Cardio exercises for weight loss: nuances and tips. How and when to do cardio for fat burning? Cardio workout 20 minutes

In order to gain normal weight, you need not only strong muscles, but also a strong heart: muscles need a large amount of oxygen. But, unfortunately, you can’t pump up your heart with chest presses. This can only be done with cardio exercises.

Not everyone likes to run: many people run simply because they have to. Some people just can’t bring themselves to do it for more than a week (then there’s a lull until the New Year and new annual resolutions).

However, cardio training is not the same as running. There are a huge number of different options, and today we offer you one of them.

So, to push your heart, you don't have to run laps like you're training for a marathon. One wonderful workout with a telling name will suit you - “Death at 10 meters”.

What should be done

Find a convenient piece of space 10 meters long in your gym, office or on the street - it doesn’t matter where, as long as it is free of obstacles and its length is exactly 10 meters.
Make marks on the floor to show the start and finish. If you have nothing to measure the distance with, just take 10 giant steps - you won’t miss.
Set a timer for 1 minute and run those 10 meters. Just run, not walk, since the rest of the minute will be allotted for rest.
Start the timer again for a minute and run two 10-meter distances. Rest.
Then increase the number of 10-meter segments you need to run per minute to three, and so on.

You must continue to increase the number of 10-meter segments you run with each passing minute. That is, it is advisable to cram as many segments as possible into 1 minute. Once you've gone beyond a minute, yours is over.

While running, you do not need to touch the floor, as is done in shuttle running. You just have to make sure you reach the mark and turn around.

This workout only seems simple when you read about it. Well, in the first 10 minutes it will also be easy, but then... So we can assume that the first 10 minutes are a warm-up, and the remaining 10 minutes are hellish work. Starting from about the eighth minute, you will have less and less time to rest, and at the tenth minute these intervals will quickly begin to turn into nothing.

For many, problems begin at the 13th or 14th minute of training, when just running turns into a sprint and, following physical fatigue, thoughts come like “Why do I need all this?”, “Maybe it’s better to stop?”, “For the sake of Why am I putting up with this now” and so on.

The desire to give up appears around the 16th minute for beginners and at the 18th minute for more experienced athletes. And this starting point is really important, since it is precisely in those moments when it is most difficult for us that the systems of our body are activated at full capacity.

The main thing here is, since the 18th and 19th minutes are separated by only 60 seconds. And the 19th and 20th too. And even if you couldn’t run the next 10 meters in a minute, it’s okay. This means that in the next period you will try to bring the result to an integer value. After all, this is what separates boys from men. ;)

Cardio is a word well known to all athletes involved in any sport: from athletics to extreme strength training. The second meaning of this word is aerobic activity, and it is the object of many myths, jokes and even training systems. This is where the term “cardio training” comes from. Let's see why it is interesting to many athletes.

From a biochemical point of view, cardio is a general name for all types of exercise performed through an energy exchange process called “aerobic glycolysis.” During cardio training, oxygen enters our body and oxidizes glucose, from which energy is released. It is this energy that ensures the maintenance of human physical activity for a long time.

This is the difference between cardio training and strength training, in which the release of energy occurs through a different method, oxygen-free, or otherwise anaerobic.

Types of Cardio Training

To avoid any possible confusion, let's look at the most popular types of cardio and talk about how they are mixed with strength sports.

Running (can be replaced by brisk walking) is a great way to warm up in the morning, recharge your batteries, ventilate your lungs and the entire body as a whole, and at the same time burn a couple of hundred calories. The condition for such training is to not run too fast so as not to become completely exhausted. On the other hand, it shouldn't be an easy walk that won't even make you sweat. You need to tune in to your own optimal rhythm and run three to six times a week, setting aside an hour or an hour and a half for this. This will not only strengthen your body, but also help you become drier and more toned.
Swimming is the best form of cardio because it is difficult to exceed your maximum effort limit. You don’t just need to stay on the water, but swim for fun, completing your workout with a 200-500-meter swim without stopping. Such cardio training can bring literally fabulous results. This is because, unlike running, swimming limits breathing. The body perceives this as a signal and begins to strive to increase the volume of the lungs, which means that the supply of oxygen to the entire body will improve. Additional benefits are the strengthening of the immune system due to contact with water. Muscles in water relax and recover faster. Just like marathon runners, swimmers have a much lower release of lactic acid into their muscles, so people who strength train with iron have the opportunity to train even more productively.
Treadmills and exercise machines simulate running. This kind of training takes place indoors, which is pretty bad. If there are no options or if the simulator is installed at home, you can train in this way, but it must be taken into account that the lack of sunlight and clean air rich in oxygen, with increased stress on the heart and blood vessels, requires such training to be strictly dosed.
Circuit training, otherwise called “functional training” These types of training arose quite a long time ago, but became popular no more than a year ago. Their essence lies in performing strength training with a weight significantly less than what bodybuilders use - five or even ten times less than the usual working weight, but the exercises are performed in a circle three to five times, without rest. This looks quite attractive, but it is not only a colossal load, but also a high danger for blood vessels and the heart. However, it can be clarified that this danger occurs only for a person who does not have the appropriate training and is unfamiliar with the technique. The lungs of such a person have not yet acquired the skill of supplying oxygen to the body in a critical mode for 15-20 minutes at a time.

