Hey guys, Sean Nalewanyj here of BodyTransformationTruth.com, and in this video I want to discuss what the
“best cardio exercises” are when it comes to burning calories and improving your overall
conditioning.
Now it may not be the most enjoyable thing in the world for a lot of trainees, but performing
regular cardio is something that I do recommend for most people, and my suggestion here is
very simple, and that is that instead of choosing your specific cardio exercises based on what
will “burn the most calories”, just go with the ones that you enjoy the most and
that maximize your chances of sticking to your cardio plan over the long term.
Now, just to be clear, what I’m referring to here are the actual cardio exercises that
you choose (such as a treadmill or a stationary bike) and not the specific cardio methodology
(such as low intensity/long duration or high intensity/low duration).
As I’ve covered in previous videos, both slower-paced cardio sessions in the 45-60
minute range as well as high intensity cardio sessions in the 8-20 minute range, these both
have their own unique benefits, and most trainees will probably be best off byperforming a mix
of both.
However, assuming that you have things already laid out properly in terms of frequency, intensity
and duration, then the specific cardio exercises that you use to meet those variables are really
up to you.
Fat loss and muscle growth are all about ongoing long term consistency, and when it all comes
down to it, the “best cardio exercises” are simply the ones that you’ll be most
likely to perform multiple days per week over the long term.
For example, if you absolutely hate running on a treadmill, then there's NO need to torture
yourself by using that as one of your cardio methods.
Instead, go with a cardio machine that you prefer better, such as a stairstepper, or
a stationary bike or rowing machine.
Or if you can’t stand traditional cardio equipment altogether, then do something like
body weight intervals, or barbell complexes or even kettlebell work.
You could jump rope.
You could hit a heavy bag.
You could swim.
If you’d rather go outdoors, then there’s a million choices there as well, such as things
like cycling, or hiking, kayaking etcetera.
If you’re into sports, then another option is to find a drop in league and use that as
one of your cardio methods.
A game of basketball, or soccer, or hockey, etcetera.
all of these are great ways to get the fat burning and cardio conditioning benefits that
you’re after while having fun at the same time.
Another option is to take a look at the list of classes that are offered at your gym and
see if anything interests you there.
Group cardio, a TRX class, even fast-paced yoga – there’s really nothing wrong with
any of these choices when it all comes down to it.
If you just a bit of time and put some thought into it, then you should easily be able to
come up with a list of different activities that you’d enjoy (or at the very least that
would be tolerable) while still allowing you to get a good workout in.
Remember, the basic underlying purpose of cardio is simply to burn additional calories,
and ANY form of exercise that allows you to generate a sufficient amount of intensity
is going to allow you to do that.
Obviously there will be slight differences in overall calorie expenditure from exercise
to exercise, but the overall variance is going to be negligible and it isn’t likely going
to make much, if any difference in the overall picture of things.
Now, the one caveat here is that if you are someone who is looking to fully optimize their
body composition and their strength levels, then you’ll obviously want to choose cardio
exercises that don’t measurably interfere with your recovery in between your weight
training workouts.
It probably wouldn’t be wise, for example, to do rock climbing as a cardio method immediately
before or after a back workout.
Or if you were training chest and triceps in the next 24 hours, then you’d probably
want to avoid repetitive punching on a heavy bag.
Or if you just performed heavy squats and leg presses in the previous day then doing
explosive plyometrics or sprint intervals probably wouldn’t be ideal.
Just use some proper planning and some common sense to make sure that you choose cardio
exercises that don’t heavily involve the muscles that you’ve just finished training
or that you're just about to train.
Again though, this assumes that you’re trying to squeeze out 100% of your possible muscular
development and strength gains.
If that’s not necessarily the case for you, then just go ahead and schedule your cardio
sessions in whatever way that you would personally prefer.
So bottom line here, again, the basic underlying purpose of cardio is to generate enough overall
intensity in order to burn a significant number of calories, and there are an endless number
of different possible activities that will allow you to do that beyond traditional treadmill
running or stationary biking.
And for that reason, choosing your cardio exercises based on the specific activities
that you most prefer will, number 1, maximize the chances of sticking to your cardio plan
long term, number 2, make your day to day life more enjoyable in general, and number
3, do both of these things while still delivering the same basic fat burning and cardio conditioning
results that you’re after.
So thanks for watching this video lesson, I hope you found the information useful here
today.
If you want to get some more highly effective but practical fat burning and muscle building
tips just like this one along with concrete, step by step training and nutrition plans
to follow, make sure to head over to BodyTransformationTruth.com and grab my complete “Body Transformation
Blueprint” System and you can do that by clicking the icon at the top of the video
or using the link in the description box below.
If you did enjoy the video, as always, please make sure to hit the LIKE button, leave a
comment and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future videos.
And make sure to check out my official blog over at SeanNal.com for all of my latest articles,
tips and other updates.
Talk to you again soon.