What is the best cardio

Marbar
Marbar Posts: 15
edited September 23 in Fitness and Exercise
What would be the best cardio to do for maximum weight loss. I can't use the tredmill, it makes me dizzy. I need to lose my muffin top by May 20th.

Replies

  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    I'm not sure what your best bet is but I tend to burn alot more on the elliptical than on the treadmill. I change teh incline and resistance often!
  • cozzy530
    cozzy530 Posts: 46
    Insanity, it is six days a week 45 minutes of but kicking cardio. Best of all you can do it from home. I just finished week 2 and it is a killer workout
  • roibmw
    roibmw Posts: 1 Member
    By a Polar Heart Rate Monitor. It tracks your heart rate during cardio sessions and give you a display of how many calories you burn. With out a monitor all the machines just speculate through a generic math equation. You program the monitor for your own body and resting heart rate.
    The Stair climber after 30 minutes, with a good pace and resitance, offers a good burn rate too. Good luck
  • jesslaur75
    jesslaur75 Posts: 75 Member
    My favorite is 30 minutes of swimming times a week and the best? An hour long walk around my neighborhood with my husband before dinner. We end up doing a 3 mile walk and burn something like 350 calories or so when we do this. Also, I love doing hikes. I know a lot of this isn't terribly realistic if you live anywhere the snow is choking the country right now, but if you have the ability to do some cardio that is FUN, you will do it more often and that will make you lose weight faster than something you don't enjoy and don't end up doing on a regular basis.
    When it comes to swimming you will get a full body workout and it is just so much fun. It burns a TON of calories and really allows you to have a lot more flexibility on your diet.

    Good luck!!
  • Ilovepeppers
    Ilovepeppers Posts: 396 Member
    I find a tall building and walk up the stairs. Any building will do. I live on the 22 floor of a complex and walk from parking up to my floor and burn 210 cals. Its the only cardio I've been doing af I'm down 18 pounds since 12/26!
  • sbilyeu75
    sbilyeu75 Posts: 567 Member
    What would be the best cardio to do for maximum weight loss. I can't use the tredmill, it makes me dizzy. I need to lose my muffin top by May 20th.

    Any exercise that you'll actually do. Fat loss is mostly from a good healthy diet.
  • ropedancer
    ropedancer Posts: 115
    Ah! Looks like I'm not the only one that gets dizzy on the treadmill!

    As far as cardio goes, I'm not sure what's the best, but I find kickboxing burns a lot of calories and is actually a lot of fun.
  • Randallw25
    Randallw25 Posts: 42
    If you are looking for a routine Insainity and TurboFire are great workouts. Good Circuit or Interval Training is good to. Kickboxing or Dance workouts like Zumba are good too.
  • nevergonnagiveup
    nevergonnagiveup Posts: 41
    running!!!! This way, I can enter events, have fun, hang out with the group and donate money to charity! Win win all round. Burns heaps of calories too!
  • pandafoo
    pandafoo Posts: 367 Member
    running is a very efficient exercise, and the elliptical and kickboxing are good too. interval training is super good for building cardio strength. my personal favorite is zumba, which doesn't feel like a workout at all! last week when zumba-ing, my HR went as high as 168. but what's more important than finding the best cardio exercise out there is to do something that you enjoy and will stick with.
  • rawdefault
    rawdefault Posts: 66
    I don't think there is any 'best cardio', just whatever gets your heart rate up the most. Most people would probably say either running or rebounding (mini trampolining)
    You could try using this website to compare different exercises: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc
    Hope that helps!
  • rawdefault
    rawdefault Posts: 66
    Oh, and I forgot to say Interval Training! That's widely considered to be the best workout for fat-blasting. Work your way up and do it every second day :)
  • carolynbe
    carolynbe Posts: 8 Member
    Try spinning - it's a great workout and super fun. I also like to do intervals on the elliptical.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    everyone is different. in my opinion the best cardio is one you can stick to on a consistent sechdule.
  • isislc
    isislc Posts: 140 Member
    I like spinning myself or if you have Wii boxing, that can give you some killer calorie burns. If you have joint issues, there is also water aerobics. I started a deep water aerobics class yesterday and I have never gotten such a but kick from doing that class. In a normal water aerobics class you have the benefit of being able to touch the bottom of the pool to do your movements. This class I'm in makes you WORK to get any movement going since you're in 9 ft of water. lol. No touching the bottom there.

    It was definitely a good workout and I'm soo glad that I decided to brave the class. :drinker:
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
    yeah the stationary bike is good. but only awesome if you do intervals.
    what i'll normally do on a boring cardio session is 4 minutes on, and that 4 minutes will be 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off/slow.
    for that 20 seconds, i'll spin my heart out!!!.....level 10.
    i'll do this all twice. 3 if i can pphysically handle it, but ususally, i'm wanting to lie down and cry in the corner, in the featal position, after the 2 nd set.

    The burn is stupid big, lol. just for that 8 minutes my HRM often hits 100....
    then i'll rest for a bit...get my breath, and do some rowing intervals, lol. similiar intensity. but never more than 2 sets, candle handle it!

    Then follow it up with skipping/wall balls/air squats...same sort of intervals.

    Really kills you...but is quite fun. and easy as to mix up.

    usually a 30 minute session like this yields 400+ on the HRM.
  • lhague
    lhague Posts: 258
    I can' do the treadmill either, or the bike. I get bored and end up getting off and burns very little calories. I have found the elliptical to be the best and one of the fastest ways to burn calories. I will do intervals of going "all out", bring up the heart rate, then go back to regular pace. After a while your "all out" intervals will increase in time. I have also started rowing, but be sure to check out the website of the manufacturer of the machine you use to show set up and it will give a workout schedule. Rowing is a full body workout with cardio.

