Cardio Training

New research shows that it’s becoming increasingly important for cardio training to be short and intense for weight loss and health benefits to the heart and lungs, rather than the current long and moderate pace people tend to undertake when going to gyms or exercising.    

The percentage of fat burnt during intense exercise is less as the reliance leans towards muscle glycogen, but increase intensity of exercise creates increased calorie requirement during and after the exercise while retaining muscle. Long periods of CV at low intensity burns a higher percentage of fat in the production of ATP but will burn less calories overall unless an increasingly extended period is performed.
An example would be to have a 10 pound note; if you work intensively you can earn the money in half the amount of time it would take at a slower pace. So if you were to work the same amount of time, but work more intensively, you would burn more kcals, meaning overall you burnt more fat for energy. As it would be like earning 50% of two pounds at a slow pace, but 20% of 10 pounds work at an intense pace. This method means that CV should be kept to between 15 and 30mins and ideally includes intervals.

Working in this method also works the heart and lungs much harder resulting in other health benefits you would not gain working from lower intensity workouts. V02 max is one of the most common methods of testing an individual’s fitness level.
 
Generally gyms and fitness equipment estimate vo2 max based upon an individual’s heart rate and age under a certain workload. What v02 max gives an indication of is the body’s ability to exchange oxygen into the bloodstream. The higher the value, the fitter the person is, as their muscles can work at a greater workload before coming fatigued, due to the nutrients and oxygen being delivered via the blood stream.
 
A person’s v02 max is mainly genetic but can be increased with appropriate high intensity training. When looking to further your CV fitness it is important to go by FITT acronym, this is Frequency, Intensity Time and Type. When looking at type there are many different ways to progress cardio training, and while most of the FITT acronym will be defined if you have a SMART goal, we would recommend forms of cycling or skipping 2-3 times for week as they offer unique benefits and are highly accessible.          

To help gauge your intensity level you could use a heart rate monitor to make sure you are at the right intensity level.