Aerobic training (or cardio) is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Cardio training not only helps to optimize the functioning of the body (primarily the work of the heart) but also burns a significant amount of calories, helping to lose weight.
What is the best cardio for fast weight loss and burning excess fat? How many calories are spent in different types of cardio workouts? Why is it recommended for beginners to use an ellipsoid or exercise bike instead of running? The answers are in the article below.
What is cardio?
Cardio training (from the Greek “cardio“, heart) is a physical exercise that increases the heart rate. With cardio, the body works in aerobic mode and consumes more oxygen. The types of such loads are running, brisk walking, jumping rope, cycling and even swimming.
The benefit of cardio is that physical training against the background of an increase in oxygen consumption leads to the active work of the cardiovascular system. Which, in turn, increases blood flow in the tissues, and also has a positive effect on metabolism.
Among other things, training in cardio mode helps to lose weight – both due to calories burned, and by optimizing metabolic processes. In particular, cardio training has a positive effect on blood glucose levels and also contributes to the normalization of the production of a number of hormones.
Benefits:
- Increased metabolic rate
- Cardiovascular training
- Improvement of blood circulation in tissues
- Improved glucose and insulin metabolism
Cardio for weight loss
The mechanism by which cardio leads to weight loss is by burning calories from internal stores. Cardio boosts your metabolism and also develops your body’s ability to create quick energy reserves in your muscles for exercise.
Essentially, with cardio, the body learns to use carbohydrates better. Excess calories begin to be stored as glycogen in the muscles, and not as fat. At the same time, weight loss is part of the recovery period after training, achieved only in the case of a general lack of calories in the diet.
It is also important that the effectiveness of cardio is determined by the heart rate and the duration of the workout. To lose weight, you need to be in the fat-burning zone of the pulse, exercising at least 2-3 times a week for 30-40 minutes. How much fat is burned will depend on this.
How many calories does cardio burn?
The best cardio program for weight loss and fat burning is 2-4 workouts per week. The duration of each workout is from 30 to 50 minutes, the average heart rate is not higher than 120-130 beats. In the presence of a daily calorie deficit of 300-400 kcal, this cardio regimen will make it easy to lose weight by 2-3 kg per month.
1. Slow walking (speed 4 – 5 km/h)
Although regular walking can technically be considered cardio, the calorie costs of it are not so great. Ultimately, the faster the stride, the more energy is required.
Calories burned in 30 min:
- With a body weight of 55kg – 90kcal
- With a body weight of 85kg – 170kcal
2. Exercise bike
An exercise bike is one of the most affordable types of cardio for the home. It is easy to increase the duration of your workout by watching TV at the same time.
Calories burned in 30 min:
- with a body weight of 55kg – 210kcal
- with a body weight of 85kg – 310kcal
3. Rowing machine
The rowing machine is one of the few types of cardio that involves the upper body rather than the legs. This allows you to develop your back during training.
Calories burned in 30 min:
- with a body weight of 55kg – 210kcal
- with a body weight of 85kg – 311kcal
4. Climber
When training on a climber, the gluteus medius muscle is included in the work, which is inactive with other types of cardio – including running.
Calories burned in 30 min:
- with a body weight of 55kg – 235kcal
- with a body weight of 85kg – 350kcal
5. Elliptical trainer
The advantage of doing cardio on an elliptical trainer is to reduce the load on the knee joints – unlike running, the knees do not experience shock loads.
Calories burned in 30 min:
- with a body weight of 55kg – 240kcal
- with a body weight of 85kg – 430kcal
7. Jump rope
Doing vigorous exercise is another way to do cardio. You can either jump rope or practice running in place or shadow boxing.
Calories burned in 30 min:
- with a body weight of 55kg – 300kcal
- with a body weight of 85kg – 450kcal
8. Speed bike
Cycling (speed exercise bike) is one of the most active types of cardio. It requires a good level of fitness, burning a large amount of calories.
Calories burned in 30 min:
- with a body weight of 55kg – 315kcal
- with a body weight of 85kg – 470kcal
9. Running (speed 8 – 10 km/h)
The cost of calories while running depends primarily on the weight of the athlete and the direct running technique. In addition, the speed of movement also affects the effectiveness of such cardio.
Calories burned in 30 min:
- with a body weight of 55kg – 375kcal
- with a body weight of 85kg – 555kcal
The best workouts for weight loss
In order to burn calories (more precisely, use fat stores as fuel), you must first deplete the stores of carbohydrates stored in the muscles in the form of glycogen. Cardio for weight loss should either be continuous (at least 30-40 minutes) or should be done after strength training when blood sugar levels are at a minimum.
Another type of cardio for weight loss is HIIT interval training. Note that this type of training is suitable for professional athletes, and not for ordinary people who want to lose a few kilograms. In their case, long-term cardio workouts of moderate intensity will be the best.
The importance of diet for weight loss
It is important to adequately evaluate the calories burned during cardio training – often the figure is not as large as it seems. In fact, one can of Coca-Cola is equivalent to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity. In fact, it is much easier to control excess calories in food than trying to burn those same calories in the gym.
Among other things, the glycemic index of the food you eat plays a key role. The use of fast carbohydrates with a high GI provokes the appearance of a “fake” feeling of hunger caused by insulin surges in the blood. This is precisely the harm of sugar, sweets, and pastries – and not at all in the calorie content.
Is running the best cardio type for weight loss?
Traditionally, running is considered the best form of cardio for weight loss. Unfortunately, beginners often don’t run correctly. But just as a person learns to swim, he must also learn to run. Running with the wrong technique and in the wrong shoes (especially flat feet) can cause serious knee injury.
At the same time, running is categorically not recommended for people with obesity, since shock loads have an extremely negative effect on their knee and hip joints. For weight loss with a large amount of excess weight, cardio such as an exercise bike, walking on an elliptical trainer or swimming is preferred.
The benefits of running
With the right technique, running is a great form of cardio for burning fat. When running, it is easy to adjust the effectiveness of the workout by speeding up or slowing down the movement. Also, this type of cardio normalizes brain function and increases the production of endorphins, helping in the treatment of depression.
Especially useful is jogging in the fresh air. There are scientific studies showing that when inhaling the aromas of the forest, the human body receives an analgesic effect. The reason lies in the fact that the leaves and trunks of fallen trees produce and emit molecules into the air that have a relaxing effect on people.
Combining cardio and strength training
Cardio before strength training is an important part of the warm-up, as it is necessary both to prepare the body for stress in general and to increase blood flow activity and increase the temperature in particular. A proper warm-up should always include 5-10 minutes of light cardio with a heart rate of 120-140 beats per minute.
However, cardio performed after strength training will negatively affect performance – despite the fact that fat-burning processes are activated, at the same time levels of the hormone cortisol, which destroys muscles, will increase. In addition, it is the high level of cortisol that is responsible for the accumulation of excess belly fat.
Cardio workouts that stimulate the work of the cardiovascular system are necessary both as a warm-up before power loads, and to normalize the mechanisms for using sugar as a source of nutrition for the body – this is what is important for activating fat-burning processes.