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Ask an inSHAPE Trainer - Cardio Burnout? (February 23, 2010)
By Inshape | February 23, 2010
How much cardio is too much? I can’t seem to get the results I want even though I’m doing 60-90 min’s of cardio 5-6 days a week?
Cardio is an important part of the equation when it comes to getting in shape and seeing results. It’s hard to put a number on how much is too much. And, it also depends on what your goals are. If you’re training for a marathon, then 60-90 minute workouts might be realistic, considering the training schedule for running this distance. But other than training for an endurance event, 60-90 minutes every day is overkill. You can see results with a much more time efficient routine. If your goal is to get lean and lose weight, you need a more balanced training program; you need to take a close look at your diet and you need to incorporate resistance training a few days a week. If you’re doing one without the others the chances of seeing the results you want are slim.
It’s recommended to get 30 minutes of cardio most days of the week to keep the heart conditioned. Cardio exercise does burn calories. Initially when you start training you’ll lose weight. However, your body quickly adapts to this type of exercise and after a month or so of doing the same exercise you won’t burn as many calories because your body becomes more efficient to the training. What many people start to do when they hit this plateau is they increase their time on the treadmill or elliptical just to continue to maintain their weight. This becomes quite a burden to have to spend so much time on a piece of equipment for minimal results. Putting your body through this type of training eventually breaks the body down and you risk getting injured and overtraining. It’s not a healthy way to work out.
A good way to see continued results is to workout using interval- training. You will consistently burn calories with this style of training. When you interval train you add short bursts of cardio to your workouts. You will go much harder with the cardio, but only for very short periods. So instead of running for 60 minutes, run 30 minutes but add sprints every 3 minutes for 30-60 seconds. You will be amazed at how much your body will respond to this intense training. With this type of training you’ll burn fat, too.
Another method to use to generate results is to add 20-30 minutes of resistance circuit training to your routine. Make sure you’re working your entire body but changing up the exercises frequently. Work your body hard by training at maximum capacity. Push yourself for all 20-30 minutes with minimum down time. You’ll keep your heart rate elevated while challenging your strength. This is a very efficient way to train because you not only get the strength results but it becomes a cardiovascular conditioning routine as well. The workouts in the inSHAPE No Excuse Toolbox are an excellent example of this type of combined program - check them out here.
If you have any questions or need help putting together a more efficient program please let us know! We’re here to help. And please continue to send us your questions - Ask an inSHAPE Trainer and get free help on any fitness-related issue (send your request to info@inshapellc.com).
Topics: In-Home Exercises (no or little equipment needed), Personal Training |
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