cardio if you cannot keep a regular conversation whilst doing it you are going to fast – certainly in my personal opinion, on a calorie restricted diet and trying to hold muscle, we’d never really go faster than 130bpm on my heart rate monitor (a useful gadget we may add!).
What are the different types SSCV cardio?
Treadmill – This exercise works just the legs. It can be done at a different pace and different inclines through complex motor systems on the machines, making this a very flexible source of cardio.
We’d personally do the treadmill at incline of around 10% at round 5-6mph and look to keep our heart rate at around 110-130bpm and will adjust the speed up or down to keep it within those boundaries.
Cross Trainer – Works both the arms and the legs. Again they are found in both electronic and manual versions and again the resistance given works in a similar way to the stationary bike and is increased or decreased to control the level of difficulty. This is done usually by increasing or decreasing resistance on a wheel in the centre of the Cross Trainer. Aim for 110-130bpm.
Stepper – There are two forms of stepper, electrical and a home based stepping system that simply has two steps that you literally step on at various different levels of resistance. Whilst looking simple, steppers are surprisingly effective. Again, look to hit 110-130bpm. The goal is fat burning, not a cardiovascular workout.
Stationary Bike – Perhaps the most simple form of cardio. The resistance can be either electronically controlled or manually and one simply cycles as they would do on a normal push bike out on the road and works the legs. Perhaps the least effective form of cardio but good for those who have to avoid stressful movements on their knees and other joints. Again aim for 110-130bpm.
Spin Bike – A more intense version of the stationary bike, one drives a 20kg flywheel around that forces one to stay at around a set speed – good for keeping the heart rate moving at a set amount. Most come with adjusters on them to allow you to vary the difficult and thus tailor how hard one hits themselves. A good option, and is our personal preference and what I use when I cut.
Of course there are other forms of cardio (rowing machines, climbing machines etc) but the above are effective at burning fat yet lighter on the joints of those looking to minimize stress, particularly good if you are prepping for a a show or recovering from injury or the like since they are lower impact and less likely to cause injury.
What can I do if I want to do HIIT?
HIIT is the the shortned name for High Intensity Interval Training which is intervals of high speed (at your maximum effort, eg you cannot push harder), intense exercise followed by short periods of steady state cardio to recover and then back to high intensity! It can be done on any of the above equipment.
This is not an exercise for those preexisting heart conditions, the faint of heart, the novice or no one with no energy (especially perhaps towards the end of a competition diet).
For Matt, personally finds it when the thought of HIIT makes you by-pass your cardio completely to lethargy, he would return to steady state cardio – it is extremely harsh on the body and can take days to recover when in dieted state.
HIIT is extremely effective for fat burning and can be utilized 2-3 time a week if you have the energy, however – you always need to exercise the way that is most appropriate for you in terms of effort you can put down and energy available. An ill or injured athlete is not a good result if you are too under the weather or struggling with energy.
WE recommend only doing 2-3 times week with at least 2-3 days in between as your body will spend that time recovering.
Due to the intensity of the exercise, as with weightlifting, we ensure we consume a post-workout drink afterwards to ensure your body is able to repair tissue and reload your glycogen levels, approximately 10g of BCAA’s or 20g of your favorite whey flavor!
This is Matt’s extended HIIT routine he follows (Yo dislikes cardio, shhh :)):
• 5 mins steady state cardio
• 30 second high heart rate
• 60 second low intensity
• 30 second high heart rate
• 45 second low intensity
• 30 second high heart rate
• 45 second low intensity
• 30 second high heart rate
• 45 second low intensity
• 30 second high heart rate
• 45 second low intensity
• 30 second high heart rate
• 45 second low intensity
• 30 second high heart rate
• 45 second low intensity
• 30 second high heart rate
• 45 second low intensity
• 30 second high heart rate
• 2 mins steady state
Another important aspect of training is supplementation. PROZIS products we use to help with our training and recovery:
Intra-Workout BCAA
Postworkout Whey Protein
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