Cardio

learning4k1ds
learning4k1ds Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am a beginner at exercising and going to the gym. I would like to learn how to do cardio effectively in 30 mins. I don't want to burn my self out or make it something hard for me to do. I'm comfortable with the treadmill, however all I do is walk for 30 mins at an incline of 3.0. Is that helping any?
Can you provide suggestions please where I can push myself to work harder? Thank you

Replies

  • JamesDanek
    JamesDanek Posts: 95 Member
    Ok so you do 30 min on the treadmill at 3.0 incline. its a start but...

    is it challenging you at all?

    If yes then keep at that pace.

    If no up the pace i.e. if you are walking at 3mph up it to 3.5 and walk a little faster. Once this is no longer a challenge up it again or increase the incline.

    you don't need to kill yourself to see results but you will do yourself the world of good but just continually pushing at the boundaries of what you think you can achieve. you might even surprise yourself
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    Try changing the pace and incline every few minutes. Push yourself hard for a minute, then recover for a minute. Try some different machines or a class. See what you like and keeps you interested.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
    I started just using the tread mill for 10 mins, then 20 , then 30.......started then with an eliptical and then other types of elipticals till I could start using weights.......just the weight machines,........it paid off, Im 100 lbs lighter.......you gotta start one step at a time..........keep up the dedication , increase intensity and it will pay off........best wishes
  • ald783
    ald783 Posts: 688 Member
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    Try changing the pace and incline every few minutes. Push yourself hard for a minute, then recover for a minute. Try some different machines or a class. See what you like and keeps you interested.

    This is how I started out when I was getting back into cardio. I'd do 30-35 minutes on the treadmill but would start at a slower pace and lower incline and increase them both every few minutes so that the last stretch of the workout was really tough (at least it was for me at the time). It's just about challenging yourself and increasing your current fitness level, wherever that's at. Eventually if you want to you can get into running or other things.
  • tknight64
    tknight64 Posts: 2 Member
    You have some really good suggestions already and mine falls in line with them.

    Interval training on a treadmill is most effective at any level. Your regiment can become more challenging as your ability/endurance increases. You can start with a simple ratio of walking for two minutes (recovery ) and then walk faster/jog/walk incline for 30 seconds to 1 minutes (exertion) repetitively.

    When that becomes easier you can modify the routine by shortening the recovery time or increasing the level of difficulty and/or length of time in the exertion phase.

    You might even want to try a few of the pre-programmed features on the treadmill. You could ask one of the training staff which ones would be most beneficial for you.
  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
    I've been doing fun cardio workouts with a friend. We have been doing different short times...Row 2000 meters (approximately 11 minutes), stairs 6 minutes, 10-15 minutes elliptical, and walk/run a mile. It keeps it interesting and doable! sometimes we will do some weights in between our cardio.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
    learning4k1ds wrote: »
    I am a beginner at exercising and going to the gym. I would like to learn how to do cardio effectively in 30 mins. I don't want to burn my self out or make it something hard for me to do. I'm comfortable with the treadmill, however all I do is walk for 30 mins at an incline of 3.0. Is that helping any?
    Can you provide suggestions please where I can push myself to work harder? Thank you

    Up your speed. You should, rather easily, be able to attain a 4 mph pace, within a month. Then, push it to 45 minutes.

    Once you're there, you should easily be able to tackle a C25K-ish program, with ease.
  • coreyreichle
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,031 Member
    ald783 wrote: »
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    Try changing the pace and incline every few minutes. Push yourself hard for a minute, then recover for a minute. Try some different machines or a class. See what you like and keeps you interested.

    This is how I started out when I was getting back into cardio. I'd do 30-35 minutes on the treadmill but would start at a slower pace and lower incline and increase them both every few minutes so that the last stretch of the workout was really tough (at least it was for me at the time). It's just about challenging yourself and increasing your current fitness level, wherever that's at. Eventually if you want to you can get into running or other things.

    It's what I did as well. By 30 minutes, I was at 4.2 mph, and an incline of 5.
  • Doublemeasure
    Doublemeasure Posts: 83 Member
    If there is an indoor rower, try that out. It is low impact, uses 80% plus of your muscles. I started at about 5 minutes and built up from there. Look at the http://www.concept2.co.uk/ loads of advice on form and technique.
  • learning4k1ds
    learning4k1ds Posts: 2 Member
    Wow, excellent input! Thank you all for the great suggestions. Now I can set some structure to my routine and get a good cardio workout. Please feel free to share any good ideas. Take care!

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