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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Here's what I've done to personally go from 19% body fat to 13%
in less than 12 weeks:
First a reminder! The 80/20 Rule: 80% of your fat loss will come from diet and 20% will come from
cardio.
With that said, here's how I used a killer combination of cardio
workouts to slim up. My tool of choice was an
upright, stationary bike in my home office but you can do this
workout using any piece of equipment you want. I chose not to
do my early morning cardio workouts at the gym.
Warm-up/cool-down: Before the beginning and end of each workout, spend 5 minutes in PRE 2 (see below) getting your
blood flowing. This means no hard breathing. A cool down
is important even more on the weeks you do high intensity interval
training to pay back the oxygen debt you will have created.
The Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE): The most common measurement tool for assessing perceived exertion is a ratings
scale named after its developer, Swedish psychologist Gunnar
Borg. The table below is modified for simplicity and answers
the question "How you feel at the time you are asked." Here's
what the numbers mean:
RPE 1-2 Very easy; you can talk with no effort.
RPE 3 Easy; you can talk with almost no effort.
RPE 4 Moderately easy; talking requires a little effort.
RPE 5 Moderate; talking requires some effort.
RPE 6 Moderately hard; talking requires quite a bit of effort.
RPE 7 Difficult; talking requires a lot of effort.
RPE 8 Very difficult; talking requires maximum effort.
RPE 9-10 Peak effort; no-talking zone
12 WEEKS TO A LEANER BODY
How it works: Each week, you'll do two different cardio
workouts, varying the intensity in slightly different ways and
duration. By working close to your RPE 4-6 levels or 65% of your
target heart rate (the point at which fat is used as energy), you burn fat. By
working in your RPE 7+ levels of 75% and more of your target heart rate,
you'll burn a combination of fat and glycogen for energy. Your
stamina will improve more during these workouts.
Interval Style Training: On weeks 2,4,6 and 8,10 and 12, you'll perform your cardio interval style. Alternate one minute
RPE 7+ high intensity sprints with 2 minutes of recuperative
stretches.
12 Week Workout schedule:
Weeks 1,3,5 Perform four times per week
Exercise: Treadmill walk, exercise bike, stairstep
Duration: 45 minutes
Intensity: PRE 5-6; THR 65% of Max
Weeks 2,4,6 Perform four times per week
Exercise: Treadmill walk, exercise bike, stairstep
Duration: 20 minutes
Intensity: PRE 7-8; THR 75% of Max
Weeks 7,9,11 Perform five times per week
Exercise: Treadmill walk, exercise bike, stairstep
Duration: 60 minutes
Intensity: PRE 5-6; THR 65% of Max
Weeks 8,10,12 Perform five times per week
Exercise: Treadmill walk, exercise bike, stairstep
Duration: 30 minutes
Intensity: PRE 7-8; THR 75% of Max
Why it works: High intensity interval training has been preached as the best way to do cardio. It's short and intense,
you burn as many calories and you are done in half the time.
It's ideal for those short on time.
On the other hand, moderate, longer sessions have worked for
decades for those who are the leanest of lean. Competition
bodybuilders. You'll find some of the most competitive
bodybuilders doing 1 or 2 sessions of moderate cardio for 60
minutes per session. Sometimes twice a day! Don't tell me
longer sessions don't work.
The truth is, this type of program gives you the best of both
worlds. Fast workouts on some weeks where you burn fat but you
engage your upper cardiovascular system. And weeks where you
just get into the fat burning zones and keep it there. Steady
state cardio might be dead for some but the rest of us are doing
just fine thanks.
also see:
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