The right way to practice cardio

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Cardio exercises are designed to balance all 3 factors: frequency, intensity and duration of exercise, making training safe and maximum effective. In addition to the above factors, to do cardio properly, you should add a warm-up and cool-down period, and recovery before the end of the training session.

1. What is Cardio? Should I do Cardio?

Cardio exercises work to increase heart rate and breathing rate at moderate to vigorous intensity for about 10 minutes or more. Cardio exercises are quite diverse, including brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing..., and at the fitness center, popular cardiovascular support machines include treadmills, machines. stationary bike , step machine...
Strength exercises such as lifting weights, using weight machines, strength training, and abs are not generally considered cardiovascular exercise. Because they aim to increase muscle strength rather than heart function. However, you can tweak some exercises to raise your heart rate and improve your heart health. In general, Cardio exercises are very good for people at risk of cardiovascular disease, often shortness of breath and rapid breathing when climbing stairs, vigorous activity.
MORE: How are cardio exercises designed?

2. How to choose Cardio exercises

The first step to choosing the right form of cardio is figuring out what type of activity you enjoy. Spend some time thinking about the type of exercise that fits your interests and your free time, which is important because if you don't like the exercise, you're less likely to stick with it for long. Here are some suggestions to choose the right form of Cardio:
If you like outdoor activities, walking, running, cycling are all good choices. If you like going to the gym, you can use more options like stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine and many more. If you want to do cardio every day at home, you can do cardio through jumping rope, jogging in place, jumping jacks and burpees. Buying a treadmill, an Elliptical machine is also an option for many families with large spaces. Or you can practice Cardio through watching DVD tutorials, fitness apps, online exercises. If you don't know what you like, try different activities to find the one or exercises you like best. This section is important but often missed, so take the time to explore your favorite workout trends.
SEE ALSO: 14 most enjoyable cardio exercises

3. Instructions for doing Cardio properly

3.1. Warm-up and stretching phase

Before entering the high-intensity exercise section, you should warm up to help blood flow to the muscles, stretch and relax the body.
Warm-up Suggestions:
Do 5-10 minutes at low intensity to warm up your muscles and increase your heart rate steadily. For example, if you're walking or running, start walking slowly to get your heart rate up. Next, stretch the muscles that you will use during your workout. The warm-up will warm up the muscles and increase the effectiveness of the exercise.

3.2. How long should I do Cardio?

The answer to cardio frequency and intensity depends on many factors: your physical ability, your schedule, and your goals.
Health professionals recommend 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week for most people (about 30-60 minutes per session, excluding warm-up and cool-down times). If your goal is to lose weight or stay in shape, do more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio.
About the training time One of the outstanding advantages of Cardio is that you do not need to prolong your practice time to reap the benefits, because even short 10-minute training sessions taking advantage of your free time are included in the plan. your overall workout. So, figure out how many minutes you need to practice each week and break it down into small sessions that fit your ability.
Beginners may find it more comfortable to break the total time into short 10-15 minute series. As your body gets used to it, you can add 5 minutes to each exercise and gradually move towards your goal of 30-60 minutes each time.
About intensity of exercise You can do Cardio every day with light and moderate intensity exercises. However, with high-intensity exercises, experts recommend taking a break every other day between training sessions. The advice is that combining both types of exercise will help you impact your body to different degrees, while keeping you from burning out.

3.3. The period of cool-down and recovery exercises

After completing the cardio, you should cool down with 5-10 minutes of low-intensity activity. Many people choose to end their workout with a gentle stretch, walk, or focus on breathing.
Before starting any exercise, talk to your doctor about your health condition and ability to exercise. To do cardio properly, in addition to following the rules, you also need to listen to your own body. If your body shows signs of exhaustion from exercising too much, reduce the intensity or length of your training sessions. Whatever you do, remember to keep the Cardio exercise simple, inspiring because the more you love it and persevere, the less difficult the difficulty level will be, the more effective the training will be.

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Reference source: Verywellfit