best cardio exercise?

[wahoyaho]

so i have some love handles i'm trying to get rid off, what's the best cardio exercise (without going to a gym or having to buy expensive equipments) that'll help me burn off the excess fat?

 

[ConantheLibertarian]

Interval training is very good for fat loss. You basically alternate between walking and running at various speeds for 20-40 minutes. A good pair of shoes is all you need.

 

[Throttle]

proper attention to diet will do more than all the cardio in the world.

 

[blinkwatt]

proper attention to diet will do more than all the cardio in the world.

+1,just plain jogging + swimming can really help as well.

 

[Solarium]

I run about 2-3 times a week, and I'm trying to find the best form of cardio as well. If I had only 30 minutes to do anything. Would running slow to really fast:

1st min: 4.5 mph (fast walk warm up)
2nd min: 5.0
3rd min: 5.5
4th min: 6.0
5th min: 6.5
6th min: 7.0
10th min: 7.5
15th min: 8.0
20th min: 8.5
25th min: 9.0
30th min: 7.2
31st min: 6.0
32nd min: 4.5 (back to fast walk)
33rd min: 3.5 (medium walk)
34th min: 2.5 (slowest walk)
35th min: END

work better, or that interval training you talked about. I mean... it's all about how much calories you actually spent right?

I'm trying to switch between ellipticals and treadmills. I noticed that ellipticals is more taxing on your muscles themselves, almost feeling as though you just weight trained your legs, while treadmills, especially running at high speeds, is more taxing on your overall body and your breath rate/blood flow.

I'm not sure which one is better overall to lose fat, but I can work out about 520 calories in 30 minutes on the treadmill while only about 430 calories on the elliptical. I end up breathing much harder on the treadmill but somehow I can't step on the ellipticals faster or I'll feel really nauseous. Also, the ellipticals doesn't really train your ankles or your calves as well, but supposedly it should in theory use more of your calories with the same amount of effort (according to articles).

Which one you guys prefer?

 

[KnockoutJM]

If you can get a bag, boxing has helped me lose a lot of fat/weight. when you are boxing, you are doing full body workout, plus intervals with 3 min rounds, and 1 min rests.

 

[Kev07]

proper attention to diet will do more than all the cardio in the world.

:rock:

with a proper diet, you can jog 10-20 minutes a day, 4-6 days a week and get results in a month or 2

 

[Throttle]

work better, or that interval training you talked about. I mean... it's all about how much calories you actually spent right?

there's a lot of research supporting various forms of interval training as more effective. interval training on an elliptical machine helped me when i was trying to strip a lot of bf% at once, but i also was neglecting leg workouts at the time.

I'm trying to switch between ellipticals and treadmills. I noticed that ellipticals is more taxing on your muscles themselves, almost feeling as though you just weight trained your legs, while treadmills, especially running at high speeds, is more taxing on your overall body and your breath rate/blood flow.

the standard settings on most ellipticals can be kicked up in terms of resistance to increase the stress on your cardiovascular systems. moving your arms -- or using a machine that has moving handholds -- will involve more of your body. personally, i find the moving handholds annoying & i can never quite adjust to the motion, esp. as exhaustion builds. but let go of the handrails and let 'em swing.

the chief advantage of an elliptical, as i see it, is that it should be significantly gentler on the knees, esp. for heavy guys or those who, say, ran hurdles for many years.

I'm not sure which one is better overall to lose fat, but I can work out about 520 calories in 30 minutes on the treadmill while only about 430 calories on the elliptical.

such numbers are nearly meaningless. you can rarely tell whether or not they're including (or trying to estimate) your bmr (baseline metabolic rate). more intense exercise burns calories for a much longer period after you stop exercising, but also slams your recovery systems, which can affect gains from lifting, if that's a part of your program. such numbers can't (or shouldn't try to) factor in either consideration.

Also, the ellipticals doesn't really train your ankles or your calves as well, but supposedly it should in theory use more of your calories with the same amount of effort (according to articles).

depends on the machine, the settings, and your stride. you can certainly make either or both work much harder by intentionally involving them in the stride.

Which one you guys prefer?

riding my bike, walking, or jogging lightly on a dirt path or a very slightly squishy oval track (in good condition). an elliptical in a very desperate pinch (say, 48 inches of snow on the ground; everything covered in ice; or temps above 100degF and/or ozone alert, and i'm stuck exercising midday), out of continuing deference to my knees. otherwise, anything outdoors. also swimming, tennis, racquetball, basketball......

 

[Throttle]

with a proper diet, you can jog 10-20 minutes a day, 4-6 days a week and get results in a month or 2

fair enough. but he hadn't (and hasn't) yet mentioned diet.

