More is not necessarily better
when it comes to cardio. This is
good news for those of us who are easily bored.
Unless we are training for a
century ride, a marathon, or something similarly long and endurance-based, we
do not need to spend hours and hours on steady-state cardio. In fact, the data suggests we get more
benefit from shorter workouts with high-intensity intervals.
What does that mean in practical
terms? No more hour-long walks on
the treadmill. Spend twenty
minutes or half an hour. Warm up
for five minutes, then alternate bursts of speed of about a minute with
recovery periods of one to two minutes.
This works with all the cardio equipment in the gym or out in the real
world if you are running, biking, swimming, or pogo-sticking. Then cool down for five minutes.
Not only does this form of
training help our cardiovascular systems learn to recover more quickly, it also
motivates our metabolisms to burn more calories. Win!
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