Understanding Low- and High-Intensity Cardio: What to Do and Avoid

Understanding Low- and High-Intensity Cardio: What to Do and Avoid

Cardio is crucial in the training routine of all those who desire to keep fit. Cardio helps burn fat, gain muscle endurance, and enhance blood circulation in the body, among so many other benefits. Cardio exercise is of two types – low-intensity cardio (long-slow cardio), also known as Low-Intensity Steady State (LISS) cardio, and high-intensity cardio or High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cardio. Both workouts have a place in your training. To enhance the performance of cardio and to achieve the desired results, make use of growth hormone tablets. They can easily and conveniently be bought online.

Are you unsure how to make use of low-intensity and high-intensity cardio? This article expounds on the do’s and don’ts of each.

Low-intensity cardio

Do you want to develop endurance, breakdown fats and enlarge your aerobic capacity? Then go for low-intensity cardio. Furthermore, it is less damaging to the joints and muscles. Hence it can be done by those recuperating from injuries.  Using a treadmill, swimming or cycling can be classified as long-slow cardio. One just needs to maintain a low intensity and have the heart rate between 60 and 75 percent of their highest to burn calories.

Do’s

Do undertake low-intensity cardio for a maximum of 10 minutes as preparation for strength training. Longer sessions should be done after a workout.

Do make use of long-slow cardio while recovering. Choose an activity that you can take pleasure in with friends and family.

Don’ts

Don’t carry out a long low-intensity cardio session before strength training because it can mess up the workout if performed before.

Don’t carry out a long-slow cardio activity that is causing you pain. Take the one you will endure best for a great outcome.

High-intensity cardio

This is the more popular of the two. Its benefits include building aerobic capacity, improving VO2max (highest quantity of oxygen that a sportsperson can use), and burning calories at extremely high rates. The experts indicate that HIIT seems to increase consumption of fat to produce energy during exercise and even make the burning to continue long after the exercise. It is normally performed by alternating vigorous training sessions with resting sessions.

During the rest, the movements are halted completely or brought down to a lower level of the maximum heart rate depending on the intensity of the most recently performed exercise. Short workout intervals call for more intense workouts and longer resting sessions. No workout session should go above half an hour. The length of intervals determines the number of sessions per workout.

Do’s

Do high-intensity cardio after non-lifting sessions.

Do an utmost of 20 minutes per session for 2-3 sessions in a week to avoid overtraining.

Do perform the intervals vigorously, getting to at least 85% of your highest heart rate.

Don’ts

Don’t start high-intensity cardio quickly if you are a greenhorn trainee, but rather first build a good foundation of respiratory fitness.

Don’t do this type of exercise when you have soft tissue injuries or your joints are hurting.

The two kinds of cardio are helpful and applicable. It would be great to combine them well as part of your weekly training regime. Just pay attention to your body and take the one that is suitable at a given moment.

 

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