Cardio workout to burn fat in the gym

How to plan a workout? What program do you use at the gym? These questions arise for every girl who has embarked on the path of burning fat and losing weight. Since this topic is so popular, let's delve into the essence of this process.

In order to lose weight as quickly and efficiently as possible, the best option would be to combine proper nutrition and training in the gym. With this combination, extra pounds will leave you more reliably than if you give preference to diet alone.

What are the benefits of cardio?

Cardio training in the gym or at home is the best way to improve your health and prolong your youth. The term “cardio” indicates “pumping” of the cardiovascular system, because the main task of the athlete is to move in the desired heart rate range.

The advantages of this type of activity:

• improves oxygen saturation of cells;
• strengthens the cardiovascular system;
• excellent prevention of a number of diseases, including hypertension;
• increases overall endurance;
• normalizes the functioning of the respiratory system;
• effectively burns calories, helping you lose weight faster.

In most cases, cardio training is considered as a way to combat excess weight. However, few people know that this type of activity is approved by cardiologists as a means of preventing a number of heart and vascular diseases.

Another big benefit of cardio is the variety of options. There are many exercise machines that provide effective work within a given heart rate range, so everyone can choose an activity to their liking. Aerobic training can be done even outdoors by running or brisk walking.

Progress

By completing this basic 30-minute workout, you will meet the minimum daily physical activity recommendations for health and fitness. But you don’t have to stop there! If you enjoy the activity and have some free time, extend it for another round. Start by repeating the program on only one machine. An extra 10 minutes will burn more calories. After a month at this level, add another set with all three machines.

Types and calculation of pulse

Cardio or aerobic training is a type of physical activity that constantly maintains an elevated heart rate. Based on heart rate, there are three types of activities:

• low-intensity – the heart rate is constantly within 55-65% of the athlete’s maximum;
• medium-intensity – heart rate is maintained at 60-75% of maximum;
• high-intensity - the heart rate is maintained within 75-85% of its own maximum.

Low-intensity cardio at the gym is great for obese people who have never exercised before and are planning to lose weight. This type of activity helps you gradually get used to the loads, and can also be considered as part of the warm-up before strength training.

Moderate intensity exercises can be considered as general strengthening, or as a way to combat excess weight.

During high-intensity exercise, the fat burning process is best stimulated, but few people can exercise for a long time and effectively at this pace, which is why it is not suitable for beginners. An excellent result is achieved by alternating loads during one session.

Heart rate during exercise is the most important criterion for assessing cardio training. It is very simple to calculate your maximum allowable heart rate - subtract your own age from 220. During exercise, the pulse should not rise above this mark.

For example, a person is 30 years old, which means that his maximum allowable heart rate during aerobic movements should not exceed 190. You cannot exercise with such a heart rate for a long time, it is dangerous to health. Low-intensity load in this case will be at a pulse value of 105-125, medium-intensity - 115-140, high-intensity - 145-160 beats per minute.

Disadvantages of Cardio

For more than half a century, cardio has been considered the best way to increase endurance and improve cardiovascular function. There is also an established opinion that aerobic exercise is the most effective for fat burning. In many ways, this belief was facilitated by the total passion for aerobics, shaping and step aerobics in the last three decades. However, this type of activity has many disadvantages.

1. Strength training burns more calories. Any type of exercise generates calorie expenditure, and aerobic exercise is no exception. However, when working in an aerobic mode, the body's energy consumption increases only for the duration of the exercise, while during strength training this effect is prolonged and lasts several hours. For rapid weight loss, strength training is more effective.
2. The main side effect of aerobic exercise is an increase in appetite immediately after exercise. This plays a huge role for those who want to lose excess weight. Aerobic exercise greatly exhausts the body. To “accelerate” your metabolism, you need to exercise for at least 20 minutes, because the fat burning process does not begin immediately. After such activity, the body tries to replenish energy losses, so appetite increases noticeably.
3. Excessive increase in aerobic exercise negatively affects active muscle mass. Due to a lack of energy during training, the body does not “give up” fat, which in the future can be used to replenish energy losses, so the muscles suffer. To minimize this effect, it is necessary to approach the issue of proper nutrition very carefully.

Professional athletes consider cardio primarily as a way to increase endurance. Aerobic exercise is really beneficial, but only with the right approach.

How does fat burning occur?

No calculator on the Internet will tell you your body fat percentage. These will be approximate numbers, so you can compare yourself to this photo.

To make the whole process of losing weight more clear, you need to know how our body utilizes unnecessary fat reserves. This is necessary at least to ensure that you do not choose the wrong method, which will burn muscle tissue along with fat.

Firstly, an interesting fact is that the number of fat cells is genetically determined, and while losing weight you only reduce their volume, which, of course, is also good.

The problem of excess fat can be radically solved only through surgery - liposuction, during which the surgeon cuts off the fatty tissue. But this is not our way!

Weight loss occurs when the body experiences a deficiency of carbohydrates (read more about the keto diet), and as a result, energy. In this case, having lost the main source of energy, he strives to get energy from fats.

In other words, it would be a good idea to create a calorie deficit, and especially to exclude sweets.

