How Many Times Per Week Should I Do Cardio?
How often should you do HIIT cardio workouts?
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m answering the often asked question, how many times per week should I do cardio?
This is the fourth video in our “Truth About Cardio” series.
As you may know, this week we launched our brand new Live Lean Sprint 2.0 cardio workout program.
In this cardio training program, we’ve provided you with 20 unique HIIT cardio workouts, as well as 5 fun LISS cardio workouts.
Having a properly structured program always helps you stick to your goals, and achieve them faster.
So based on the launch, I’ve received a lot of DMs on my Instagram asking about frequency of workouts.
In other words, how many times per week should I do cardio?
Well, in Live Lean Sprint 2.0, we’ve provided you with various workout schedules based on your specific fitness level.
For example, someone with a primary goal to burn fat, would incorporate more cardio workouts, then someone with a goal of building muscle, while minimizing fat gain.
Also, someone who is looking to compete in a fitness show or get ready for a photoshoot, would also incorporate more cardio workouts, than someone just training for general fitness.
Let me break this down for you
If you are training simply for everyday fitness, our program recommends 2-3 cardio sessions per week.
These cardio workouts are comprised of HIIT cardio workouts, also known as high intensity interval training.
We’ve also included LISS cardio workouts, also known as low intensity steady state cardio.
If your goal is to grow muscle, while minimizing fat gain, we recommend 1 HIIT cardio workout per week.
Should I use the treadmill, elliptical, bike, or stair master?
In Live Lean Sprint 2.0, we’ve created cardio workouts using the most common pieces of cardio equipment, in most conventional gyms.
These cardio machines include the:
As well as bonus cardio workouts that use the:
Even if you don’t have access to one of the mentioned cardio machines, most of the cardio workouts in Live Lean Sprint 2.0 are adaptable to be used on any cardio machines.
Personally my favorite cardio machine is the treadmill, as it’s functional to the real world, it incorporates your full body, and it pushes you.
However, since the treadmill causes a little more impact on the body, we’ve also programmed lower impact cardio workouts using the elliptical machine, the bike, the rower, and the swimming pool.
Plus, I also love doing to my cardio workouts outdoors at a track, on a field, or on the outdoor stairs.
We’ve included cardio workouts for that as well.
The point is, what’s more important than the type of cardio machine, is that you actually do the workout.
I do recommend you try and stick to the workouts designed for each specific cardio machine.
However, the cardio workouts can pretty well be transferable to your favorite cardio machine.
When should you do HIIT cardio workouts?
I typically recommend completing your HIIT cardio workouts on non-weight lifting days.
Also, when possible, try to schedule your HIIT cardio workouts away from the day before and after your leg workouts.
This way the muscles in your legs are ready to lift, and have proper recovery time to repair and grow.
I also don’t recommend completing your HIIT cardio workouts before your resistance training workout.
If you have to combine your cardio workouts at the same time as your resistance training workouts, always do HIIT cardio after your weights.
However, it’s best to do cardio on non-weight lifting days or spaced out earlier, or later in the day.
After your resistance training workout, it’s best to grab your post workout shake, and start the recovery process.
Excessive cardio is not your friend
Too much cardio can over stress the body, creating excessive production of the stress hormone called cortisol.
When produced in excess, cortisol can lead to belly fat storage.
Of course, this is the opposite results we are looking to accomplish with our workouts.
This is why is more important to follow a properly structured cardio workout program, so you can train smarter, rather than training more.
I hope this post helped answer your question on how many times per week should I do cardio?
Welcome to Live Lean Sprint 2.0!
If you’re looking for the best HIIT cardio, LISS cardio workouts, and the nutrition plan to burn belly fat as fast as possible, go pick up a copy of my brand new Live Lean Sprint 2.0 program.
We’re also hooking up the first 250 people who buy the program with a copy of our brand new TeamLiveLean.com 30 day Fat Melting Power Sets resistance training program.
Thanks for watching and keep Living Lean.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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