For clarity and specific numbers, look at the infographic:

Who needs cardio training and why?

It can be recommended to all elderly people, as they help maintain the cardiovascular system in order and prolong life.
When exercising the goal of building muscle mass, cardio training is undesirable, since it causes an effect on muscle growth that is opposite to hypertrophy. But, since you cannot build muscle and burn fat at the same time, it is advisable to include cardio in your training plan along with strength training during the fat burning phase, since this will make fat burning more effective.
If you have set a goal to lose weight, it will be very good to add cardio to your strength training exercises, although cardio itself is not the best way to lose weight.
Cardio training is good if you are involved in cyclic sports and you are required to develop endurance.
Cardio is good for recovery. With light loads, recovery occurs more quickly.
Many people advise using cardio training as a warm-up - to warm up the body for 5-7 minutes before starting a workout. Although this is not exactly cardio, but rather a regular warm-up.

Cardio training is not the best way to lose weight

This is a fairly popular misconception among women involved in fitness: hoping to lose weight and being afraid to “swing”, in all the fitness rooms of the world they storm ellipses. But you don’t have to worry - it’s simply impossible to “swing up” without hormones and steroids. But if cardio training is used exclusively for weight loss, then this is indeed a misconception, and a very common one at that.

Indeed, in 45 minutes of cardio training you can burn more calories than during the same duration of strength training, but for weight loss the overall effect will be worse. Strength training works differently - it burns fat not during training, but after it during the rest process, which significantly increases the overall metabolic rate. Thanks to strength training, you will gain even a small amount of muscle, for example, 5 kg, but they will already require adding 250-400 additional kilocalories per day to your regular diet. As a result, it becomes easier to maintain some calorie deficit and burn fat on a consistent basis.

The maximum effect for burning fat is observed when combining full strength training with cardio training. Fitness experts recommend doing 2-3 strength training sessions per week to lose weight and adding 2-3 cardio workouts lasting 45-60 minutes, and it is better to choose different days for training.

When is the best time to run?

1. Run on an empty stomach

Modern research has found that exercising for 30-60 minutes in the morning, immediately after waking up, allows you to burn three times more fat than similar exercise at other times of the day. The fact is that the main source of energy for the body throughout the day is carbohydrates coming from food. During night sleep, these reserves are depleted by the body. Therefore, when a person wakes up, carbohydrates no longer play their energy role and fat begins to be used for energy.

Interestingly, morning workouts increase your metabolism throughout the day, so after working out on an empty stomach, your body will burn more calories throughout the day.

Attention! It is definitely worth considering for those who have good muscle mass that training on an empty stomach is contraindicated for them, since if there is a lack of fat, the body will begin to burn muscle. So this method of losing weight is only suitable for those people who have something to lose, that is, there is excess fat mass.

In the state of Kansas, a study was conducted that showed that when exercising in the morning, one kilogram of fat was oxidized faster than if physical activity was performed closer to the end of the day. A cyclist who pedaled in the morning before breakfast burned 60% more fat than one who exercised at lunch.

For muscular people who want to improve their muscles, running in the morning on an empty stomach is contraindicated. In general, running in the morning is good, but in terms of losing muscle instead of fat, doing cardio on an empty stomach is bad. Therefore, you can create the following morning jogging schedule for yourself:

get up early, no later than 6-7 am;
have a light snack without meat, for example, eat 4-5 boiled eggs with a glass of juice and bread;
after eating, take a 30-45 minute break;
go for a run.

So, for those who want to get rid of excess fat mass, it is advisable to run in the morning on an empty stomach, and if running is considered as a way to develop muscles, it is better to eat before cardio.

2. Cardio before strength training

For men seeking to gain muscle mass, aerobic activity in any form one to two hours before working with iron is absolutely contraindicated. Cardio done before strength work will lead to depletion of glycogen reserves, as a result of which you may simply not have enough strength for the last two or three repetitions, the most effective ones, which stimulate growth most of all. Another argument for not needing cardio before exercise is that running leads to decreased protein synthesis and increased protein breakdown. With strength training, the opposite happens: protein synthesis remains at the same level or increases slightly, but protein breakdown increases.

Thus, it turns out that after cardio training, protein synthesis, which refers to the human body’s ability to form new muscle structures, decreases, and if you then go to strength training, your ability to build muscle mass will decrease significantly. Therefore, cardio, especially for a long duration, leaves its mark on muscle progress. For women who do not want to have large amounts of muscle, who train at low intensity and with light weight, you can easily afford a 20-25-minute jog.

Thus, before training, cardio training may well be carried out, but after it it is necessary to wait a certain time - 2.5 - 3 hours in order for the glycogen depot to be restored. The correct diet and the use of appropriate sports supplements, such as carbohydrate-protein shakes or gainers, will speed up this process.

