Personal Training

Cardio: There IS a Time and Place and My favorites!

Posted on by Naomi

Cardio. What comes to mind when you hear this word. Me? I think  of one word-boring.  The fitness industry goes through phases just like with any trend. Cardio is good, cardio is bad, steady state burns fat, stay away from steady state. Its no reason that people get confused when they hear so many different things!  There are some fitness professionals who have a pretty negative stigma toward cardio because they will see every male and female walk into the gym and head straight to the elliptical, StairMaster, treadmill or what have you. The typical gym go-ers have the assumption that using these machines is the end all and be all of losing weight-so these same trainers and coaches try to emphasize the importance of strength training for accelerating weight and fat loss. 


The bottom line when it comes to cardio, whether you are a cardio queen or absolutely hate the thought of it, cardio does have its place in any fat or weight loss program. When and what you choose to do for your cardio can be tailored to your goals, enjoyment and time constraints. A good, well rounded exercise program will include some cardio, and I have to say that as much as I LOVE lifting weights, I love a great sweat filled cardio session at least 1-2x a week!

Cardio gets its bad reputation from what I mentioned earlier being that people rely on it as their main source of fat loss. If you are trying to lose fat, gain lean muscle, change your body composition and overall get lean, too much cardio will hinder these goals so it is important not to over do it.  Consequently, too much cardio can be extremely detrimental. Women especially need to be careful because too much steady state cardio can cause hypothyroid condition that can mess around with fat regulating hormones. The body is smart, and will adapt to any stresses that you place on it. The more cardio you do, the more you will have to do to maintain your physique. The body will be put in the ‘fight or flight mode’ of survival and actually hold onto fat, slowing metabolism in order to conserve energy. Think of cardio like drinking caffeine or alcohol. The more often you have it, the less it will affect you. The less often you have it the more dramatic effect it will have.

I do not ‘hate’ cardio so I am not shunning it at all. I think there is a time and place for it just like anything else! I do believe that more people have to do a better job in seeking out moderation when it comes to cardio. Try not ‘relying’ on it as your only source of exercise and go out there and explore other forms of exercise!

The main thing I go by when it comes to cardio is that it better be FUN. I have to be enjoying myself while doing it or else I will just not last. The idea of sitting on an elliptical for 30 minutes makes me want to pull my hair out-so its simple, I don’t do it. I wanted to share with you some of my favorite forms of cardio that I incorporate weekly. They are fun, fast, enjoyable and get those endorphins moving! 

SPRINTS
By far my favorite form of cardio. Sprints are fast, effective, empowering and can be done anywhere! Find a hill, find an open space, grab a treadmill and you can make it happen! If you are truly sprinting, the sprint intervals should not last more than 1 minute at the most. Sprinting is arguably one of the best way to firm your legs and butt without incorporating resistance training.  And no, it will not make your legs bulky.  Yes, squats, lunges, dead lifts and leg presses are also amazing ways to train your legs and a leg routine should be a part of everybody’s training regimen BUT sprinting is the best alternative to these leg exercises—especially if you are traveling or are somewhere where there is no equipment. 

Sprint workouts can be done FAST and are extremely taxing on the body so I wouldn’t recommend performing sprints on back to back days. In addition to helping your body bust through a plateau, sprints are FUN and extremely versatile. The number of ways to perform sprints are endless! You can perform sprints for time, distance or even calorie burn. 

Some of my favorites:

  • 10 sprints: 10% incline, 30 seconds on,/30 seconds rest
  • TABATA sprints: 15% incline, 20 seconds on/10 seconds rest…complete 8 rounds for a total of 4 minutes (complete 4 tabatas at 4 different inclines) for a total of 16 minute sprint workout.
  • Incline Sprints:
    • 15%-30 seconds on/30 seconds rest
    • 14%-30 seconds on/30 seconds rest
    • 13%-30 seconds on/30 seconds rest
    • 12%-30 seconds on/30 seconds rest
    • 11%-30 seconds on/30 seconds rest
    • 10%-30 seconds on/30 seconds rest
    • **REPEAT 3x through
  • Build up sprints:
    •  20 second sprint/40 second rest
    • 30 second sprint/60 second rest
    • 40 second sprint/1:20 minute rest
    • 60 second sprint/ 1:30 minute rest
    • ***REPEAT 3x through at 3 different inclines such as incline 2%,3%,4%
  • Pyramid sprints
    • 30 second sprint/20 second rest
    • 40 second sprint/30 second rest
    • 60 second sprint/40 second rest
    • 30 second sprint/20 second rest
    • 40 second sprint/30 second rest
    • 60 second sprint/40 second rest
    • ***Repeat 3x through at 3 different inclines such as incline 5%,6%,7%
Some more of my favorites!