    I do ab crunches everyday. It is the only muscle you can work out everyday. They key is to keep eyes focused on a spot on the ceiling, then curl your upper ab into your lower ab, like a "C". For a woman to keep a curvy figure, avoid doing your obliques (the side abs).

    Good Luck!
  • hparke
    hparke Posts: 28 Member
    I find a tall building and walk up the stairs. Any building will do. I live on the 22 floor of a complex and walk from parking up to my floor and burn 210 cals. Its the only cardio I've been doing af I'm down 18 pounds since 12/26!

    That's awesome!
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    Spinning
    Running
    Rowing
    Elliptical Intervals

    Whatever you'll find hardest is usually what you burn most calories at.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    For a woman to keep a curvy figure, avoid doing your obliques (the side abs).

    WHAT????? :huh:

    And your authority on this is what exactly???

    Your obliques are absolutely essential in maintaining good core strength.
    http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article folder/abdominal.html
  • chan1973
    chan1973 Posts: 3
    Hi!

    I believe that the impact cardio has is based on the individual. I would say it is safe to say that any exericse that gets your heart pumping and creates sweat is the one for you. Then as time goes on you'll want to change that exercise so that your body is challenged. After time, your body becomes accustomed to a specific exercise and the body does not burn as many calories as it did initally because it does not have to work as hard. Does that make sense? So, I would say the ideal cardio workout would be whatever exercise increases your heart rate and produces a sweat. Additionally, remember to change your exercise soa as to "confuse" your body and keep it on its toes! I hope this helps some. Good Luck!

    Chan
    :-)
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    Hi!

    I believe that the impact cardio has is based on the individual. I would say it is safe to say that any exericse that gets your heart pumping and creates sweat is the one for you. Then as time goes on you'll want to change that exercise so that your body is challenged. After time, your body becomes accustomed to a specific exercise and the body does not burn as many calories as it did initally because it does not have to work as hard. Does that make sense? So, I would say the ideal cardio workout would be whatever exercise increases your heart rate and produces a sweat. Additionally, remember to change your exercise soa as to "confuse" your body and keep it on its toes! I hope this helps some. Good Luck!

    Chan
    :-)

    Chan you're absolutely right in terms of the body's ability to adapt quite quickly to any CV exercise, becomes more efficient at doing it and within 4-6 weeks you don't work as hard to achieve the same goal.

    That's kind of what I meant when I said "you work hardest at what you do the worst at", i.e. what your body has not had a chance to adapt to!!
  • sbilyeu75
    sbilyeu75 Posts: 567 Member
    For a woman to keep a curvy figure, avoid doing your obliques (the side abs).

    WHAT????? :huh:

    And your authority on this is what exactly???

    Your obliques are absolutely essential in maintaining good core strength.
    http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article folder/abdominal.html

    She didn't say that it wasn't essential for core strength, she said to keep curvy. I'm going to have to agree with her, when i did tons of oblique exercises I started getting boxing due to the muscles building out.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
    Pre-injury I was a 27" waist and did a lot of oblique work. I still am and was then an hourglass shape. The difference is my bodyfat was 17%. Of course you can feel like abs or obliques "bulk" if the body fat above them is still considerably more than it should be but that's a whole other debate.

    I guess you need to work out whether you are only training for vanity or whether you wish for some functional strength.
  • Jess21684
    Jess21684 Posts: 202 Member
    everyone likes and takes to diff forms of cardio excercise's. The best cardio all depends on the person honestly. Whatever cardio you really like and are able to actually stick with it regulary is key. That said, I prefer jogging/running intervals! jogging really helps burn the cals for myself vs the elliptical. jillian michaels dvds are all great forms of cardio as well
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Do whatever you enjoy and keep your diet on track and don't disregard strength training unless you want to end up skinny-fat :)

    For me, my cardio of choice is mma training, HIIT circuit training, kettlebells or elliptical while watching TV. I do these because I enjoy them. (well not so much the elliptical but it's better than sitting on your *kitten* doing nothing watching TV :))
  • lhague
    lhague Posts: 258
    Years of training, cycling 250+ miles/wk, and working out with a trainer 4x/wk. That's what authority I work off of and it has done very well by me. 51 and strong!


    In response to the "whose authority exactly???" quote below, should have put this on there. :)
  • lhague
    lhague Posts: 258
    For a woman to keep a curvy figure, avoid doing your obliques (the side abs).

    WHAT????? :huh:

    And your authority on this is what exactly???

    Your obliques are absolutely essential in maintaining good core strength.
    http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article folder/abdominal.html


    Be kind please. Key word was curvy.
  • lhague
    lhague Posts: 258
    Pre-injury I was a 27" waist and did a lot of oblique work. I still am and was then an hourglass shape. The difference is my bodyfat was 17%. Of course you can feel like abs or obliques "bulk" if the body fat above them is still considerably more than it should be but that's a whole other debate.

    I guess you need to work out whether you are only training for vanity or whether you wish for some functional strength.


    Training is vanity, the want to feel better, look better, achieve physical goals. You can achieve both functional strength and "vanity". Of my cycling and marathon buddies, the ones that do obliques a great deal (and have 17% or lower bodyfat) tend to have a boxier figure than those who do very little oblique if any. You have to decide what works best for you.
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