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MyFitnessPal Community

Cardio people: Intensity or duration?

DebTavares

Just wondering what everyone else is doing. Do you generally do cardio for endurance (i.e. time?), do you go for intensity, or do you do a combination of both? I used to do cardio for time by trying to go for as long as possible, but I didn't really push myself (probably because it's hard to go intense for a long period of time). That was a few years ago. Recently, I started up again but this time I'm working on intensity and really trying to push myself hard for a shorter duration. I do 3 miles of cardio daily in a sort of interval style, alternating between going really fast with periods of taking it easy. Knowing that my workout will be quick is a great motivator because I know that I don't have to slave at the gym for hours. I used to dread going to the gym, but now I love it. I find that I'm actually sweating and I feel like I've actually had a good workout, much more so than when I used to exercise for time. (I realize that there are many people who exercise for endurance who are in amazing shape....just wondering what everyone's preference is).

Replies

DavPul

Depends

kdiamond

Intense for short period,of time I.e. <15 minutes

carliekitty

I do both. I workout as hard as i can for at least an hour a day.

klfoster88

I would say go for intensity. Research HIIT training and it might give you some insight.

hearthwood

Just a note on running. My husband was an ultra marathoner, he still runs today but no more than a 10K. The reason for this is that these longer runs produce what is called an exercise induced left branch block in the heart. Meaning the heart skips a couple of beats after a long run. Furthermore statistics show that consistent shorter runners actually catch up to the endurance of a marathoner.

So that should answer your question as to distance over intensity. Shorter more intense workouts are better in the long haul.

4ALongerLife

I do HIIT training. And for a long time, I would focus on the intensity. As I ramped up & through each rung of intensity level, then finally topped out, I then focused on duration (as well).

joepage612

I use an elliptical trainers computer to calculate my heart rate zone. Mine is 123. I maintain a heart rate of 123 for 60 minutes and then stop. I Don't know if thats good or bad but its what I do. I feel like it has increased my daily life stamina TREMENDOUSLY.

kevinsmithrn

I do cardio for warm up - then weights.. Then I finish with 20 hit treadmill... Every other week however I try to beat my PB 5k time... Very hard cardio.... I feel that you have to keep things mixed up - the key however is thinking about my cardio as cardio not fat loss - I'm trying to increase my cardio-pulmonary efficiency this makes every aspect of life better. Remember the old MFP adage that calorie deficit is for weight loss - gyms are for physical fitness... Good luck with your work outs.

suiteblooms

I do both actually. 1 day / week is a long run. 13+ miles. "I'm slow as a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter, but I run." Then 2-3 days / week is a short run. 3-7 miles. Faster - but still slow. These workouts incorporate hills, stairs, running backwards, sideways, and lightweight dumbbells. (Those things keep my mind from focusing on when I can get off the machine.) 1-3 days / week are strength... Bodyweight, dumbbells, lifting, whatever. My speed and endurance are both improving, and my body is much stronger. I get bored easily, and I can't bear to see no results in one way or another, so this is working for me. Hope that helps. (PS... This regimen is my training for my first marathon. When not in training, I cut way back.)

DebTavares

Thank you everyone for your answers. You all are awesome!!!

I'm going to continue with the intensity and looked up HIIT. Awesome stuff.

MeanderingMammal

Do you generally do cardio for endurance (i.e. time?), do you go for intensity, or do you do a combination of both?

A combination of both, as they each have different effects.

Long duration steady pace helps build aerobic capacity and endurance - For me those are sessions of more than 90 minutes, so 10 miles plus of running at about 6mph or 30 miles plus of riding at 20mph

Moderate duration higher intensity sessions help develop exercise efficiency, or the ability of the system to convert fuel to activity efficiently. It also helps condition the body to working at the anaerobic threshold, and over a period will raise the lactate threshold. A tempo session for me will be along the lines of 6-10 miles at 7-8mph, with a ten minute warm up and ten minute cool down at 6mph.

High intensity intervals improve oxygen uptake, or VO2Max which lays in to how quickly muscle burns the energy available. An intervals session would be a 15 minute warm up at 6mph, followed by 20 minutes of either 400 metre sprints followed by 400 metre recoveries, 200 metre sprints followed by one minute recoveries, or 20 second sprints followed by 30 second recoveries. Complete with another 15 minute cool down, although personally I rarely manage all of that at 6mph after an intervals session.

The best combination depends on your objectives, for me it's running performance and at the moment I'm training for multi-stage long distance; two long runs, a recovery run and a tempo run per week with some cycling and rowing alongside that. When I'm working on a distance run completion time then that would be a different combination.

There is a point of diminishing returns. If you're not interested in endurance performance then there is little point in training more than 90 minutes.

The other aspect is doing any long session in a gym is absolute purgatory. I admire anyone who can manage one of those machines for more than 5 minutes without their head exploding with boredom.

joepage612

It is super boring. I catch up with my reading by putting every book ive wanted to read, in audio format, on my ipod, listen to that while doing elliptical machines for 1 hour.

splashtree2

Just wondering what everyone else is doing. Do you generally do cardio for endurance (i.e. time?), do you go for intensity, or do you do a combination of both? I used to do cardio for time by trying to go for as long as possible, but I didn't really push myself (probably because it's hard to go intense for a long period of time). That was a few years ago. Recently, I started up again but this time I'm working on intensity and really trying to push myself hard for a shorter duration. I do 3 miles of cardio daily in a sort of interval style, alternating between going really fast with periods of taking it easy. Knowing that my workout will be quick is a great motivator because I know that I don't have to slave at the gym for hours. I used to dread going to the gym, but now I love it. I find that I'm actually sweating and I feel like I've actually had a good workout, much more so than when I used to exercise for time. (I realize that there are many people who exercise for endurance who are in amazing shape....just wondering what everyone's preference is).

You have to raise the workout time slowly but steady...like if you run for 30 min do 2-3 week 35 min and then you raise again, for example 40 min. Is a good time of cardio and it develops strenght as well, the interval training maybe is the one you wish to try that's running, walking for ex 1' and sprints.