Is 20 minutes of cardio a day enough?

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christinahennen
christinahennen Posts: 2
in Fitness and Exercise
So currently I am doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred every other day which is 20 minutes long. Normally I would go on the elliptical for 40 minutes on the days I'm not doing the video but I'm finding it a little too easy now, so I went up a level in resistance. The thing is though is that I can only do 20 minutes with the higher resistance! My question.... is it enough for weight loss to do only 20 minutes of cardio a day? Or should I stick with the 40 minutes of easier resistance?
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Replies

  • Aliciaaah
    Aliciaaah Posts: 379 Member
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    Switch it up, do intervals of each. It keeps it interesting and keeps you challenged while you build up!
  • knurse1987
    knurse1987 Posts: 93 Member
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    bump
  • wgn4166
    wgn4166 Posts: 771 Member
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    20 minutes is better than nothing
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
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    Switch it up, do intervals of each. It keeps it interesting and keeps you challenged while you build up!

    This. Lots of examples of elliptical intervals on the netz.
  • Jenloma
    Jenloma Posts: 77 Member
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    Always switch it up.
    You could do 30 with light weights and 30 on the elliptical machine for example.
    Then you could do 45 minutes on the elliptical machine and do some time with the weights.

    Because my calorie intake is only 1200, I would workout 60 minutes everyday so I could at least eat on the days I'm craving all my favorite foods.
    Plus, I'm on a vacation from work and I have no a/c, so I've been at the gym everyday working out.
    But I would say 30 minutes is better than 20. :)
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Depends on what works for you. Personally, I TRY to do 60 minutes of cardio when I do it; the past couple of weeks have been really off trying to start the school year off right. None-the-less... I look forward to getting back into my routine. If 20 minutes works for you, it is good. Try to get at least 20 minutes at least 3-5 times per week though.
  • kjjunior
    kjjunior Posts: 14
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    Switch it up, do intervals of each. It keeps it interesting and keeps you challenged while you build up!

    I agree. you could find an in-between, like half an hour, at least. But I would say you can do 20 low resistance, and 20 higher resistance. Or go up every 5 minutes to a higher resistance in intervals of 2. I do that on the treadmill with speed. 2.2, 2.5, 2.8, 3, 3.2, 3.5, 3.8 and then back down and it gives me about an hour of cardio but I don't get tired. (and I do this after 20 minutes of 30DS) :smile:
  • christinahennen
    christinahennen Posts: 2
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    thank you all!
  • JCasison
    JCasison Posts: 13 Member
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    i do 20 minute Hight Interval Intensity Training (HIIT) sessions. Do this 3-4 times a week with anaerobic weight training.. and the fat will burn right off. OH, beautiful part is that you'll retain that hard earned muscle.
  • imchicbad
    imchicbad Posts: 1,650 Member
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    MY TRAINER ALWAYS SAYS 20 MINUTES 3-4 X A WEEK IS ENOUGH (sorry about the caps) and it has worked for me and my husband -the rest is strength training
  • ZeroWoIf
    ZeroWoIf Posts: 588 Member
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    MY TRAINER ALWAYS SAYS 20 MINUTES 3-4 X A WEEK IS ENOUGH (sorry about the caps) and it has worked for me and my husband -the rest is strength training

    I agree with your trainer 100 percent. If you guys really think about it, exercise has always been optional. Your nutrition is about 80 percent of how you get to your goals. Now if you need to maximize your results and push them further then it is not optional.

    20 minutes 18 sec 90%-95, 60-70% 35-45 intervals are perfect.

    The whole point of cardio is to have as much muscle cells activated during exercise which increases how many calories you burn.
  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
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    So currently I am doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred every other day which is 20 minutes long. Normally I would go on the elliptical for 40 minutes on the days I'm not doing the video but I'm finding it a little too easy now, so I went up a level in resistance. The thing is though is that I can only do 20 minutes with the higher resistance! My question.... is it enough for weight loss to do only 20 minutes of cardio a day? Or should I stick with the 40 minutes of easier resistance?
    What ever you do is enough if you are eating at a deficit. If you aren't, it doesn't matter what you do.

    I just finished doing 30DS and it has really helped me build some strength. I continued running and walking on my treadmill through most of the 30 days, but the fat I lost was because I was diligent about what I ate and keeping at or under goal for most of the 30 days - which was not easy when traveling and I had a few off days. I still lost almost 8 pounds and lots of inches!
  • invictus8
    invictus8 Posts: 258 Member
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    Yes, 20 minutes is enough -- if you do intense intervals. Basically pretend that a bear or lion is chasing you for 30 seconds and then take a 30 second break. Repeat for 20 minutes and you'll have more than enough.
  • Louiyen
    Louiyen Posts: 69
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    I can get almost 3 miles out of 20 mins. 23.35 mins. Yes it's sufficient with high intervals.
  • ChihakuZeal
    ChihakuZeal Posts: 65
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    Personally, if you put your true effort into your cardio, then 20 minutes is a good amount of time to have in it.
    If you spend 20 minutes doing cardio, and you feel like having some strength left, then keep going! Don't let working out become a time limit to you. Keep going until you feel too tired. (Just make sure you don't get too exhausted. ^_^)
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
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    I completely avoid the cardio room at my gym.... but I get about 15-18 minutes of brisk walking to the gym n home, then about 5-10 minutes of running up and down the stairs after my resistance training. I prefer to keep it intense rather than long, easy, and dull(no offense meant to those whose opinions vary from mine)! When I was doing the stair stepper elliptical thing, I set it on max incline and alternated between max resistance and about 30% resistance(and various other settings between) for 20-25 minutes(but I like the actual stairs better and find they're a lot harder!)

    Just my unprofessional opinion as always,
    ~*~Josie~*~
  • ZeroWoIf
    ZeroWoIf Posts: 588 Member
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    Yes, 20 minutes is enough -- if you do intense intervals. Basically pretend that a bear or lion is chasing you for 30 seconds and then take a 30 second break. Repeat for 20 minutes and you'll have more than enough.

    Yup!
  • lt3ag4s
    lt3ag4s Posts: 835 Member
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    I would do 10 mins at the higher resistance with 20 mins at the lower resistance. Mix it up.
  • merflan
    merflan Posts: 216 Member
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    My trainer advises 20 mins 3Xwk doing intervals. I have a stationary bike outside so I do intervals with the bike and jump rope. 2 mins on the bike, 1 min skipping. The skipping really gets my HR up.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    20 minutes is not enough for me. My fat would laugh at 20 minutes. I need to do at least 60 minutes a day.

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