To find the right amount and method of cardio training seems to be a confusing project for most of us. But the benefits to our cardiovascular system and overall fitness are crystal clear! So the question is not if you should do cardio but how to do it the right way? There are so many options out there to do cardio. Elite Runners claim their training is the best, but the same goes for swimmers, cyclists, Crossfitters, Triathletes, and Nordic Skiers!?
If you find yourself confused about all the possibilities then take your heart, read this article and find the best cardio option for your needs.
I asked some experts about the optimal training dose and methods.
- Which Cardio activity is the best?
- How much cardio is necessary?
- How hard do you have to push yourself?
- Are Intervals really necessary for our body?
Let’s get into this…!
You should pick an activity you enjoy
Most of us follow rigorous training routines from elite Coaches or athletes because we think if this training helps win a gold medal it will also help me lose weight or make me fitter. But the problem is that we do a training routine that often does not fit our mood or we do not really enjoy it! And this is also the reason why we more often quit what we started.
A 2012 Study showed very clearly that people who experienced positive effects during their training are more active than others. This means if you love what you do you are more active and as a result become more fitter.
So it’s not about the best methods or modalities. It is about consistency. So pick wisely when it comes to your cardio training. Chose an activity you like and you can imagine doing regularly.
Walking and hiking are the easiest and safest things to do. But swimming, cycling and any kind of bodyweight cardio training like fitness courses are good too.
Go for 150min per week
Research of the Majo Clinic shows that poor cardio fitness is a predictor for the risk of dying early.
U.S. and Canadian guidelines recommend that adults should do 150min of medium to vigorous activity per week. Numerous studies found out that this amount of activity can significantly improve your overall cardio fitness. This amount of activity can cut the risk of cardio-related diseases by 10-20%.
Add up minutes as you can
To improve health measures like blood pressure, insulin response, and regulate blood sugar and heart health even 10min of walking is better than nothing.
Try to add up your daily minutes of cardio. Once you get 30-40min moderate to vigorous cardio-training most days of the week you get 80% of the benefits for reducing heart rate diseases.
Mix it up with intervals
One of the best ways to get more out of your training is to do intervals. This means short bursts out of your comfort zone followed by active rest periods. Here is the good news. It doesn’t have to be sprints. It simply can be any cardio activity that pushes your comfort zone.
A study from McMaster University showed that even 1min of vigorous training can increase fitness.
In the study, one group of people rode 45min at a moderate pace three times per week. The other group did an interval protocol of 2min warming up followed by three cycles of 20s sprints and 2min moderate paddling on a stationary bike.
After 12 weeks both groups increased their exercise capacity (they got fitter) by 19%. But with the difference of three times 10min vs three times 45min of training.
So mixing moderate cardio training with interval training is a great idea to get all the benefits for your fitness. you can do moderate cardio 30-40min a day and mix it up with intervals 2-3 times per week.
Boost it this with EMS
Regular cardio training only promotes better cardio capacity and slow muscle fibers. But if you walk and wearing an EMS suit both muscle fibers are working because of the electric stimulations. This is the secret of how to cut training times in half! As mentioned above moderate cardio training should be done every day for 30-40min. Wearing the EMS suit you only need 15-20min! Sound good?
The same with intervals: Walking faster in combination with a suit is almost the same as vigorous interval because more muscle mass must work harder with the muscle stimulation.
What does it all means?
Well, first find an activity that you really like because it will help you be more consistent. Secondly, mix moderate cardio with intervals to get all the cardio benefits for yourself. Do something every day and mix the intensities from moderate to vigorous.
Last but not least if you want to boost all the effects and cut the training times use a visionbody EMS device. They are easy to use and pretty simple to combine with any exercise you can imagine and will make your workout routines more effective and fun.
“You have to try it to feel the difference! I train for Ultra-Marathons myself and use our EMS device 2-3 times per week for training and 3-4 times for recovery and stretching. No more pain, quicker recovery times and no more heavy lifting for my joints when i do strength training.”
