Most people choose cardio equipment based on feel, performance, price, expectations and space availability. Very few choose on what the machine is designed to do, or what accomplishment can be expected if used properly.

There are two kinds of cardio units. Some are designed for aerobic activity and others for anaerobic activity. The main difference between the 2 activities is the intensity and resistance used in muscle contraction, (anaerobic) and light continuous activity using low intensity. (aerobic) Both increase the heart rate, but muscle contraction increases it more due to the higher demand for oxygen. Some equipment like steppers, rowers and sometimes ellipticals are designed for muscle contraction activity and are not great at burning fat as opposed to increasing muscle density by enlarging capillaries to flow more oxygen. Increased resistance must be part of the workout. They are usually in short duration, and the energy used is mostly from glycogen and very little fat. The heart can reach above 135 to as much as 200 bpm. These workouts are usually called interval workouts and are performed all out, after a short warm up at low intensity.

However, if your goal is to burn fat, you must perform exercise with low resistance and intensity. The treadmill, elliptical and bike are great at this level, but with low resistance only and over a long period of time. To get the body in a fat burning mode, you must do these sessions either first thing in the morning, or about 3.5 hours after your last meal, to come in with low blood sugar, or glucose. The heart rate is generally in the 115 to 135 bpm range and the body temperature will rise to expend calories. It takes approx 7 to 9 minutes for thermo genesis to begin, creating heat from the fat sources.

Ellipticals are a favorite due to their double usage and potential. For fat burning, go low intensity over 45 minutes. For endurance, go at high resistance for as long as you can, then get off the machine, walk for about one minute, then return at high intensity again as long as you can. This can be repeated 5, 6, 7 + times as you increase endurance
over time. The duration to failure will also increase. After a few weeks, you’ll climb stairs without breathing hard at all. Muscle density increase metabolic rate, the rate at which glucose is used in the blood. If you can keep stable glucose levels, it’s very difficult to store body fat.

We’ll look at how to select the right cardio equipment for you in another article. Please feel free to call us, or drop into out location or website for further information.