{it's my fit life}: CARDIO WARS

Stair-Stepper | Treadmill | Elliptical | HIIT...(my personal fav)

So many have asked, which is most effective? What burns the most calories? If I only have 20 minutes, which should I do? What is your favorite cardio session? Is one better than the other?...I'll eventually tackle all of these, but let's start with the basics!

Cardio...some people think it should be a 4 letter word, others (like me) love it! I was a natural runner, so cardio has never been a problem. That doesn't mean I don't like to choose the most effective options for my efforts. I take pride in doing things, on purpose...and cardio is no exception. My purpose...to get in better shape, maintain my fitness level, improve my cardiovascular fitness, beat a personal best or to absolutely clear my mind!

Now, let's breakdown each of the four cardio options we have above and discuss what they do best. In a later blog, we'll add bikes, hikes, tracks and more!

Stair-Stepper

The Stair-Stepper/Climber is very effective for helping you lose weight- in fact, you will burn the most calories with this option. Many Stair-Steppers default to 20 minutes, because that's all you really need- read more in the HIIT section. My personal experience is to keep a medium pace going for about 2 minutes to warm up (my medium pace is a 9 speed). Then I up it in intervals for 30-60 seconds (my max is 20 speed) then come back down to a 7-9 to recover. The SS is a great way to get your cardio in, quick, but feel the burn. Not only do you get a cardiovascular workout, but you also get shaping of your quads, hams and calves...oh and we can't forget glutes! By design it will help increase muscle strength in these muscles, which in turn will help you shed fat more quickly. So, for you ladies who love to watch the scale, keep in mind that your muscle gains may counter-act your fat loss, making the scale not move as quickly. This is because increasing the size of these muscles adds weight to your body, but NO worries. It's not about the numbers on the scale, it's how you look...and I promise that a tight fit lower half...is exactly what you are looking for! For those of you with bad knees or hips, you may want to choose a less impact option below.

Treadmill

When you can't get outside to run or you need something a little more gentle on the joints, the treadmill is a great option. I love the treadmill because I can incorporate interval training and hills, without going somewhere that has the ideal layout. Treadmills tone and increases muscle endurance and unlike the SS, does not add a lot of muscle mass to your lower body. The one tip that I give everyone, don't get on the treadmill for 30 minutes and move at one speed and no incline. Mix it up!! Give your heart a run for it's money, shock your muscles by doing an incline or intervals. The great thing about a lot of treadmills, they have "options" built in that will allow you to choose different workout programs. If I used a canned program, I choose interval. The Body For Life program, by Bill Phillips, has a great interval program called HIIT...which, again, you can read more about below. If you read more via the link I provide, you will understand why this is so effective. Everyone likes to ask what my favorite treadmill workout is, so here you go.

Miranda's 400 Treadmill Fun!
Time 20 Minutes, No incline for the first few times...then as you get stronger, increase it!
Depending on how quick you run, will depend on how many 400's (.25 mi) you run

Walk for 2 min @ level 4
Run for .25 miles @ a speed that is about an exertion level of 8 (I run at a 9ish)
Reduce speed once you hit the .25 mark and walk at a brisk pace for 1:30 (I walk at a 4)
Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you reach 18 minutes
Cool down for the last 2 minutes at a moderate paced walk

Elliptical

For those looking for a low-impact workout that exercises more muscle groups, the elliptical is a great option. Another great aspect of elliptical trainers, are that they workout both your upper and lower body. With the dual action, you exercise more muscle groups. It can be argued that when using the Elliptical with the arm function, uses more exertion from multiple body parts, so you in turn burn more calories. Another note is that you may also have a lower perceived level of exertion when you exercise more of your body. Just as I said in the Treadmill piece, I highly recommend doing interval training on this equipment too. In my own experience, I prefer the other high intensity training options, however, age and joint ailments haven't kept me from doing so!

HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training

In short, HIIT is a cardio workout with varying intensities. A typical HIIT routine will involve bursts of “all-out” training followed by periods of lower intensity that allow for active recovery (this means your body can recover somewhat even though you haven’t completely stopped exercising). Your HIIT training can be as simple as doing an all-out sprint, jogging until your heart rate reaches a certain level, and then sprinting once again.

ADVANTAGE ...you burn more calories in a shorter period of time. You benefit from EPOC (exercise post oxygen consumption). What does this mean? Essentially you elevate your metabolism for 24 hours AFTER your workout!! Looking to trim fat...THIS is your workout!
DISADVANTAGE... it is high intensity and therefore will require more time to recover. Most people can only manage a few (three or four) HIIT sessions per week.I shoot for 4 sessions per week and NEVER do HIIT when I workout my lower body.

See the link below for more information...within the page, you can link to a very specific Bill Phillips workout for the Body For Life Challenge which is a great start. I will be offering more variety soon!

It's My Fit Life...and I'm sharing it with you!

Miranda

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