Cardio Training
By most standards, cardio vascular training is defined as:
Cardiovascular training, also known as aerobic training, is exercise that increases your muscular endurance by improving the performance of your lungs and heart so they can distribute oxygen to the muscles more efficiently.
However, I define cardiovascular training in much more simpler terms with a greater meaning and significance: the activity increases your HDL levels, cuts cholesteral levels, burns fat; the motion is a steady, slow or fast activity performed intervally or manually in an effort to increase heart rates to burn fat. That’s how I define it and place it in simple terms so that the mainstream can comprehend how this activity can impact their body and mind. Thus, get motivated to perform the activity.
Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Cardio?
Too much cardio can actually negatively impact the body by lowering testosterone levels and causing weakness; other problems can stem from joints, knees, and/or hips. We’ll elaborate on long term side effects later.
We recommend keeping your cardio to no more than 45 minutes per day because doing more than an hour, is detrimental as the constant friction can impact the knees, joints, and hips.
If you’re a beginner, it’s best to keep cardio levels to about 20-30 minutes per day for 3—5 days a week for about 3-6 months; as your mind and body become more accustomed to the workout, gradually increase the amount of time by about 5- 10 minute increments per week until you’ve reached the max of 45 minutes per day and 5-6 per week.
Cardio is the most important “routine” of the 3 key factors of human survival because it aids in fat loss, lowers cholesterol, and provides a sense of accomplishment.
Cardio at any time is great for the body because it aids in burning calories, and provides other great benefits, but the absolute best time to perform cardio is in the morning or as soon as you wake up on an empty stomach.
Most of us engage in cardio workouts during the after-noon or evening hours; the issue is our metabolism is at it’s lowest peak then and may not be able to burn as much as if you were in the earlier part of the day when you’re most active.
Another concern is consumption taking place after the late-day workouts; thus weakening the effect of the workout coupled with going to sleep after consumption resulting in fat gain, and/or possibly the inability to fall asleep.
A morning cardio workout on an empty stomach does these wonders for the body: High Energy, accelerated fat loss throughout the day, mental clarity, feeling upbeat, etc.
Cardio Equipment: Why Manual is Best for Results
If you want to gain the most out of cardio, one must engage the manual program/workout; Manual has proven to be the most effective method of burning fat because of consistency. Random, hill, intervals, etc., involve the lack of oxygen or is anaerobic which is the lack of oxygen. The lack of oxygen means you’re not burning calories or not as much; I have experimented with several different programs and although interval training may seem to provide the most intense experience it does not yield the best results over long term do to aerobic and anaerobic involvement-we should always be aerobic. There is also a deep impact to the knees, hips, and joints, especially after prolonged periods of times.
Another issue with non-manual workouts is it’s impact on knees, hips, and joints. The constant change negatively affects those vital areas. So you’ll want to limit those actions.
Cardio Equipment: Low to High-Impact Units
Low Impact: the lowest impact training is anything equal to recumbent bike-style training where your entire body is supported and only your arms and legs are in motion.
Medium Impact: Medium impact are those units in an upright bike or elliptical position. The body is adjusting to all sorts of movements, but impact is still not possible because of the circular position.
High Impact: involves running, pounding, or jogging motions even if the upper body is in motion (arms). The motion by which the feet leave and land on the ground or surface is considered high impact.
The goal as you workout on any of the cardio machines is to minimize as much as possible the pressure caused by cardio on the knees, joints, and hips.
Plan A (Beginner)
For those of you beginning a cardio session on any machine, begin your experience by selecting manual, and the time frame should be no more than 30 minutes; in fact, ideally stick with 20 minutes for 3 days per week. Try and conduct the sessions in the early morning or as soon as you wake up prior consuming anything. Stick with this plan for a period of about 3-6 months. Once you have completed the session, for example 90-180 days or so, you can experiment with other programs such as hill, random, and other interval training sessions, but if you can stick with manual mode, that is the best form of cardiovascular fitness since you’re constantly burning or aerobic.
Plan B (Intermediate)
Now that you have completed an apprentice session, you can now concentrate on a more stable program as an intermediate. You’re confidence level should be high knowing what program best suites you (manual, random, hill, interval, etc.). Your session should range from 30-45 minutes while still emphasizing on 3-5 days training; a 20 minute per day session at 5 days a week is also ideal especially for long term for those on a really tight schedule. We still recommend mornings and especially the manual program.
Plan C (Advanced)
For those of you who wish to become athletes, train for competitions, or enjoy the extra high-intensity cardiovascular training offers, you’ve come to the right sector! We also would like to caution that long term, and long session cardio sessions can negatively impact the knees, hips, and joints; so while in this phase, please take breaks and try to use advanced training for merely preparatory basis. Use a shorter time table preferably on the 45 minute range and six times a week as a norm. Sessions here range from 45-60 minutes and 6 times a week; I would highly not recommend seven days a week as your new and steady approach to cardio vascular wellness; the mind and body simply needs to recharge or rest up; recovery is a vital factor in accomplishing your cardio goals. Also, excessive training may cause ailments and/or side effects. The side effects out way any benefits gain from the maintenance of prolonged training. Side effects include arthritis, hip, knee or joint pain. Every individual is different so please adhere to any sharp pain or moderate discomfort during these sessions.
Side effects of long sessions of cardiovascular training
Cardiovascular training is great for the body and mind, but too much of it can actually have a negative effect, especially if you’re surpassing sessions of beyond an hour and more than 5 times a week; for a period of almost four decades, I’ve witnessed not just clients having issues due to long term cardio sessions, but I too can relate to the problem; the irony of the situation is that I have not seen any concrete research on the subject; so as an expert in the wellness business, I can tell you that the side effect does exist, and you can risk injury, the pain goes away over time, but you must listen to your body and terminate sessions if pain continues. Take a day or two off or cut back on your sessions until your body is not feeling the pain; the issue can also be the type of cardio unit you’re utilizing such as a rower, cycle bike, ellitpical or treadmill. Sometimes slowing down or ease up on the resistance aids in alleviating the pressure or pain. If the issue persists over time, for example, 3 months, please see a doctor. I am not a specialist in the field when persistent pain is present, and I suspect that these painful events can be tricky to detect. So careful monitoring is critical, but don’t simply cease the workout for long term as returning where you last took off would be quite difficult. Instead, start the session about half way less than when you left off, and gradually increase either the speed or resistance levels.