“A lady I worked with said I was her first trainer. One day, after working with her for some time, she came in wearing a pair of jeans on top of her clothes. She said, “you gotta see this!” and lifted her pants up and let them go. They fell to the ground. She excitedly said, “they used to be tight on me!”
At that moment, Jeff Fink realized that helping people attain their fitness goals was something he truly wanted to do.
At Bayshore Fit, one of the most commonly asked questions we hear is, “what’s the best cardio to lose fat?” If this a question that you find yourself asking as well, read on below to get Jeff and Beth’s expert advice on the topic of blasting fat! Here, they break it down into 4 core rules:
Rule #1 – Do What You Enjoy
The biggest and best piece of advice on which cardio exercises to do is simple – do whichever exercises you enjoy.
“Pick cardio workouts you don’t hate,” says Beth Scanlan at Bayshore Fit. “If you hate running, I’m not going to force you on the treadmill. You’re far more likely to stick to something you enjoy and want to improve at. That way, you’re far more likely to get the results you want, because you’ll be willing to work harder at it.”
Rule #2 – Switch it Up
Not only should you do what you like, you should switch up the types of cardio workouts to add variety to your routines, Jeff adds.
“Let’s say you want to get 30 minutes in. I’d say, let’s run outside for 10 minutes, then come inside and run on the elliptical for another 10 minutes, and finish up the rest on a rowing machine,” he says. “That way, you’re getting in the time you need, with a variety of different workouts to challenge your cardiovascular system.”
Rule #3 – Up the intensity
The body is an incredible machine that will adapt to whatever intensity you give it. After a while, your body will get used to running 30 minutes on a treadmill, and you simply won’t see the same results as you did in the beginning.
“A lot of clients get frustrated saying they don’t see the results they want, but then you see them just strolling along on the cardio machine, maybe even having a conversation of watching a TV show,” describes Beth. “They’re not pushing themselves. They’re not getting their heart rate up. When people aren’t losing weight, it’s because they just aren’t hitting the intensity they need.”
To make sure you’re in the fat-burning zone, there is a formula to calculate the target heart rate during exercise. Using this formula, determine what 75% of your heart rate is, and use that as a baseline for determining the intensity that should guide your cardio workouts.
Rule #4 – Increase Frequency
“As a rule, you want to get cardio in three to five days a week,” says Beth.
“To lose fat and keep your body working efficiently, you’ll also need to get your weight training or strength training in twice a week,” adds Jeff. “Those are minimal, to lose fat more quickly and lean out, you’ll need to increase your frequency on top of those guidelines.”
Once you start and maintain an effective cardio routine, you’ll continue to see results not only in how you look, but in how much stronger and healthier you’ll feel. At Bayshore Fit, we are passionate about helping our members achieve their health and fitness goals, so they can live their best life possible. Contact us for more information on training, class schedules, and more.