3. Advantages and disadvantages of cardio after strength training

Such cardio workouts are more beneficial than those performed before strength training. The reason is that during strength training, glycogen stores are not as depleted as during aerobic activity. So after completing your workout, there will still be a sufficient amount of stored glycogen in your muscles, and you will be able to run your race at a high level. You can get even more effectiveness from cardio if you wait two to three hours after class, eat, and only then go for a run. In this way, you will quickly replenish glycogen reserves, the breakdown of proteins will be stopped and the body will be ready to put all its efforts into a run, because it will no longer have to worry about restoring “post-workout holes.”

Best results from cardio

Everyone wants not just to run, but to achieve certain results - to improve their physique, heart function, etc. Therefore, to achieve these goals, you need to know exactly the time of your intended run and plan your runs accordingly. You can follow these tips:

if you plan to train your legs in one of the strength training sessions, then cardio should be done away from this day, for example, training your legs on Monday, run on Thursday or Friday;
Do cardio training on days when you don’t have strength training;
If you can’t set aside separate days for jogging, practice jogging after finishing your workout.

If the body is 100% charged with energy, you will get much more benefits, that is, an increase in muscle mass, an improvement in appearance.

What pace should you run for cardio?

The intensity of running must be calculated using a formula that is tied to the maximum heart rate (HR max). This frequency is defined as follows:

Heart rate max = 220 - age.

So, for a 17-year-old person, the maximum heart rate is 220 - 17 = 203. During cardio training, the pulse should be from 65% to 85% of the calculated maximum.

They also often talk about the pulse zone for fat burning (most likely because it is often noted in fitness rooms on cardio equipment). This zone is also determined individually by testing with a gas analyzer. This norm is slightly lower - it is 60-70% of the maximum heart rate. For the average 30-year-old person, the norm is 115-135 beats per minute. However, we must not forget that cardio training is not particularly effective for burning fat.

Should you eat after cardio training?

Many believe that eating after a race is like death, because it undoes all the work done so reluctantly. If you think this way, you need to reconsider your point of view, because it is wrong. If you don't eat after a run and instead go hungry, your body will begin to develop a tendency to store fat. Therefore, you should definitely eat right. This doesn't mean that after running you have to bury yourself in the candy department. Proper nutrition includes the following foods: protein shake, fish, chicken, brown rice, buckwheat.

How long do you need to run to burn 1000 calories?

The information below comes from an American magazine dedicated to running and weight loss. It traced the connection between fast food consumption and running, that is, how much you need to run to compensate for various foods. The results were as follows: if a person runs at a speed of 7-9 km/h, that is, at a moderate pace with a heart rate of 65-75% of the maximum, then with an average build (70 kg) he burns approximately 550-600 kcal/hour. So jogging a distance of 1.6 kilometers allows you to burn 100-120 kcal.

Which form of aerobic activity to choose?

Everyone understands that you can run in different ways. Some people think that they need to run at a slow pace to lose weight, while others advocate the benefits of interval cardio. We will describe four types of aerobic activity that allow you to achieve fat burning and “cultivate” muscle mass.

1. Low Efficiency Cardio (LOI). This is the well-known jogging. It not only affects body composition, but helps reduce muscle pain and promotes the restoration of muscles damaged by microtrauma, since blood enriched with nutrients is intensively delivered to the muscles. CNI is not only jogging, but also cycling, exercise on a treadmill at a low speed. With CNI, the energy of free fatty acids is used predominantly, with carbohydrates coming in second place as an energy source.

During CNI training, it is advisable to take additional proteins and amino acids, which are present in sports nutrition, to maintain and preserve muscle mass. When training at low intensity, it is necessary to maintain your heart rate within 60-65% of maximum. For a cardio workout that lasts 30-45 minutes, you should stay lightly hydrated throughout.

2. Moderate Intensity Cardio (MIC) is an intermediate option between sprinting and jogging. The main goal is to perform work at an active pace, while the level of effort must be maintained over a long period of time. When running this way, you need to focus on breathing and constantly maintain your target heart rate zone within 65-70%. It is necessary to perform QSI for at least 30 minutes, while no rest is allowed and the pace should not be lost even for a second.

With this type of cardio, the source of energy is not only fats, but also carbohydrates. To preserve and maintain normal muscle mass, it is necessary to additionally take amino acids and proteins. 5-7 minutes after the start, such running leads to increased sweating, so you need to be wary of dehydration and drink water as you go.

3. Interval cardio (IC) requires the same intensity as CNI, but with less concentration and attention. You can work without fear of possible disruption. The goal of this type of activity is to get a quick workout that results in an increased metabolism long after the activity is completed. Many studies have shown that IR provides an even better fat burning effect than with double the duration of CNI - this is due to a higher metabolic rate.

Sprinting is intense cardio over specific intervals with active recovery periods of walking in place between runs. The second name for IR is HIIC (high intensity interval cardio). Due to the anaerobic nature of this intensity, it is predominantly fueled by carbohydrates, so in order to achieve the best results, it is necessary to consume carbohydrates both before and after your running workout. The use of amino acids and proteins is required for muscle recovery, and cool water consumed during breaks gives a surge of fresh strength and a charge of vigor. To perform training according to this scheme, you can use the following schedule:

train 2-3 times a week;
Duration of intensive race - 15 seconds;
in 15 seconds you need to run 50-60 meters;
number of sprints - 20, of which 12 are at full intensity, 4 warm-up and 4 for cooling down;
The total training time is 15-20 minutes.
the cardiovascular system is trained;
Strength and explosive abilities improve.

