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Originally Posted by sleepyboy2d
Hey, i would like this time to say thanks for helping others out who need fitness advice. Now for my questions, right now im just starting to workout and i wanted to know how many days of cardio should i do per week? Also how long should each sessions last? And finally, how often should one work out there abs per week ? I have more question because im fairly new to working out, but maybe if you have an IM, we could chat on that. Again, thanks in advance =)
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First off I hate the term cardio I like to refer to it as interval training. How often you should do interval training really depends on your goals. Are your goals fat loss? If so then I suggest that you do interval training on a treadmill, elliptical, or exercise bike for 30 min 3 days a week. This includes a 5-min warm-up and a 5-min cool down so essentially your intervals will be for 20 min. Doing interval training 3 days a week along with a full body workout routine on your off days centralized around utilizing all compound movements will help you be successful in burning fat. Exercises such as Squats, Incline Bench Press, Romanian Dead Lifts, Pull-ups, Dips, Lunges, Seated Rows, and Hanging Leg Raise.
I can’t tell you how many times I see someone at the gym doing steady state cardio for 45-60 minutes at the same speed in hopes that they will burn fat. The truth is there is a much better and efficient way of burning fat not to mention steady state cardio does not aid in fat loss. It’s called interval training. Here is an example of what an interval training session would look like.
After a 5-minute warm-up, follow this sample beginner's protocol:
* Start at 15 seconds of intense effort (90% of your maximal pace).
* Follow that with "active rest" (~30% of your maximal pace) for 2 min.
* Perform 3-6 intervals.
* Finish with 5 minutes (or longer) of moderate intensity exercise.
As you become more advanced and accustomed to intervals, progress to:
* Increase your intensity to 95-98% of maximal pace (always hold a little back).
* 30- to 60-second intervals with only 30- to 60-seconds active rest.
* Try to keep your active rest the same length or longer than your work interval.
* Perform 6-12 intervals per session.
* Finish with 5 minutes (or longer) of moderate intensity exercise.
So instead of running on a treadmill for 45 minutes at 6.0mph it would look more like this.
5-min warm-up at 4.0mph
30-sec at 10.0mph
1-min at 4.0mph
Repeat 6-12 times
5-min cool down at 4.0mph
I repeat steady state cardio does absolutely nothing in adding in fat loss. If you enjoy it then do it but if you’re looking for results then switch to interval training.
As far as abs goes you don’t need to do much. When you do the compound movements I mentioned above your abs are already getting a good workout because you have to stabilize your core muscles. If you feel you need to work your abs then here is a solid abs workout.
Do the Abdominal Workout as a circuit, performing one set of an exercise after another with no rest in between, before each total-body workout. Do two or three circuits, performing eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise. Rest 1 to 2 minutes between circuits.
Hanging Leg Raise, Swiss-Ball Oblique Crunch, Cable Crunch, and Bridge.