Most people do their cardio all wrong, particularly those who wish to lose bodyfat. As I’ve said in previous posts, 1 pound of muscle will burn an extra 50 calories per day at a resting state, so adding and preserving lean muscle mass is critical, yet people will train in a cardio zone which potentially burns muscle!

Here are some good rules of thumb for general weight loss as it relates to cardio training:

1. Remember that cardio is only 10% of the bodyfat reduction battle. 50% or better is nutrition. 40% is resistance training! Therefore to preserve muscle, spend 40 mins during your workout weight training or other form of resistance training, and 20 mins. or more of cardio in the appropriate zone.
2. Weight training first will deplete glycogen in your muscles, so theoretically your cardio session which follows should burn fat if done in the correct zone.
3. What is the correct zone? First let me tell you what it’s not - it is not, after lifting weights, running at 80-85% of your max heart rate for 20 minutes. It is interval training. For this method, you would begin in a 60% zone for 5 minutes, then for the next 15 you would alternate between a higher “more uncomfortable” level for only one minute, then dropping back down to 60-70% for one minute. Remember that if your max heart rate is 220 minus your age, the zones will be calculated from that number. However, that is a general formula that doesn’t apply to all with exactness. If you feel like your heart rate is up, but is only at 75%, you may need to build better cardio fitness, you may be tired or overtrained that day, or your body mechanics may dictate a different scale - but the principle is the same - which is that you alternate between moderate and high intensity cardio in intervals, followed by a 5 minute cool down period.

In summary, this method will not only assist in building cardio fitness, but will preserve lean muscle tissue. Depending on your level of fitness and your goals, it also doesn’t hurt to do a brisk walk on the treadmill or outdoors after intense training. At that point you will be in your fat burning zone. Finally, unless you are training for specific running, triathlon or swimming events, beware of too much high intensity cardio lest you cannibalize hard-earned muscle tissue! If you are training for endurance events, be sure to consume adequate calories, including quality carbs and sufficient proteins (see caloric expenditure formula in yesterday’s post.)