Cardio is a physical workout that uses the large muscle groups of the body and increases the heart rate. The most common types are running and aerobics. Such loads increase the energy needs of the metabolism, and also change the way the metabolism works.
What are the benefits of cardio for body health and weight loss? How exactly does cardio affect weight loss – and is it really necessary to exercise on an empty stomach to quickly burn fat? How to combine cardio with strength exercises?
What does cardio include?
Cardio training (or cardio) is any workout that raises the heart rate. In fact, the term “cardio” includes running, brisk walking, cycling, swimming, as well as jumping rope or any other exercise that makes the heart beat faster.
At the same time, the mechanism of the effect of cardio on weight loss is not only the expenditure of calories. First, a higher heart rate raises body temperature and increases blood flow.
Secondly, the body produces the fat-burning hormone adrenaline. Thirdly, it normalizes the level of insulin, which affects the decrease in appetite.
Numerous studies support the benefits of cardio, whereas a sedentary lifestyle and insufficient daily activity are harmful to health. In fact, regular cardio workouts affect the entire body – mood improves, immunity increases, extra pounds go away.
Pros and cons
In addition to the pros, cardio has a number of disadvantages. First of all, it is necessary to take into account age and general health. For example, running can be harmful when carrying a lot of weight (it puts strain on your joints), and too high a heart rate can put too much strain on your heart, which can be dangerous.
Despite this, regular cardio does far more good than harm. The main thing is to choose the level of activity that suits you and monitor your heart rate. The acceptable limit is 115-130 beats for the age of 30, while at 50 – no more than 100-115 beats per minute.
Cardio and strength training – what’s the difference?
During cardio, the body works in an aerobic mode, which speeds up breathing and increases the level of oxygen use – while strength training (exercises with heavy lifting) is usually anaerobic and has less effect on the heartbeat.
Due to the effect on the cardiovascular system, cardio increases overall endurance, reducing the risk of developing heart disease by 45%. In turn, strength training develops muscles, coordination of movements and stimulates the work of the central nervous system.
Each type of physical activity offers its own benefits – furthermore, combining and alternating various exercises results in maximum effectiveness. Studies also demonstrate that interval training leads to the most rapid fat loss.
Why is it better to do cardio on an empty stomach?
Some athletes believe that fasted cardio is the best way to quickly burn belly fat. The logic is based on the fact that the absence of food in the stomach is linked to low levels of insulin in the blood. In effect, the body expends energy from reserves rather than from freshly consumed foods.
However, studies do not find a clear link between training on an empty stomach and faster fat loss. In fact, for weight loss, it is important to monitor the calorie intake and the regularity of training – while the timing of meals plays only a secondary role.
Cardio – before or after strength training?
When aiming to gain muscle mass, cardio is typically recommended to be limited to 5-7 minutes and performed before strength training as a warm-up. This will help you use energy for weight training. At the same time, at the end of the training, it is better to take a cold shower, and not return to the treadmill.
Recall that excessively long and hard training increases the level of cortisol, which is a catabolic hormone – it destroys muscle mass, slows down recovery and can lead to overtraining. An alternative solution would be to alternate cardio days and strength training days.
As for training for weight loss or to increase the relief of muscles, in this case the total duration of the training and the emphasis on ensuring that an excessive amount of cardio does not come at the expense of the main workouts play a role. In order to avoid muscle loss, it is important to give them a sufficient level of exercise.
Cardio is a generalized name for any type of physical activity that raises the heart rate. The benefits of cardio for weight loss are not only to burn calories, but also to normalize the metabolism. In addition, regular cardio is good for health – especially for the cardiovascular system.