The athlete selects 2-3 exercises and ties them into one bundle. The weight is approximately 650% of the one-rep maximum. If you lift a barbell weighing 50 kg for the biceps for one repetition, then for circuit training you can use a weight of 25 kg. You need to repeat it 12-15 times, in three sets with a rest of 15-20 seconds between sets. So, one circle consists of 2-3 exercises, which are performed in a row one after another with breaks between circles of 15-20 seconds. This type of anaerobic activity uses carbohydrates as fuel, so they must be consumed during the session to fuel the body. It is also necessary to control the intake of protein into the body and constantly remain hydrated, that is, sufficiently hydrated.

Each type of cardio has its own characteristics, disadvantages and advantages, so it is not so important which type provides maximum efficiency: you can choose the one that you like best and from which you will enjoy. You can try all of the ones described above and choose your own. Any method creates an anabolic environment in the body and has a positive effect on body composition. The main thing is to use the chosen method systematically.

How to lose weight with cardio

Not everyone enjoys running, so you can use other forms of aerobic activity instead. We also remind you that cardio is not the most effective way to lose weight quickly. We offer a few tips that may be useful when doing cardio training:

Tip #1: Replace walking with running. Everyone around you is indifferent to your weight, and only you yourself are interested in getting rid of it. Until you start running, you won't be able to lose weight. To begin with, you can alternate running with walking - run for two minutes and walk for two minutes, and so on for 30-40 minutes. You can gradually reduce the time you take breaks, and you will soon see changes in yourself.

Tip #2: Drink water during cardio. At the same time, one should not confuse the concepts of “wet your throat” and “drink as you should.” If you drink more than half a liter of water during an hour of cardio training, you will simply ensure that you are invited to the toilet. We experience thirst even if our mouth is simply dry. You can get it wet and move on.

Tip No. 3. What to do if you have a stitch in your side. This happens to everyone and most often they ask what to do about it. You don’t need to do anything, you can run a little slower, breathe more often and maintain the rhythm of your breathing, and everything will pass in a couple of minutes.

Training in cardio is an important part of the journey to reducing body fat, but it is not the only one. To achieve success, you need to combine several components, the most important of which is proper nutrition. We must not forget about this.

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In this article we will touch on the topic of cardio training. If you want to reduce the subcutaneous fat content in your body to 10-12% or lower, it is very difficult to do this without cardio exercise.

It is known that in order to start fat burning you need to take in fewer calories than you burn. A balanced diet quickly starts the fat burning process. However, by adding cardio, you will do a double whammy and start burning fat more effectively.

Cardio training is any type of physical activity in which the main source of energy is aerobic glycolysis, i.e. oxidation of glucose and as a result of which the human respiratory and cardiovascular systems develop. The general nature of the workout is high intensity with minimal load.

What does cardio give:

Improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Strengthens the heart muscle.
Strengthens health.
Speeds up metabolism
Helps to recover faster after training.
Burns subcutaneous fat.

It is fat burning that interests many. Let's figure out how to effectively burn fat while maintaining muscle. Let's take running as an example.

Running is a fairly effective method of losing weight. While running, the load is distributed evenly throughout the body and, due to increased heart rate and breathing, metabolism is accelerated and fat burning is activated.

Many people jog every day for 15-20 minutes in the morning or evening, but do not see results in the form of lost fat. The thing is that if the run was short, the body uses only glycogen and at the very first meal it replenishes its reserves. The body simply does not have time to get to fat as an energy source, and its burning does not occur.

The body can switch to fat as a source of energy only when glycogen reserves are depleted. During jogging, that is, at light or moderate intensity, energy for the muscles coming from glycogen lasts for an average of 30-40 minutes.

Those. in the first half hour of cardio you do not burn a single gram of fat.

Therefore, in order to actively burn fat during cardio, you need to jog for about 40-50 minutes.

There are many types of cardio exercises and they all have different effects on people. In order to effectively burn fat, cardio workouts must gradually increase in intensity, because the body gets used to and adapts to external stress over time. Those. monotonous moderate-intensity exercise is suitable for beginners; for more experienced, varied interval cardio with periods of high intensity.

Suitable exercises:

Jogging.
Inertial exercise bike.
Skiing.
Swimming.
Skating.
A ride on the bicycle.
Jumping rope, etc.

If you just walk for a long time or on a treadmill, generally doing low-intensity cardio will not make any sense! If, on the contrary, you fire yourself up so that your heart jumps out of your chest, this will lead to overwork of the heart muscle. Over time, heart disease may appear.

To really train effectively (and not harm your body), you should not allow your heart rate (HR) to go beyond certain limits. For this you will need a heart rate monitor.

Cardio workout formula:

220 – age = max heart rate

Your cardio workout should be between 70-90% of your maximum heart rate. For example, I’m 25 years old, let’s get the heart rate limits:

Upper: 220 – 25 = 195 x 0.9 = 175 beats/min

Lower: 220 – 25 = 195 x 0.7 = 136 beats/min

As you can see, using the formula is simple. It is suitable for anyone with any level of training. The only difference is that it is easier for a prepared person to stay within a given range for a long time.