Treadmill Torture workout
Halloween BOOty workout!
25 minute killah intervals
Fun SPRINT routine!
“Try and beat me” treadmill routine

Quick and Dirty
Ah the quick and dirty workouts. These workouts I LOVE. They are a combination of total body cardio, some strength training and body weight work. I love racing against the clock when completing quick and dirty workouts. It makes the competition against myself that much harder and more challenging!
Total Timed transformation workout
Valentines day leg scorcher workout
Lean legs and attack the abs workout
The 480 Workout
Burpee Challenge
Do anywhere workouts

Check out the exercise/workout section for a whole library full of more workouts and here are two more to try!


Kettlebell Swings
KB swinging is a complete and utter full body challenge. Before you hop over, grab a bell and begin swinging away, I URGE you to learn proper form first. PLEASE. It took me weeks and weeks to learn how to swing a kettlebell the proper way and to this day, I work on form with every swing I take. Swings are not a walk in the park to learn, however once you nail them down, you will feel a complete, metabolic full body experience like none other.  If you come away with anything after reading this post, it is to understand and learn to use KB properly, with a certified professional. I took KB training classes and worked one on one with some amazing trainers in my company to ensure I was learning proper movement patterns. Because KB exercise form is so dynamic, I felt muscles in my body that you would think would not be activated at first, but oh no. You will feel EVERY SINGLE MUSCLE.. Kettlebell workouts are definitely a muscle wakeup call.
  • 10 swings, 10 sit ups, 10 burpees, 10 squats: 10 times through
  • 10 minute kettlebell challenge:
    • 10 swings on the minute for 10 minutes
BURPEE/KETTLEBELL CHALLENGE

10 swings
1 burpee
10 swings
2 burpees
10 swings
3 burpees
10 swings
4 burpees
10 swings
5  burpees
10 swings
6 burpees
10 swings
7 burpees
10 swings
8 burpees
10 swings
9 burpees
10 swings
10 burpees
10 swings
11 burpees
10 swings
12 burpees
10 swings
12 burpees
10 swings
13 burpees
10 swings
14 burpees
10 swings
15 burpees



Incline Walking
I rarely do a whole workout of ‘steady state cardio’ mainly because its boring and I am all about forms of exercise that I enjoy the most. Walking on an incline is one form of cardio that I actually do not hate. Some things to take note of when performing incline walks, never hold onto the handrails (this completely defeats the purpose of the workout!) Set the speed at something do-able for YOUR ability! I would rather you keep the incline steep and speed low than the other way around. Incline walking is challenging, hits the glutes, hamstrings and core!
Intermediate incline walk routine

Time
Speed
Incline
0-3
3.5-4.0
3% (Warm up)
3-5
3.5-4.0
10%
5-7
3.8-4.0
4%
7-9
3.5-3.8
10%
9-11
3.8-4.0
5%
11-13
3.5-3.8
10%
13-15
3.5-4.0
6%
15-17
3.5-3.8
11%
17-19
3.5-3.8
7%
19-21
3.5-3.8
12%
21-25
3.0-3.5%
13%
25-27
3.5-3.8
5%
27-30
3.8
0% (cool down)


Walk it Up Routine

  • Set the treadmill at 3.5-3.8 the whole time. Start on an incline of 0% and every 2 minutes increase the incline 1%. Keep doing this until you hit 15% and cool down.

Tabata Incline walking

  • 15% incline: 20 seconds on/10 seconds off-4 minutes total
  • 14% incline: 20 seconds on/10 seconds off-4 minutes total
  • 13% incline: 20 seconds on/10 seconds off-4 minutes total
  • 12% incline: 20 seconds on/10 seconds off-4 minutes total
  • 11% incline: 20 seconds on/10 seconds off-4 minutes total
  • 10% incline: 20 seconds on/10 seconds 0ff-4 minutes total

Take a class:Check out your local gym, find a friend and go try out a new class! Personally I love spin and some Zumba classes! (they have to have an incredible instructor with high energy and the dance more can’t be too complicated or I get lost!!) Classes are a great way to have that 45 minutes or 60 minutes of cardio fly by and will force you to get out of your comfort zone. I love working out with others and find that it picks up my motivation on those days I just am not ‘feeling in’ even as a personal trainer, I love being told what to do once in a while! 

The Stepmill
Love it or hate it. This thing is KING when it comes to cardio! I absolutely know when I step foot on the stepmill, I will be drenched, worked and pooped! This thing doesn’t look so bad at first, but after about 5 minutes, you will really start realizing why thing machine ROCKS. The step mill requires balance and strength. Calves, hamstrings and glutes are all trained by this continuous repetition which in turn helps to build lean muscle and burn fat. Core muscles are engaged by keeping your balance, which is more challenging on the Step mill than other similar equipment.

WHAT IS YOUR CARDIO OF CHOICE?


Oh and here are 22 things you should be doing all of the time!

Naomi
Naomi