 

[Charm&Style]

what made me lose weight fast was

either early in the morning before i have ate breakfast or a couple hours after my carb cutoff i would go jog (nothing extreme) just a simple jog to get my body warmed up (say 20-30 mins) come home Jump Rope till i can jump no more and then hit the pool and swim a couple laps.

You wouldn't believe how much weight (yes i had a proper diet) i lost within a single month.

The best part is that during this month, i mostly burned off fat and didn't stop losing because i had lost mostly water weight...if you catch my drift.

anyways theres a couple of geniuses on this board who know what they're talking about when it comes to fitness and health.

 

[Kev07]

what made me lose weight fast was

either early in the morning before i have ate breakfast or a couple hours after my carb cutoff i would go jog (nothing extreme) just a simple jog to get my body warmed up (say 20-30 mins) come home Jump Rope till i can jump no more and then hit the pool and swim a couple laps.

You wouldn't believe how much weight (yes i had a proper diet) i lost within a single month.

The best part is that during this month, i mostly burned off fat and didn't stop losing because i had lost mostly water weight...if you catch my drift.

anyways theres a couple of geniuses on this board who know what they're talking about when it comes to fitness and health.

indeed, if you jog in the morning before you eat anything you will lose more weight than jogging some random time of the day

 

[mrRuckus]

Jumping rope for 10 minutes at a moderate pace is the equivalent to running one mile in 12 minutes

Ten minutes of jumping rope is roughly the equivalent of running an eight-minute mile.

Don't forget the 15 minute and 4 minute mile.

 

[blackbelt2k]

Honestly the best cardio/strenght combo i have found is SPORTS...join a sport... i recommend soccer, wrestling(ju jitsu, samba, roman grecko, etc) , or any martial art where the scoring isn't 1 point and stop, ie. ITF tae kwon do, kunfu, karate

 

[agula_jonson]

Hi friend I think the Elliptical is one of the best since you are constantly working your whole body with weights while running/sliding at the same time. You can also work on a flat ground or on random hills to go up a notch. Treadmill would be good too if you adjust to a higher inclination while walking or running (if you want to double the results).

 

[donjuanjovi]

Hi friend I think the Elliptical is one of the best since you are constantly working your whole body with weights while running/sliding at the same time. You can also work on a flat ground or on random hills to go up a notch.

Not only that, but it's really easy. And I've even seen some people.... get this..... GO BACKWARDS! :crazy:
You can also chat with all your friends on adjacent elipticals about those new tampons that open 360 degrees for better leak protection. If you're looking for a good time at the 'fitness club' than the eliptical is where it is at. But make sure to pick up a 'double mocha frappa fagga chino' from starbucks first so you look sophisticated while you burn of all those 'christmas calories'.

 

[PeterNorthisawesome]

so i have some love handles i'm trying to get rid off, what's the best cardio exercise (without going to a gym or having to buy expensive equipments) that'll help me burn off the excess fat?

Swimming, long distance (1-2 miles) bad for your joints and causes problems in the future, Cycling and sprinting. Playing sports like basketball, rugby, football and MMA will also get you in shape.

 

[CRDJit]

Can somebody post what this "proper diet" consists of? Thx!

 

[Warboss Alex]

Can somebody post what this "proper diet" consists of? Thx!

It will be different for everyone depending on age, goals, activity levels, weight, etc. In general it will mean high protein, moderate fat and carbs timed properly. No junk foods and not too many combinations of fats and carbs.

 

[backbreaker]

I'm a big swim fan, so I prefer to swim... but I use a jump rope to warm up in the morning to get the blood going. It's not as easy as it looks

 

[Ricky]

I'll even add this.

Pick several of these that you like. I get bored with one very easily.

Jumping rope is brutally tough in my book. That's why it's effective.

Cross training will limit over use injuries.

My current cardio workout is something like this depending on time.

One day HIIT cardio on treadmill, slow speed 6 mph, fast speed 8.7 mph or so (adjust to your needs). The treadmill I use allows for a one button switch between the two. I do a 5 minute warmup, then at minute 5 go to fast speed, go back to 6 mp for two minutes and drop in the fast speed for minutes 8, 11, 14 and 17-20 (note the slow speed is for recovery in between). Believe it or not this will get you sweating.

One other day I do swimming. I'm a horrible swimmer so it's a terrific workout for me since I'm so inefficient at it. If I'm in the pool for an hour all my flailing has burnt alot of calories and I'm tired.

One day I'll do a long run on the road. Long meaning anywhere from 30 minutes to as much as an hour depending on how I feel. Either that or I've entered a race which may be anywhere from a 5-K up to a half marathon. Since it's a race I push it hard.

Recently I got a bike, so one day I'll use that. The weather is awesome and a bike trail or a race is great.

I lift 3 times a week.