What type of cardio is best for you

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Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Per minute or per half hour, the one I enjoy doing enough that I'll actually do it, instead of putting it off and skipping it as often as I can think of a lame excuse. For me, that's rowing, on water preferably.

    sijomial wrote: »
    Why not HIIT? Per minute, for me, definitely stationary bike tabata, but that’s an extreme form of HIIT.

    If you are measuring calorie burn by Fitbit or similar device, all of them have been studied in a lab and found to be about as accurate as guessing. So there’s really no way to know exactly how many calories you are burning at specific activities unless you’re in a lab which measures your oxygen uptake. Many people here have reported getting high estimated burns for folding laundry.

    @rheddmobile
    Except for cycling, rowing and running you can get pretty decent estimates by using physics not heartbeats. Measuring power output or using a formula to estimate mass X distance X common efficiency ratio.

    To the bolded: Machine rowing, arguably true. Actual real rowing the old fashioned (and IMO more fun) way, in boats: Nuh uh. Very complicated physics, no standard efficiency ratio, hard to estimate even in singles let alone multi-rower shells.

    Agreed, I missed a word.
    (Rather sleep deprived yesterday)

    Makes me wonder when oars will be developed with strain gauges/power meters...… :smile:
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 33,948 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Per minute or per half hour, the one I enjoy doing enough that I'll actually do it, instead of putting it off and skipping it as often as I can think of a lame excuse. For me, that's rowing, on water preferably.

    sijomial wrote: »
    Why not HIIT? Per minute, for me, definitely stationary bike tabata, but that’s an extreme form of HIIT.

    If you are measuring calorie burn by Fitbit or similar device, all of them have been studied in a lab and found to be about as accurate as guessing. So there’s really no way to know exactly how many calories you are burning at specific activities unless you’re in a lab which measures your oxygen uptake. Many people here have reported getting high estimated burns for folding laundry.

    @rheddmobile
    Except for cycling, rowing and running you can get pretty decent estimates by using physics not heartbeats. Measuring power output or using a formula to estimate mass X distance X common efficiency ratio.

    To the bolded: Machine rowing, arguably true. Actual real rowing the old fashioned (and IMO more fun) way, in boats: Nuh uh. Very complicated physics, no standard efficiency ratio, hard to estimate even in singles let alone multi-rower shells.

    Agreed, I missed a word.
    (Rather sleep deprived yesterday)

    Makes me wonder when oars will be developed with strain gauges/power meters...… :smile:

    I can't provide a cite, but I believe some work has been done with strain gauges or some such thing to better understand the physics/mechanics, but mainly with a focus on equipment design and power-for-speed technique insight. (Note that the Concept 2 founders, besides being former national team rowers, are also engineers, and that the company also makes some of the most widely-used lines of oars.)

    I don't think measuring at the oar would be a good proxy for calories, though that's just a guess - no concrete evidence to support it. But inter-individual efficiencies are very real in the sport, and I don't think that's entirely about effort output. One reason I think that is the classic rowing axiom "ergs don't float". It's blatantly obvious in real-world practice that the faster rower on the machine isn't necessarily the fastest on the water. I strongly suspect the reasons lie not in calorie expenditure, but in efficiency factors. Bladework is a b-word. ;)

    But I digress from the thread's point.

    Semi on point: Fitness trackers or HRM are as good (or bad ;) ) a proxy for on-water rowing calorie estimates as they are for most other cardio, probably. Some of the HR increase is probably attributable to the strength/strain issue (so maybe overstated), and even steady-state rowing tends to be a little interval-y (turns and steering, at least, let alone the usual coached practice being, very often, a drill-oriented/"piece"-oriented affair). Also, since one typically does machine work in addition to on-water, it's possible that RPE is a bit better of a gut check guide to reasonableness of on-water calorie estimates than might be available in activities that don't have a well-power-metered similar activity.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Also, logistically, have a power meter in an oar just doesn't make a lot of sense for the average rower unless you as an individual person own your own oars. NK Sports does make an oarlock with a power meter in it, but given the market, this isn't a "let's see how many calories this person burned" sort of thing.

    And then there's blade work...
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    I prefer running. It gets my heart rate up unlike anything else and I can go on "forever",,lol
    Elliptical and other machines bores me and I can't get my HR above 100.
  • MichaelK1007
    MichaelK1007 Posts: 136 Member
    Kst76 wrote: »
    I prefer running. It gets my heart rate up unlike anything else and I can go on "forever",,lol
    Elliptical and other machines bores me and I can't get my HR above 100.

    That’s awesome. I wish I could get into running!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,519 Member
    Kst76 wrote: »
    I prefer running. It gets my heart rate up unlike anything else and I can go on "forever",,lol
    Elliptical and other machines bores me and I can't get my HR above 100.

    That’s awesome. I wish I could get into running!

    One foot in front of the other. :)
  • GemimaFitzTed
    GemimaFitzTed Posts: 260 Member
    I enjoy kickboxing and treadmill sprinting intervals

    @julesdechaine - Are we long-lost twins????? :-D SNAP!

    On the weekend I also go trail walking/running and hiking. It's a great burn, get the heart rate up and I'm in nature :-)
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    My favorite is hiking but really the best type of cardio is whatever you enjoy because that means you will actually do it lol. The important thing is to move your body.
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    My fav is hiking and new favorite is trail running. I hate that I have spent 50 years not trail running!!

    Anyways, do what you like. If you do what you like you are much more likely to stick with it.
  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    My fav is hiking and new favorite is trail running. I hate that I have spent 50 years not trail running!!

    Anyways, do what you like. If you do what you like you are much more likely to stick with it.

    I hear you! I didn’t discover <3 trail running until I was 40... all the wasted years!!! :# I get out on the trails as much as I can now though!