Cardio!

MrsSexton2013

So, I have had a few people tell me I need to mix up my cardio so my body doesnt get "complacent" and used to the same movement all the time. In my case, it's the Arc. I use that because it burns the most calories of any piece of cardio equipment in the gym, plus I had a minor foot strain a while back, and my doc told me to avoid activity for a while that reproduced that up-and-down movement of my ankle/foot that probably prompted the injury in the first place. True? I HATE the treadmill, and the only other thing I mix it with is the bike, but that bores me half to death also! So, do I really need to mix it up? (And yes, I also do strength/weight training along with my cardio)

marycmeadows

Yes. you still need to mix it up. And actually, the stair climber burns more calories than the arc trainer, if you're going at a brisk pace. the arc trainer (& elliptical) are only good and useful (to me) if you up the resistance. I see people going to town on them all the time - going all fast and what not, but then I realize 90% of them have it on the lowest possible "resistance" and no incline. I feel like saying do yourself a favor and make it worth your time. Also, I hope you are doing strength before cardio on the days you do strength because that's the proper order to do it in.

rachellem86

When I do cardio, I try to always do intervals. It makes it less boring and "changes it up". So I'll do 1 minute at a moderate speed, and then 30 seconds at a very high speed (the time of the intervals can vary), and repeat. You can also change the resistance on whichever machine you're using (i.e. the elliptical).

bcattoes

I see people on here say that all the time and maybe for some people it's true. But it's not for me. I've gone for years doing the same cardio workout (almost) every day and maintained a healthy weight and a firm body. As long as I am working my muscles and burning calories my body is happy.

I think the "mix it up" thing is more mental. The exercise becomes easier so people assume it's not working anymore. But that's not true. You reach a point where you don't get the same increasing benefit you did when you were starting, but you still get a level steady benefit. If you don't believe that, try stopping the exercise and doing everything else the same and see what happens.

Mattdemon

I think the main reason you mix it up would be out of boredom so if it works for you and you can reach a good heart rate then you should be fine.

Different activities will hit different muscle tissues but the best part about variety is your workouts are always changing, which is a good thing.

If you get too comfortable on the same machine you may be dogging it after a while and not challenging your body enough. I'd try doing the stairmaster even at a slow pace, I've heard that works wonders. I also noticed all the fittest people in the gym on those things and they aren't even going that fast. It has something to do with lower intensity burning a higher percentage of fat stores. I seriously can't remember the last time I saw a buff dude running on a treadmill. So you should be okay on that ankle as long as your careful. Try doing long walks outside with a destination and back. It's a lot less boring outside the gym.

MrsSexton2013

I think the main reason you mix it up would be out of boredom so if it works for you and you can reach a good heart rate then you should be fine.

Different activities will hit different muscle tissues but the best part about variety is your workouts are always changing, which is a good thing.

If you get too comfortable on the same machine you may be dogging it after a while and not challenging your body enough. I'd try doing the stairmaster even at a slow pace, I've heard that works wonders. I also noticed all the fittest people in the gym on those things and they aren't even going that fast. It has something to do with lower intensity burning a higher percentage of fat stores. I seriously can't remember the last time I saw a buff dude running on a treadmill. So you should be okay on that ankle as long as your careful. Try doing long walks outside with a destination and back. It's a lot less boring outside the gym.

I've actually been upping the resistance/time I've been doing it since I started on it. I'm definitely doing cardio first though, and not weights.. oops. As far as walking outside.. I live in Florida.. where we are slowly melting into puddles up here in North Florida! The heat index is stupid and I think was at 109 the other day.. BLEH!

MrsSexton2013

Yes. you still need to mix it up. And actually, the stair climber burns more calories than the arc trainer, if you're going at a brisk pace. the arc trainer (& elliptical) are only good and useful (to me) if you up the resistance. I see people going to town on them all the time - going all fast and what not, but then I realize 90% of them have it on the lowest possible "resistance" and no incline. I feel like saying do yourself a favor and make it worth your time. Also, I hope you are doing strength before cardio on the days you do strength because that's the proper order to do it in.

Oh, I've been working the resistance up, as well as mixing up the programs. When I first started on it, I did manual.. some days I do the hill, some days the weight loss.. just depends on the mood that day. I see those same people going about 900 mph an hour on the arc and wonder how long it's going to be before they fly off backwards.

mdmcmillen

I am a swimmer, and I do pretty much the same workout every day. I know if i'm in the pool for an hour, depending on my effort level, i'll burn from 600 to 850 calories. With any cardio, you can work as hard or as easy as you want to. You know how hard you are working. Keep up the hard work and burn those calories!