Well I've seen it pretty often. The pages are flipping, voices are chatting, cell phones are being dialed and ipods are being fumbled. Where am I? On a plane? Strolling downtown? Sitting in a park? NO...I'm at my local gym trying to do cardio!
Yes it's true, the amount of lackadaisical, low-effort, no intensity working out I see on cardio machines at gyms everywhere really baffles me. Between the old ladies chatting next to me on elliptical machines, to the guy on the treadmill paying a little too much attention to the TV, to the young kid annoyingly talking on his cell phone on the bike, it seems like almost everyone doing cardio is not really doing cardio, if you know what I mean.
Look, people have a right to workout however they want to. But seriously, if you have enough focus to read an entire issue of National Geographic while you are working out, I would bet my entire life savings that you are not working out hard enough to do anything "substantial" in terms of fat loss (or even fitness for that matter).
I think this "lack of effort" comes down to a combination of two things.
1) People like doing cardio just so they can "feel better" about themselves regardless of the effort they put in.
Face it, "read a magazine" cardio and "talk to neighbor" cardio is very easy. There's little to no work involved and as a added bonus you get to go home and pat yourself on the back for not being lazy . But in reality people who work out like this are lazy because they use the least amount of effort required to just keep the machine lights on. It's harsh, but it's the truth.
2) The common misconception that low-intensity cardio is better for fat loss.
This one really boils my skin. Plastered on virtually every cardio machine is the infamous fat loss "zone", which recommends keeping your heart rate around 60% of its max for "ideal" fat loss training. The idea being that at lower intensity training your body uses a higher percentage of fat for fuel whereas high intensity training uses more carbs. While this whole ratio thing may be true, when it comes to fat loss all that matters is TOTAL CALORIES burned. The more intense you workout the more calories you will burn. PERIOD. Yeah sure, you may be burning a higher "ratio" of carbs but you are still burning more TOTAL fat than you would barely moving on the treadmill.
So, if you're one of these people who for either of the aforementioned reasons doesn't really give it their all during cardio exercise, here are a few tips to create a workout that will have you crying for momma:
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) - HIIT Cardio Training involves alternating very rigorous maximum intensity "work" intervals (usually short intervals 30 sec to 1 min) with lower intensity "rest" intervals (usually 1 to 2 min). HIIT has been scientifically proven to be more effective then steady state cardio at lower intensities for fat burning purposes. You can do hit for any cardio exercise and you may find that you can make your total workout shorter (15 - 30 min) since you're working so hard.
Heart rate goals: Aside from HIIT you can also use "heart rate goals" to really pick up the intensity for regular cardio. Use a heart rate monitor (some cardio machines have them built in or you can use the kind that straps onto your wrist). Now set a heart rate goal that is challenging. The level that works for you may be different than someone else, but for me personally, I shoot for at least 150 bpm for intense cardio sessions. Whatever you do, don't let your heart rate BPM fall below your preset threshold.
Find a competitor: If you workout with a friend or counterpart, one of the best things you can do to is compete. Pick the same machine, start at the same time and find out who's picking up the tab for the post-workout meal. Compete on miles completed (in a set amount of time) or even calories burned (as measured on machine). Either way, you'll find that the competition will really push you to go harder and faster.
So there you have it. No more excuses and no more low-intensity, no challenge cardio. Constantly push your self to the extreme during training and you'll find that you'll be mentally stronger, physically more able and that your fat loss results will skyrocket to a whole new level.
CK Clark is a renowned fitness author and founder of [http://www.bestmuscleprograms.com] which provides updated fitness advice and in-depth reviews of top fitness programs.
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