Look at your heart rate monitor more often until you learn to feel your body 100% - this will come with time.

There is such a thing as an aerobic base - this is the basis of your cardio training. You need to spend the main part of your training at this value. Aerobic base is equal to 70% of the maximum heart rate (HR).

At the initial stage, you should conduct 3-4 workouts of 30-40 minutes each, being at the level of your aerobic base. Once you feel that the load has become easier for you, you can move on to interval methods.

To increase the intensity of your workout, switch to interval cardio.

Interval training is training that alternates periods of maximum effort and periods of rest. Using the example of running, it looks like this: you walk the first hundred meters at a fast pace, stretching your muscles, ligaments and joints. Warm-up is needed to increase blood flow to them and gradually increase the heart rate. Then start jogging, adjusting your breathing to an aerobic base. For the next 100 meters you sprint at 80% of your maximum pace.

After one rotation, return to the aerobic base. Continue to stay in it for 5-7 minutes. The second interval will be more intense with almost one hundred percent effort.

During interval training, special processes occur in the body - powerful explosive periods spend a large number of calories, so the body takes energy from glycogen broken down by the liver. After the transition to a moderately intense period (to the aerobic base), the liver tries to replenish glycogen and carbohydrate reserves by breaking down fats, i.e. fats are used.

After 20-30 minutes of interval training, you will feel like you have squeezed out all your strength. Fat will begin to be actively burned. Experiments show that after such a workout, active fat burning continues for several hours, while the muscles do not burn.

Alternate 3-4 intervals, each next more intense than the previous one. To progress your cardio load, run uphill, try other types of cardio - swimming, exercise bike, skiing, etc.

Cardio exercises should be regular. This is the only way to improve the entire blood supply system of the body. With periodic training, the body will perceive the load as a lot of physical stress and will get tired.

In order to achieve good results, you will have to do cardio often. How else would you like it? If you want a beautiful body, you have to sweat! 5-6 times a week for 40-50 minutes.

As your training level increases, the intensity of your training should increase. Those. If 3-4 alternations of intervals no longer exhaust you as much as before, increase the number of these alternations and the duration of each interval.

It is important to start and end cardio training with a gradual increase/decrease in heart rate - the heart does not like sudden changes in intensity. If you experience tingling in your side, continue training. Just reduce the intensity a little until these sensations pass.

Don't forget to drink during cardio exercise. Not only water comes out with sweat, but also useful salts and minerals. Therefore, it is better to use mineral water without gas or isotonic water.

When to do cardio?

There are two views on this issue. First, you can train at any time. The second is to train better when glycogen levels are low. This corresponds to the morning awakening and the end of strength training.

Immediately after sleep, insulin and glycogen levels are low. This means that fat will become the main source of energy for the body. Those. You do not need to burn glycogen for 20-30 minutes first. You save time.

Plus, a morning cardio workout is a sure way to recharge your energy for the whole day, due to the release of endorphins into the blood. The only condition is that you must enjoy training.

How to achieve this? Do cardio with your favorite music! It should charge and encourage you, give you strength and motivation. Believe me, it works!

After strength training, the muscles are warmed up and glycogen stores are also depleted. Medium-intensity 20-minute cardio exercise is a wonderful means of burning fat and accelerating recovery by dispersing blood throughout the body.

It is important to remember that cardio is an oxygen-consuming process. There should always be easy access of air to the body. This means that if you are working out at home, ventilate the room well.

If you do cardio outside, dress appropriately for the weather. There is no need to wear “a hundred clothes” on yourself in warm weather. You will simply sweat a lot, losing valuable minerals and salts, and the fat will remain with you.

Read other blog articles.

Overweight people are looking for new ways to lose weight. Diets have a short-term effect: weight returns in 95% of cases after completion, so the issue of losing weight must be approached comprehensively. One of its important aspects is cardio exercise. They help speed up the weight loss process and consolidate the results. It is not acceptable or financially expensive for everyone to exercise in the gym, but the process of burning fat can be successfully started at home.

What is cardio exercise?

Cardio exercise is a type of physical activity aimed at training the heart muscle.. The main feature of such exercises is their specificity. When the heart rate increases to 120 beats per minute, the body begins to use subcutaneous fat as fuel. Cardio will produce results, but you need to adhere to strict rules.

Rules for losing weight and burning fat without exercise equipment

You can control the load using a heart rate monitor bracelet outside the gym

Systematic training

Cardio gives good results only when the exercises are repeated daily. If this is jogging, then its results will begin to appear in a few weeks, and it may take months to fully consolidate. One missed workout gives a signal to the body. As a result, metabolism slows down, the strength of the heart muscle decreases, and the weight loss process stops completely.

Drink during class

During cardio exercise, you need to drink plenty of fluids. The classic belief that you shouldn't drink because of exercise leads to a heart attack. Dehydration that occurs during jogging thickens the blood and puts a lot of strain on the heart, which creates the potential for cholesterol plaques to build up. Water increases the performance of the student, which allows him to train more and more intensely. Water consumption speeds up metabolism, and this increases the amount of subcutaneous fat burned.

