cardio-how many times a week?

thesameas

How much cardio should I be doing a week? The only cardio I can really fit in is riding my bike, and if I do it too often I just kind of loathe it. I can't afford a gym membership, and 'don't have the space' for any kind of running or workout machine in the home, or so my mother tells me. I like strength training because I can do it at home, in privacy, and don't have to worry about rude pedestians, snickering people, and dogs chasing me trying to nip at my heels. I would visit the gym every day if I had the money for a membership, but my parents are unwilling to support me at all and I'm pretty much flat broke at the moment. So basically, how many times a week do I need to do cardio? Or more importantly, are there ways of getting in cario excersise without leaving the house? This would be a lifesaver, and the answer to all my problems. I get nervous riding my bike because of the things metioned above, but if I was able to workout at home, of at least not have to go out as much and still get results, I would be very, very happy.

cooter2533

Cardio exercise is great for overall fitness and heart health but not a necessity to lose weight. I do cardio 0-2 times a week and strength train 4-5 times a week. Get thin in the kitchen, get fit in the gym.

deekaydee

That depends on what your goals are, and why you are doing cardio.

To get a bigger calorie deficit? As little or as much cardio as you want to get the calorie burn you want. (Within reason.)

To increase endurance? You generally want to increase your distance by 10% a week.

Just to get your heart rate up, for general cardiovascular health? Probably 30 minutes a couple times a week will do. There may be better experts that can help you with that answer.

thesameas

Thanks for the replies already, just to be more specific, I want to do it to assist in losing a few kilos, as well as for general health and fitness. Any ways that I could do some of this at home (perhaps workout dvds?) would be great, I generally like the feeling but I get so nervous most of the time and I don't think that helps me build a good attitude to exersise.

deekaydee

Workout DVDs are a great idea, I don't do any so can't give you any advice, but it definitely gets the job done in terms of cardio.

Don't underestimate strength training in your fat loss efforts (I say fat loss instead of weight loss, because "weight" tends to drop a bit slower when strength training, but body composition improves because you lose fat and retain muscle). You say you enjoy strength training, so I would just make sure you don't make the mistake of forgoing too much strength training in favor of cardio. You may be able to get all the results you're looking for thru strength training alone.

That said, I'm a runner and love my cardio -- I do 2 to 3 times a week of cardio, and 3 times a week lifting.

kandrews24

You can do cardio exercise as often as you like (but you don't want to do high impact, like running, too often, as it places wear and tear on joints). Thus, swimming can be done daily or several times a day whereas running is best every other day, etc.

Lots of stuff that you can do at home. Running in place while watching TV is a great workout. Throw in a few jumping jacks, squats, pushup, and leg raises. If you do these things fast, you will get your heart rate up.

Jullian Michael's 30 day shred is a great combo workout. Less than 30 minutes, cardio + strength and takes very little space.

Good luck!

thesameas

Thanks for all the advice! I will definetly try running in place while watching tv, as well as the jumping jacks ect. I might pump up my strength training just a tiny bit, as I'm not really doing that much in a workout at the moment. I'll look into the 30 day shread as well, I've heard it mentioned a lot around here so that sound like a good idea.

Thanks for the help so far.