Cardio
When it comes to cardio, you might have a number of goals, but the most common are conditioning the heart and burning calories for weight management. The elements you want to have in place for cardio exercise include:
- Type of exercise. The type of exercise you choose will be based on your fitness level, what you enjoy and the equipment you have available. For beginners, walking might be a good place to start. Any activity that uses the large muscles of the body (e.g., the legs) and allows you to get your heart rate up counts, so choose what you enjoy.
- Exercise intensity. Another element to determine is how hard you want to work. You can measure intensity by using your Target Heart Rate, perceived exertion or other methods. Different types of workouts include:
- Continuous training. This type of workout would be like walking or jogging at a medium pace for 20-60 minutes. This type of workout is good for building endurance and conditioning the body. Example: 45-Minute Cardio Endurance Workout
- Interval training. This workout involves alternating high and low intensity bouts of exercise and helps to improve aerobic power and burn more calories. This is a great way to begin a running program (by alternating walking and running) or to boost endurance quickly. Example: Beginner Interval Training
- Circuit training. With this type of workout, you cycle through a series of moves, one after the other, with little or no rest in between. This is great when you're short on time and want an intense workout. Example: Advanced Cardio Blast Workout
- Exercise duration. How long you exercise will, again, depend on your goals, fitness level and how much time you have. For most goals, you want to shoot for at least 20 minutes, but having a variety of workouts is a great way to keep your body challenged.
For more on these different elements, visit Cardio 101.
Whatever workout you choose, make sure you:
- Have a purpose. Don't just go through the motions but figure out what you're trying to accomplish. Do you want to go faster than you did before? Go longer? Make sure your workout meets that purpose.
- Variety. Schedule workouts of varying intensities (try an interval workout one day and an endurance workout the next) and different activities to keep yourself challenged.
- Check in with yourself. Don't just zone out but, instead, check in with yourself throughout the workout to see how you're doing and if you're working at the right intensity.
Strength Training
When it comes to strength training, the general rule is to work all your muscle groups at least twice a week for basic strength and health gains. But, beyond that, how you set up your program will depend on your goals and fitness level.
The important elements of your strength workout include:
- Type of workout. You can choose a total body workout, a split routine (e.g. upper body one day, lower body the next) or even a body part a day. If you're a beginner, starting with a basic total body workout is a good bet and if you're short on time, you might choose a split routine and do it along with your cardio.
- Strength exercises. The next step is to choose the exercises you'll do and the type of resistance you'll use. When it comes to choosing exercises, be sure to target all your muscle groups and try to do more compound movements for an effective workout. As for resistance, you can choose free weights, machines, resistance bands, cables or a mix of all of these for a more varied workout.
- Use enough weight. The single biggest mistake I see in the gym is not using enough weight. If you're a beginner, it's best to focus on form before intensity. But, if you're experienced, use enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired number of reps. Read more.
- Choose reps and sets. How many reps and sets you do will, again, depend on your goals. For building muscle, it's usually 3 or more sets of 6-10 reps; For muscle and endurance, 2 or more sets of 8-12 reps; and for endurance, 2 or more sets of 12-16 reps.
Like your cardio, set up your strength workout to meet your goals and focus on that during the workout. For example, if you're working on fitness and weight loss, you may want to start with a total body routine 2-3 days a week with a couple of exercises per muscle group. If you're trying to build muscle, you may choose a split routine to give each muscle the attention it needs.
Keep in mind that you don't have to do cardio and strength training separately. Many people do both in the same workout or on the same day to save time and fit everything in. For more on how to set up your program, check out my FAQ on cardio and strength training.
Next: Step 5 - The Cool Down