Don't run in the morning

In the morning hours, the body does not yet have time to mobilize its strength, catabolic processes prevail over anabolic ones. Catabolic processes are those that affect the destruction of tissues in the body. The predominance of catabolism over anabolism leads to a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in body fat. Anabolic processes are those that are responsible for the restoration of the body. Anabolism is an important component of gaining muscle mass, and the heart is also a muscle.

Note: Muscles are energy consumers. More muscle mass absorbs more calories, as a result of which the fat layer begins to be burned more actively. The body cannot gain weight and burn fat at the same time. The processes of anabolism and catabolism in the body are cyclical. There is no need to be upset if the mass begins to increase during the first time after training.

The heart does not work at full capacity in the morning, so exercise causes overload and can cause tachycardia, heart failure, and even lead to serious pathologies.

Progression of loads

Over time, the body gets used to the stress, the heart becomes stronger, and fat is burned with difficulty. A competent progression of loads should be based on the following principle - one step back, two steps forward. What does it mean?

Sudden increase in load leads to serious injuries

At the initial stage, a person should devote 10 to 20 minutes a day to cardio exercise. Over time, this figure should reach 40–50 minutes per day, after which the body needs to give a break and, within one to two weeks, reduce the intensity to 25–30 minutes per day. At the end of the adaptation period, increase the intensity/time of exercise to one hour. Then lose 10 minutes... And with such cycles, increase the level of daily stress to 90–120 minutes.

Cycles of intense cardio should be 3-4 weeks, recovery 1-2 weeks. This will prevent injury to the heart muscle and speed up and consolidate the results of weight loss.

Keep an eye on your pulse

Monitoring your heart rate (heart rate) is especially important for people who are not physically prepared. To monitor your heartbeat, you need to purchase a special heart rate monitor bracelet. During intense workouts, your heart rate should be between 100 and 135 beats per minute. If he does not reach this mark, then the training will not bring tangible results.

Modern fitness bracelets can measure not only heart rate, but also other useful indicators. They analyze your daily activity and give tips to achieve your goal as quickly as possible.

When the pulse exceeds the number of beats of 140, this leads to ischemic pain, micro-tears inside the heart muscle. They lead to scarring by connective tissue. The result is an enlarged heart and a weakening of it. This disease is called athlete's heart, and it is irreversible. With constant overload, a person risks remaining disabled for the rest of his life.

Pathology develops due to the proliferation of connective tissue

When the heart rate approaches a dangerous level during training, the cardio intensity must be reduced so that the heart rate enters the working limit. If your heart rate does not decrease, you need to take a break before your next run. With heart training at the same loads, the heart rate will be lower.

Create and follow a meal plan

To improve your cardio results, you need to change your nutrition plan. First of all, cut calories by 5%, increase the amount of omega-3 fats, slow carbohydrates and proteins. Eat more often, but less - divide your usual diet not into 2-3 meals, but into 5-6. Try to drink a lot of water - at least 5-6 glasses a day.

Note: Increasing the number of meals you eat helps speed up metabolism for people with low metabolism. Fractional nutrition allows you not only to lose weight, but also to do it painlessly.

A sample meal plan might look like this:

Morning. 5 boiled eggs, a portion of buckwheat porridge (about 250–300 grams). A cup of coffee or orange juice.
Dinner. A serving of soup with vegetables. Salad with green vegetables. Can be replaced with a serving of pasta or porridge.
Afternoon snack. Any sweet fruits - apples, bananas, etc.
Dinner. 350 grams of cottage cheese, a glass of milk.
After a cardio workout. 3 eggs, half a liter of milk, kefir. Can be replaced with any product rich in protein.

Note: the meal plan indicated in the article is only an example of the distribution of an ordinary diet over 5 meals. Products and portion sizes are selected based on the body’s individual needs for proteins, carbohydrates and total calorie content.

A complete absence of fats in the diet will very quickly affect your appearance, in particular the condition of your skin and hair. Don't forget to add some "healthy" fat to your meals in the afternoon, such as olive or flaxseed oil

Increasing protein will improve muscle condition and have a beneficial effect on their size and tone. Due to the deficiency caused by exercise, the body will burn subcutaneous fat more actively.

Shock your body

To do this, you need to regularly change the exercises in your load program. The human body is designed in such a way that over time it gets used to any physical activity. To increase performance, he needs to be constantly shocked. This will not only improve your weight loss results, but also increase your functional endurance. Alternate running with climbing stairs and other exercises. Exercises need to be changed at each stage of recovery, that is, during the first month a person jogs, and with the onset of the second month he does stepping.

Warm up

Before carrying out any workout, including cardio exercises, you need to warm up thoroughly. For this, standard rolling of all joints and simple stretching are suitable. You can use some Pilates exercises. Warm-up will warm up your heart and muscles and help you avoid traumatic situations.

Cardio exercises at home

Today, many people visit gyms to stay physically fit. They are equipped with the most modern equipment, which allows you to effectively burn fat/gain weight, etc. But if you don’t have the opportunity to visit the gym, then it’s worth using an excellent set of exercises that will help you lose excess weight without financial expenses.

