If you’re anything like me, you have a love-hate relationship with cardio. Although in the past, I was made to believe cardio machines (treadmill, stationary bike, stair climber) help you get the job done in a short period of time, making a morning or lunchtime workout a breeze. I wasn’t getting the results I wanted. So, I enlisted the help of Phoenix Gentry, a certified master trainer and wellness coach with over 24-years of experience, who broke down the do’s and don’ts of the big “C” word.
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For starters, according to Gentry, “most people don't use the machines correctly.” In fact, machines are a last resort when it comes to burning fat.
“A total body work out is the best way to burn body fat,” Gentry tells BlackDoctor.org. “For example, if you are going to work your hips, hamstrings and glutes opt for exercises like squats, lunges, single straight-leg deadlifts, and step-ups,” added Gentry. “After a warm-up, do the following exercises as fast as you can for 45 seconds each. Give yourself 15 seconds to move from one exercise to another. After one full circuit, take a two-minute break before repeating the circuit again, twice more.”
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Note: Squats and lunges also strengthen your core.
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This type of circuit training turns into cardio itself as it makes your “heart rate explode, before coming down to rest again, ensuring that you’re burning all you’re energy sources,” Gentry continued. “Then move on to chest, back, triceps, biceps and abs. While you could simply do 45 seconds of each: squats, lunges, single straight-leg deadlifts, step-ups, pushups, tricep dips, lunges, jumping jacks, abdominal crunches and burpees – totaling 40 to 50 minutes with the warm-up. I’ve found it easier for clients to break the body into parts, to ensure they don’t max out midway through their workout.”
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“By completing this kind of total body workout 3-4 times a week, slowly adding resistance, you should see the fat melting away,” Gentry added.
Meanwhile, Gentry went on to explain that if you’re “forced to use a cardio machine, long, steady flat runs are not effective.”
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“It’s all about intervals,” Gentry said. “Whether you’re running, using the elliptical or the stair master, you have to mix speeds and inclines for it to be effective. Start with a minimum of 2.5 incline at a speed of 4.5 and complete 2 minutes before moving on to full speed/incline. Rotate in-between intervals (2 minutes each) for 15-20 minutes total.”
The same goes when using the stationary bike. Cruise control is not going to get the job done. “Vary intensity, with 2-minutes of high-cadence pedaling and a 2-minute recovery, then repeat for 15-20 minutes,” he continued. “Of course, I always tell people if you have 20 minutes to hop on the treadmill, you can take that 20 minutes to get outside, hit a track, challenge yourself.”
In other words, in order to burn fat, pass on the traditional cardio workout and opt for a total body regimen including circuit training, interval training and or/resistance.