You can also create a lack of energy through physical training. This will be discussed further.

During physical activity, both strength and aerobic, oxygen consumption increases, the body is saturated with this gas, and fat cells, oxidizing, are destroyed.

It has also been proven that the best fat burning effect is achieved by combining strength training with cardio exercise (both after and before strength training).

Fitness equipment and exercises

One of the advantages of cardio is a large selection of exercise equipment and group programs. The advantage of training on simulators is that the person himself chooses the duration and intensity of the workout. But group programs, such as tai-bo, step interval or cycle aerobics, are not suitable for beginners. They are built on the principle of high-intensity aerobic exercise and last on average 45-55 minutes. True, group programs have their advantages, for example, working with a trainer and in a team, which additionally motivates a person who wants to lose weight.

There are many cardio machines, they all have their own characteristics.

Treadmill

It is the most convenient exercise machine for combating excess weight. The treadmill is multifunctional, allowing you to change the speed of movement while simultaneously tracking changes in heart rate. Any mode is suitable for burning calories.

1. Walking is recommended for beginners, as well as people with a lot of excess weight and problems with the cardiovascular or respiratory system. Intensive walking at a speed of 6-7 will help burn about 350 kilocalories per hour.
2. Climbing uphill is the same as walking, but the track surface is installed at an upward angle. This method helps burn about 400-450 kcal per hour, depending on the speed and angle of the belt, and is excellent for increasing endurance. Interestingly, this type of walking is considered healthier than running.
3. Running on a treadmill is a classic way to use it. The downside of running is a large impact load on the spine, which can cause problems with the lumbar region in unprepared people. For the same reason, running is not recommended if you have a lot of excess weight. An hour of such activity burns about 600 kcal. In this case, the speed of movement does not play a special role, the main thing is that the pulse is within 80% of the maximum.
4. Alternating running and walking is the most effective way to burn fat on a treadmill. You should set the interval training mode, thanks to which every 2 minutes the speed of the belt will change from slower to faster.

The disadvantages of a treadmill are the strong impact load on the spine and knees. If you have problems with your back and knee joints, you should choose walking or another cardio exercise machine.

Elliptical trainer (orbitrack)

The safest exercise machine for joints and spine. Classes on it imitate skiing; both legs and arms work while moving. The ellipsoid is great for overweight people. You can adjust the amplitude of movement of the “skis” and increase the resistance of the pedals, then the hips and buttocks are more loaded. Orbitrek handles are usually equipped with a heart rate monitor, so it’s convenient to track your heart rate on the screen. It also has several built-in programs, including interval movement with varying degrees of load. An hour of movement burns about 550-600 kcal.

Exercise bike

An exercise bike is another convenient piece of equipment in the cardio area of ​​the gym. Working on it is not dangerous for the spine, but the knee joints are noticeably loaded. In terms of effectiveness, such exercises are slightly inferior to running, since about 500 kcal are burned in an hour.

Exercises

You can provide aerobic exercise with some exercises. In general, doing exercises that significantly increase your heart rate is considered the most effective type of cardio training. You can perform them both at home and in the gym. Examples of such exercises:

• jumping jack;
• back lunges with jump;
• dynamic bar;
• pulling the knees up.

Based on these exercises, you can build a full workout. Each movement should be performed for 30-60 seconds, then take a break for half a minute and move on to the next exercise. So perform all 4 movements, rest, and then do a few more circles. Doing exercises before strength training will help significantly increase its effectiveness.

Jumping rope

The most accessible and effective cardio is jumping rope. Just 15 minutes of non-stop jumping burns about 200 calories. You can experiment with the speed of rotation of the rope, jump forward and jump backward - all this will diversify the training process, complicate it and increase calorie consumption. Jumping will also be an excellent warm-up before strength training, but is contraindicated for diseases of the musculoskeletal system, hypertension and obesity.

Fat Burning Workout

Women's training involves performing exercises aimed at developing all muscle groups of the body. That is, lovely ladies will perform exercises both for the gluteal muscles and abs, and for the back and legs. To make your silhouette more harmonious, don’t be afraid to train your arms or latissimus muscles.

Training for girls can be both strength training (that is, done with weights in the gym) and aerobic (fitness, stretching, shaping, step aerobics, cardio exercises).

High Intensity Interval Cardio Training Program

The following program will allow you to spend about 300 kcal in just 20 minutes of active work. The idea is to alternate the load. The program easily adapts to an exercise bike, treadmill or orbit track. The structure is as follows:

• 5 minutes – warm-up;
• 1 minute – moderate intensity load;
• 1 minute – high-intensity load;
• 5 minutes – cool down.

Duration – from 20 minutes or more, depending on physical fitness. Accordingly, alternation occurs 5 times or more.

Another option is 2 minutes of work at 70-80% of the maximum heart rate, then 30 seconds of work at 90%, and so on for several circles.

The advantage of this approach is that calorie expenditure increases not only during movement, but also for 12 hours after exercise, which allows you to effectively lose weight.

With the right approach, cardio will provide excellent conditions for fat burning. To achieve the best results, it is recommended to alternate it with strength training.

Treadmill