Question about cardio

I got a question about my cardio training. And i'm posting a quick response here :)

First of all, I only do cardio training when I'm dieting before a competition. And I am not doing cardio under the whole diet eiteher. By limiting my cardio (which is kind of intense)it becomes like an extra gear when I really need it. My experience is that if I do to much cardio, when I still can loose bodyfat by weight training and dieting, it doesen't work as effectively as when I hold back until I stagnate with everything else. Because my body gets "used" to all the activity, and the result is that I must increase my cardio level to get results. OR it backfires, and I do not loose at all. Because I allready have a high activity level, and have cutted down on my diet as much as I can..

But with that said, the reason why I can do this is because I always stay in very good shape all year round. I do not have much bodyfat to loose to get in competition shape.

if you're not very active during the day beside your training, you might start doing cardio earlier on than if you had active days with a lot of walking, physical work etc.

When working with clients I always start with diet and weight training. When all that is in place I add some cardio. Maybe 1-2 sessions a week, and increasing it little by little. The goal is always to gain and keep muscles, and get rid of body fat. That is not a process done in a couple of weeks. The thing is to "hurry slowly". You gotta work WITH your body, NOT against it, to get the results wanted.
It is in the end, when you need to get rid of the stubborn last few pounds the cardio gets more intense.

So when I do cardio, I prefer to powerwalk before breakfast on an empty stomach. The reason why is that in the morning your glycogen storages are empty, and most of the energy consumed comes from the fat deposits.
I just wash my face, get my clothes on.. bring my Ipod and get out. I prefer to walk outside instead of pn a threadmill in the gym. I choose a route with terrain or lot's of uphills. Walking really fast, and keep my pulse up all the way. Some say you burn the most fat when the pulse is at around 120 bpm, but I like to pace it up more thatn that. And it works very well for me. My pulse lays around 140-155 bpm..
I walk for about 90 min with that intensity, before I get home and immediately eat breakfast.
If needed I also do about 30 mins at the threadmill after my workout in the gym, before my proteinshake.
I adjust the mill at the steepest climbing (15 at most threadmills)and DO NOT keep my arms at the handlebar. The pace/speed is adjusted to between 3.5 - 5

Sometimes I vary with interval training in the morning. Running stairs, uphills or sprints.

:)

~Pia~