This tip is coming from an article I read in Experience Life, the Life Time Fitness Magazine. I thought it gave some great ideas on how to switch up your cardio.
It's pretty simple but this is how it goes: 2 low-intensity days, 2 moderate-intensity days, and 2 interval days. Let me elaborate.
Low-Intensity Days: Elliptical or treadmill for 20-45 minutes and don't break more than a sweat. (If you're doing you strength workout on these days, then keep it closer to 20 min. I do 20 minutes of stairs before my strength workout and I like that.)
Moderate-Intensity Days: Work at moderately high intensity the whole time for 1 hour.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): You shouldn't go longer than 2o minutes. Alternate between going to max or near-max pace and take brief recoveries. You could also do 1 minute intense and 1 minute low intense.
Try this for two weeks and see how you feel. I like it because it breaks up the monotony of cardio, which can become pretty routine. If you can't run, then do the elliptical or bike and increase the resistance to get your heart rate up.
If you want to find your own heart rate max, take 220- your age. It's not completely accurate but it's ok for now :) Then take 90% of that, 70% and 40% and those are your high intensity, moderate and low intensity heart rates, respectively.
Mine for example is: 220-23= 197. My High Intensity heart rate is 197 x .9 = 177. My Moderate intensity HR is 197 x .7 = 137 etc... If you haven't been consistently working out, just go to 70-80% for your max. You don't want to over do it the first 2 weeks :)
2 comments:
Danny and I have been doing interval training on the treadmill for the last 6 weeks and like it so much better than just running at the same speed. It makes it much more enjoyable, dare I say, I think I'm actually starting to like running.
Keep the tips coming, I need them. Any core workout ideas besides pilates?
Laura so this is Melody and I hope you aren't mad but I might have stolen one of your tips for the week and put it onto a school blog that I've been assigned to work on. I'm part of a health committee here at the high school so we're trying to motivate teachers to be healthier and more active. So when they asked me I thought I know who to take some ideas from. I hope this ok??? Tell me if it's not or if you want credit I can change the name to Laura Garner's getting PG High in shape- kind of catchy!
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