Exercises for home

Basic exercises performed at a high pace can create a sufficient load on the heart.. For overweight people, this can even be squats performed at maximum intensity. The main thing is that the exercise is continuous throughout the entire duration of the exercise, and that the heart rate reaches the previously specified level. There are a number of classic exercises that have long been considered designed specifically for cardio.

Run

At the initial stage, this may be race walking. If a person is going to lose excess weight and train his heart by walking/running, he needs to take care of special shock-absorbing shoes.

To protect joints from excessive shock loads when running, which is inevitable in overweight people, it is worth purchasing shoes with shock-absorbing elements.

Running is the simplest exercise, as it does not require any additional training. Running is not recommended for people suffering from excessive excess weight exceeding 120 kilograms. Since the load on the joints is simply enormous, there is a high risk of them wearing out, which will lead to leg problems in the future. Shock-absorbing shoes take most of the stress off your joints and distribute it evenly throughout your body.

For beginners, it is better to limit yourself to a low speed and a long duration. With increasing fitness of the body, you can increase the intensity of running (by accelerating) and leave the time the same. This could be running at a speed of 4–6 kilometers per hour for 40–60 minutes.

Anatomy of jogging

There are simple variations that increase the load on the heart, work the muscles better, allow you to diversify the load and shock the body.

Running with your legs raised high. This variety is suitable for those who do not have extra time. The load on the entire body increases several times, which will speed up the fat burning process. It can be used as a load before the main marathon or as an independent exercise. Not recommended for people with weak ligaments and joints.
Running in a rush. This exercise is much easier than the previous one, but at the same time it can also “heat up” the heart well.
Cross-country running. The most difficult exercise. It is suitable for people living in villages or the private sector.

Race walking is a type of running that reduces stress on joints and is suitable for beginners. The recommended duration starts from 20 minutes. After walking stops warming up the heart to 120 beats per minute, you need to start running.

Stepping

This exercise came from physical education schools. There, the endurance of athletes was measured using a step test. Two minutes of stepping showed how strong the cardiovascular system is. To perform this exercise... you need a sofa, chair or bench.

The essence of the exercise is to climb a hill without using your hands. Load progression can be achieved through:

increasing the lifting height;
increasing intensity (speed);
increasing time.

This exercise is perfect for those people who have a weak cardiovascular system, as it allows you to start with very light loads and progress until running or other types of cardio exercises become available to the trainee.

As with race walking, a person should measure their heart rate and try to keep it between 100-120 beats per minute. In addition to the heart, this exercise perfectly trains the calf, gluteal and other muscles, which will help girls who want to get their legs in order.

Instead of step pads, a sofa or low bench is quite suitable

Ladder

This is a variation on the theme of the step test for advanced ones. A person climbs without using his hands, without missing a single step. If your fitness allows, you can jump over the step without slowing down. People who live on the tenth floor in a building with a non-working elevator are familiar with the benefits of this exercise. You can add a high-speed descent to the ascent of the stairs. It is a great workout for the anterior ankle and hip flexors. Within a month, quickly climbing stairs can improve your health and lose several kilograms.

Bike

There are legends about the benefits and harms of cycling. Cycling allows you to lose weight and get the strongest heart. It works all muscle groups (including the lower back), which can help people suffering from spinal problems. The minimum cycling training time should start with 30-40 minutes at a speed that allows you to maintain your heart rate between 100-120 beats per minute.

Note: When cycling, you must sometimes limit yourself to avoid serious injury. Before you start cycling, you need to give yourself a clear goal of losing weight, and not achieving maximum speed. Tour de France cyclists have the strongest hearts in the world, but constant overuse and dehydration make them more vulnerable to heart disease. Never ride a bicycle in hot weather.

Anatomy of cycling

Jump rope

Jumping rope is used by boxers and other athletes to maintain their cardiovascular system. A jump rope will not be able to provide a constant load on the heart muscle, so it is advisable to use it at the initial stage of losing weight or as a warm-up before running or cycling.

To diversify standard jumping ropes, the trainee can practice complex elements (double jumps, cross jumps, etc.). These exercises will allow you to work not only the muscles of your legs and heart, but will also perfectly train your abdominal muscles, accelerating the appearance of the coveted six-pack. Intense jumping rope trains the hands and forearms, which will prevent sagging and generally give the practitioner an aesthetic appearance.

Jumping rope, like stepping, will be an ideal option for shy people who cannot/do not want to leave their home. As with other exercises, do not overdo it in the initial stages. The first few jump rope workouts should be limited to 3-5 minutes. During these workouts, the muscles adapt to a new type of load. After a week of training, you can increase the time to 20-30 minutes a day. When the body finally adapts, it is necessary to increase the intensity. The limit, as everywhere else, is 100–120 heart beats per minute for the duration of the workout.

Elements of CrossFit: the most powerful cardio workout at home (video)

Cardio without jumping and running (video guide)

results

If you follow the above recommendations (rules) and follow simple high-protein diets, you can lose up to 10% of your own weight in a month. Long-term exercise will speed up the process of metabolism and weight loss. The result is not only weight loss, but also a beautiful, trained body, with which you are not ashamed to show off on the beach.

