Which Is The Best Cardio Workout?
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Looking for the Best Cardio Workout?
I make it simple for you. It all boils down to what's your goal and what you like!
My best cardio workout, I reckon, is walking .
That's because I like it and it's my favorite cardio exercise!!!
Well, what's yours?
Jogging?
Running?
Jumping rope?
Swimming?
Cycling?
Aerobic dance exercise?
The list could run on and on......
The truth is - there's no "best" cardio workout, so to speak. Anything that gets your heart rate up fits the bill.
And it all ties in with your goal and what you want, from doing the cardio.
Let's look at your goals in cardio:
- To be fit in your cardiovascular system, especially for your heart
- To lose weight
- To develop muscle
If I guess right, you're more into the goals to lose weight and to be fit in your cardiovascular system, right?
The other goal - to develop muscle, you can achieve it through strength training .
After establishing your goals, the next thing to do is to choose the "best" cardio workout you like to do.
I like to walk, so naturally I opt for walking.
Then, I have a backup cardio as well. When outside weather doesn't permit me to walk, I'll do treadmill walking or just slot in my aerobic dance exercise CD, dance and jump for 30 minutes. I get to sweat as much as in walking!
The backup also serves to make my cardio program more varied - I can alternate walking outside with walking on treadmill or aerobic dance exercise. The thing is, the backup must also be an activity you like to do too.
S-o-o-o-o,
If you like running, so run.
If you like jogging, so jog.
If you like swimming, so swim.
If you like .....
The point is, it must be an activity that's fun and interesting and you LIKE to do it.
No point you engage in a "glamorous", "sounds grand" sort of activity like kickboxing or horse riding or rowing or climbing rocks if you've no interest in it. You'll not sustain long doing it. And you'll dread doing it.
No interest means no motivation, no motivation - no workout!
So go down to the simple basic - choose one activity you like, back it up with another one or two, for variation, then you're fine.
Best for you to do your best cardio workout 3-4 times a week for 20 - 30 minutes per session, working at 60 - 80% of your maximum heart rate . This frequency, duration and intensity routine will reasonably enhance your endurance level.
Any one of your best cardio workouts will burn fat.
You just need to be consistent in your workout, 3-4 times per week for 20-30 minutes per session and eat a sensible weight loss nutritious diet and you'll shed the pounds.
Don't give up when you don't see results in a month or two, but really a month or two isn't long enough yet to see significant results.
Give yourself time and NO shortcuts. Period.
Consistently do the cardios and adhere to your healthy diet. You'll see results.
And you may shed the pounds fast and others slow - simple, due to different body types .
Well, I wouldn't say there's a best among the best cardio workouts.....
There're many different forms of cardios, all of them produce different results.
My take is - any cardio is a good cardio.
And I still come back to the point I've been pounding on since we start this topic - your best cardio workout is the one you like doing!
How can a cardio be the "best" one when you're not mentally in it at all?
Truly, if you want an honest answer as to which cardio is the best "best" cardio workout, then I would take doing low intensity cardio and high intensity cardio as the best cardios. But again it falls back to what's your goal in doing cardio.
If you're bent on losing weight, then low intensity cardio (like walking, slow swimming) and high intensity cardio (like running) will both help you burn off body fat. However, your main interest is - which is more effective and burn more body fat?
Compare this:
When you do high intensity cardios, your body burns glycogen (a form of stored carbohydrates in your liver and muscles for energy).
When you do low intensity cardios, your body burns body fat. (Well, don't quickly change to low intensity cardio! I haven't finished the fact yet....)
True, your body burns more body fat during a low intensity cardio BUT during a high intensity cardio, your body burns a lot more calories . Even if some of the calories burnt are from glycogen, you still burn many more fat calories!
Better still, when your store of glycogen is low, the carbohydrates (carbs) from the meal you eat later will be converted into glycogen to fill up the store and will not be converted to body fat when left unused for energy.
And you sure like this......
High intensity cardio cranks up your metabolism even after you finish your workout. This means that you body will continue to burn body fat hours after you've finished exercising. You'll not enjoy this effect in low intensity cardio.
The jewel is that your body burns up many more fat calories during and after high intensity cardios than low intensity ones.
Right, you want to have the best of both worlds? I recommend what my trainer trains me to do.
Here's how:
Inject high intensity cardio to your cardio workout by introducing some interval training, meaning you walk briskly for 5 minutes, then break into a jog for another 5 minutes.
Then walk briskly again until you catch your breath and then sprint for a minute before walking again for another minute.
From this point, alternate between a sprint and a walk, a minute each and do this for the next 15 minutes and you're done.
You do this for 5 days per week and before long, you'll be steadily losing excess body fat!
And of course a healthy weight loss diet speed up your results even faster!
Now, would you miss doing your best cardio workout?
I bet not.
This healthy workout can be easily fit into your busy schedule and get done.
So cardio your way to fitness and also lose weight in the process!
What's more satisfying than this, huh?
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