[KM]

Sup guys.

Many people talk about there cardio in this site, but I can assure you not everyone enjoys a treadmill every time. Maybe outside training could spice things up, in the summer time or even now. I found an article I thought was great for conditioning and people into it. I outlined and put it in mostly my own words. ADDITIONS WOULD BE GREAT!

Outdoor Workout:
Exercising outside will provide you a refreshing break from loud music, artificial lighting, and flashing televisions. And it keeps your mind focused

Some summer training ideas


Walking & Running:
The easiest form of outdoor exercise is simple: WALK. There are trails and sidewalks. You can walk at many different paces. Walking outside instead of on the treadmill is the first and easiest way to change up your cardio routines.
.

Interval Training:
A variation for your normal running routine is an interval workout. Interval training will add a little spice to your workout by adding segments of a faster pace to your workout. During your normal jogging routine, speed it up for 30 seconds or 1 minute or even more. Then, follow the interval with a period of recovery. It is recommended to either walk or slowly jog as a recovery method. The interval of rest depends on your fitness level.

Hill Training:
Hill training will increase muscle power and strength. Be cautious because at first, hill training is very demanding because you will be working muscles that aren't often used when running on flat ground.
-----However, the more you hill train, the easier it will become. It is also effective at building aerobic power and strength. It is a great form of resistance training for runners because as you run up a hill, you are fighting the resistance of the slope. There are many benefits of hill training including strengthening of hamstrings, calves, glutes, hip flexors.

Bike:
Getting into your groove on the bike is a great way to get into great cardiovascular conditioning and tone your lower body. Bicycling can improve fitness and enhance energy levels.


Swimming:
This is an effective way to get into spectacular cardiovascular conditioning along with a total-body workout. It is great for strengthening the heart muscle and helps improve oxygen flow in the muscles. Swimming can also be done in a variety of strokes and with or without swim aids such as kickboards.
-It is also good for the body because it strengthens the abdomen, shoulders, back, and tones the entire body.


Roller-blading/In-Line Skating:
Studies have found roller blading an excellent cardiovascular, or endurance conditioner similar to cycling, but not quite as good as running. Not only is it goof for your heart but it's fun. I do this and I actually like cruising around down the shore.

So, if you're bored with the same old conditioning, when it gets nice out where ever you are, think about doing some fun activities to get your mind going. I will be doing a lot of these in the summer as well

NOTE: Anyone can add anything they like to do like rowing, water sports, jump roping, anything.

Enjoy!

[julio40]

excellent post KM. i do most of those cradio workouts.

[Half Second]

although it's not an outdoor form of cardio (unless you get a single shell and learn to skull), using the indoor rowing machine (the erg) is a fun and different way to do your cardio. It also burns crazy amounts of calories. Click on the link in my signature to read the article I wrote on proper erg technique. There are also some good workout ideas in the thread

[KM]

Thanks guys. I'm ganna post some more good cardio exercises.

Feel free to join and post some personal favorites

[KM]

Cardio For Bodybuilders.

Why it is important.

By: Bryan Locke

Since it is next to impossible to possess a ripped and lean body while adding any substantial amount of muscle mass, most bodybuilders follow an on/off-season diet and training plan. During off-season training, cardio should be limited to once a week to ensure all possible calories are used to build as much muscle mass as possible. However, during the on-season, cardio should be performed up to 4 times a week to eat away at bodyfat stored during the off-season.

Cardiovascular exercise is one of the most important keys to getting that well defined, muscular physique. Similar to resistance training, there is science involved with cardio to heighten its results. The amount of bodyfat lost is in direct relation to the number of fat burning elements you zero in on.

1. Timing - It is most effective to perform your cardio session when you first wake up in the morning, on an empty stomach. It is best to perform cardio on an empty stomach because your body will tap into its fat stores for energy, instead of having to burn carbs and then start burning fat. Although this is the ideal timing for cardio, it may be just as effective late in the afternoon if a proper diet is followed.

2. Intensity? Intensity for cardio is defined as the percentage of your maximum heart rate used while performing a particular exercise. To burn fat most effectively, you want to try and hit approximately 65% of your maximum heart rate. This is known as the ideal fat burning zone. To determine your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220 and multiply it by 0.65. This will be the ideal number of heart beats per minute to maximize fat burning benefits from your cardio.

(220 - your age)(0.65) = Ideal heart rate for cardio

3. Duration - If you're a bodybuilder, chances are you aren't doing cardio to become a marathon competitor. Cardio is used by bodybuilders to help increase oxygen flow to muscles and burn excess bodyfat. For best results, cardio should only be performed three to four times a week, on non-resistance training days. You should increase the length of your cardio session by 5 minutes each week until you reach a total of 30-35 minutes.

4. Warm-Up/Cool-Down - Rushing into or out of a cardio session will place unnecessary stress on the heart, muscles, connective tissue and joints. Stretch before you walk, walk before you jog and jog before you run. The key to avoiding injuries is to start slow. Gradually increase the pace over a three to five minute period until you reach your ideal heart rate. At the end of your workout, use a three to five minute cool down period in which you should walk to ease your heart rate back to normal.

5. Nutrition - No matter how good your diet is, you will never reach your maximum definition potential without cardio. The opposite also holds true, no matter how much cardio you do, you will never reach you maximum definition potential without a well thought out diet. Nutrition during cut-up is just as important as nutrition during bulk-up. In order to burn fat, you must burn more calories than you consume. To figure out your daily caloric maintenance, multiply your bodyweight by 15-17, depending on your activity level. This figure represents how many calories your body needs each day to maintain your current muscle mass. When reducing calories, drop by increments of 500 every 10 days to avoid placing your body in a starvation mode and eating away at muscle tissue. To play it safe, I bump my protein intake up to 2.0 grams per pound of bodyweight. For more information on getting ripped, read my article called Cut-Up Program.

[chrispghmuscle]

I use an eliptical machine, it's easy on my joints and a more fluent motion,, well for me it is..

[hvanantwerp]

Originally Posted by KM

...You should increase the length of your cardio session by 5 minutes each week until you reach a total of 30-35 minutes......

If I am using an eliptical machine for my cardio workouts at 60 minutes per session 5 days a week, do you think that is too much?

I am currently at +-17% body fat, just started a low calorie diet (first day), my aim is somewhere in the range of 8% (Currently at 95KG)

Is this over kill ?

[KM]

Well, you know do know that the key to cutting is Cardio and obviously diet. That seems fine, any more than 5 days a week imo is a little overkill. You need rest. Keep everything going, your diet, and you should be there in no time Shoot me a PM if you have any other questions.

[hvanantwerp]

Originally Posted by KM

Well, you know do know that the key to cutting is Cardio and obviously diet. That seems fine, any more than 5 days a week imo is a little overkill. You need rest. Keep everything going, your diet, and you should be there in no time Shoot me a PM if you have any other questions.

Thanx for the feedback, appreciated, I wll just keep it going as you said, the key is patience and I will get there. Great post!!

[KM]

Anytime man, great to here. Keep us a posted.