Contraindications

There may be the following contraindications to heart training:

Any pathologies of the cardiovascular system;

Note: in this case, cardio is not categorically contraindicated, but before carrying out any exercise, you must consult a doctor, only he will be able to determine the correct intensity and set of exercises that will strengthen the blood vessels.

Digestive system diseases:
- Stomach ulcer;
- Duodenal ulcer;
- Gastritis;
- Cyst;
- Tumor;
High/low blood pressure. For people with high blood pressure, large amounts of cardio exercise is contraindicated due to the possibility of triggering a relapse. If you have hypertension or hypotension, you should consult your doctor before starting exercise. He will be able to adjust the level of stress and prescribe maintenance medications;
People with joint problems need to limit their loads, so in most cases they are contraindicated in running, jumping rope and cardio, which increases the load on the joints. An elliptical machine designed specifically to reduce stress on the joints as well as the stress of a stationary bike may be suitable instead, but both are unlikely to be available at home.
Injuries to legs, arms, ribs, etc.
Cold.

Cardio training is a great way to lose weight, improve your health and prepare your figure for the next summer season. They allow you to get rid of many diseases associated with blood vessels. When combined with a properly designed diet, a healthy lifestyle and adequate sleep, cardio training can produce stunning results. Over the course of a year, you can reduce the amount of body fat to 6% of your body weight. Heart training is used by those who want to lose weight and professional athletes who need to quickly lose weight before competitions, which is another advantage of this type of exercise.

Cardio training is the most popular and effective way to lose weight. In one such workout you can burn about 500 calories! However, the active burning of calories and the feeling of lightness in the body after a workout have made cardio hostage to a big myth among women. We are ready to dispel it: cardio only speeds up the process of burning fat and removes excess moisture from the body, but you can truly get rid of extra pounds forever with the help of physical activity and a healthy diet. On the other hand, cardio speeds up this process, and indeed very significantly.

What are they?

All cardio training can be conditionally replaced by two types ─ long and high intensity.

The first includes a leisurely run in the morning or a walk on a treadmill combined with watching a TV series. In order to have time to tone your muscles and force your body to burn excess fat, you will have to train for at least 40 minutes. And this is the main drawback of low-intensity cardio: to feel how the centimeters gained over the winter go away, you will need at least three workouts a week. For many, this option turns out to be too monotonous.

When doing long-term cardio exercise, be sure to monitor your heart rate: it should not exceed 60-70% of your peak (to calculate your peak beats per minute, subtract your age from 220).

High-intensity workouts are much more energetic and varied. Simply put, this is any activity that involves an active change of exercises based on aerobic exercise: you can dance fiery Latin American dances, alternate sprints with high hip raises in the nearest park, or even develop your imagination by inventing new ways to jump rope.

The most effective high-intensity training is considered to be strength training based on jumping exercises: squat jumps, push-ups, etc. ─ repeat the exercise 10 times, take a break of 30 seconds, walking in place, and move on to the next cycle. This, by the way, is a great way to combine fat-burning cardio with fat-burning strength training. In addition to the fact that intensive exercises bring much more emotions, they are also attractive due to their short duration: 20 minutes of active exercise will be quite enough (the main thing at this time is not to let yourself relax and not to slow down).

There are many interesting activities that help turn physical activity into a game or an incendiary dance: from step aerobics to fashionable Zumba or twerking ─ you just have to choose what suits your temperament and level of activity.

How to exercise to lose weight?

A few simple rules.

Don't be afraid to start from scratch. The body will need time to get used to the new training regime, so if for now you can only walk measuredly in place or take basic steps from the steppe ─ well, this is already a result. Increase the load as soon as you feel ready to move on.

Increase the pace as you go, and then gradually reduce it after peak load. to prepare the body to return to a state of rest. If you alternate high-intensity exercises, move from simple to complex and back again.

Exercise at least three times a week. For intensive weight loss, you can do this every day. Just don't get carried away! It is recommended to continue in this mode for no more than 2-3 weeks.

It is better not to eat for an hour before and after cardio, otherwise the body will burn fat from the food you just consumed. In addition, after physical activity, a huge amount of free fats appears in the blood, which are completely destroyed by metabolic processes. By snacking, you force them back into fat tissue.

When is the best time to practice?

Before breakfast. Numerous studies have proven that vigorous exercise before your first meal burns more calories than exercise done later in the day. During this period, metabolism is more intense under the influence of activating hormones - glucocorticoids and catecholamines. So identical efforts in the morning will require 20% more energy. But not everyone can decide to do physical activity when the stomach is begging for mercy and a portion of carbohydrates.

Before strength training. The undoubted advantage of this option is the opportunity to warm up properly before the load in order to reduce the risk of injury. This approach is ideal for severely overweight people or fitness newbies: moderate running before weight training or strength training won't hurt. More experienced athletes run the risk of switching to high-intensity cardio, during which the heart rate increases too much, which, in turn, leads to shortness of breath and lack of energy during the main workout. So if you are already a confident athlete, doing cardio before strength training is not recommended.

After strength training. The most popular time for aerobic exercise, and not least because it allows you to save time and go to the fitness club once instead of twice ─ after strength training, you still have enough stamina to devote time to intensive weight loss. The main goal of training at this particular time is to “wash” the toxins accumulated during strength training from the muscles.