Why Cardio Training Is Important For Maximum Fat Loss And Optimal Health
Cardiovascular training is very important for health and daily exercise. Benefits include improvements in blood pressure, increases in HDL (good cholesterol) and decreases in LDL (bad cholesterol), reduced body fat, decreased glucose-stimulated response, improvement in heart function, and decreases in anxiety, tension and depression. In addition, all of these benefits combine to help lower a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease including eleven known types of cancer.
Cardiovascular exercise can include any activity using the large muscles (mainly the legs) and includes activities such as walking, biking, running, tennis, swimming, basketball, racquetball and circuit training to name a few. In terms of body composition, cardiovascular training dramatically improves the body’s ability to release and burn fatas a primary source of fuel, provided that the intensity of the workout is in the heart rate training zone appropriate to each person.
When we perform cardiovascular exercise, our body prefers glucose for energy, but will preferentially burn fat if the intensity level is appropriate for the individual. There are two ways to determine intensity level: perceived exertion and a heart rate monitor. The first method is perceived exertion — whereby a person uses a scale from 1-10 in rating how difficult the workout is. This is an old method and very subjective, and not always accurate. The second method is using a heart rate monitor to determine the ideal intensity level. A person must monitor the intensity of their cardiovascular training when their heart rate is elevated. To improve your health and fitness, you must absolutely have a way of determining how hard you exercise.
It is recommended to find a qualified fitness expert to determine your individual target heart rate zone. These professionals can use VO2 testing (such as the Imett V02) to find your optimal level and give you a customized program for cardiovascular training based on your results.
The Imett V02 analyzer is a metabolic machine that connects you and your treadmill to a computer that measures the rate of breathing and heart rate it takes for you to reach different stages of cardiovascular limits. From the test results, the program determines your ideal training zones. Using your heart rate, ventilation and workload information, a program is designed varying your workouts at regular intervals to optimize your performance. Once your numbers are analyzed and your workout goals chosen, the program prints out your own workout card. These cards breakdown your day-to-day cardiovascular workouts and how often, how long, what type, and how hard every workout should be for you to produce the best and quickest results.
Cardiovascular training uses two sources of fuel; glucose or stored body fat. Since most people want to lose fat, they incorporate resistance training into their program to maximize fat loss. Resistance training (using weights) burns only glucose, and therefore, is a great way to start your workout, finishing with cardiovascular training. Because the glucose is mostly depleted during resistance training, the follow up cardiovascular training will use mostly body fat for producing fuel.
Most people start with cardiovascular training first and this is a big mistake. During the training session, glucose will be utilized as the primary fuel source until the point that blood sugar is depleted. Only then will the body begin to use its fat reserve to fuel the cardiovascular session. If the cardiovascular session is performed first, the session might not completely deplete all the glucose available to tap into and burn body fat. Strength training first, followed by cardio training allows the body to utilize excess body fat more effectively.
If you are new to exercising, be sure to start slow and give yourself plenty of time to see results, two to three months in many cases. Your body will adapt to the workouts so they will become easier over time. As always, be sure to consult with your doctor and health professionals for advice on any exercise programs.
Frank Saucedo is a personal Fitness Trainer and can be reached at (909) 214-9660.