What burns calories? Intensity or Duration.

[sharaabi]

I know working at 60-75% of your maximum heart rate burns more calories from fat and running at higher speeds burns carbohydrates etc etc etc.

I really enjoy HIIT or guerilla cardio since they can be kept short,intense and feel good after being completed.

In an effort to get cut, WITH a clean diet ...........

DO YOU THINK INTENSITY OR DURATION MATTERS?

example:

30 minits on the treadmill at 3.8 fast walking OR 20minits at speed 2.6 incline 10.0 ??

stair master for 30mnts level 2 or stair master 20mnts at level 5?

[sooner_ed]

Both. You always want to vary your workout. Never stick with just one way of lifting or one way of doing cardio. You have to mix things up or your body will adjust and will either quit losing weight or gaining strength or whatever it is you're trying to accomplish. My cardio is running. There are days I run a nice slow long run. Other days I do speedwork. I never run the same distance for days on end. Variety is the spice of life and your body feels the same way. Give your body a variety of workouts with different intensities. It will keep you sane and will keep your body progessing toward your goals.

[Clark Kent]

The number one benefit of doing short, intense sessions of cardio is that it really gets your metablism firing. Obviously this will help you lose weight if on a proper diet because your body will use up all of your calories and then some. The other good thing about it is that it keeps you from getting burned out. Unless you love cardio, which most people don't, you would get sick of doing three to five sessions a week of 30 to 60 minutes of lower intensity work. Especially if you're lifting 5 days a week. Yuck!

[Firehawk]

While I agree with Ed taht you should do both to get the best results out of your cardio, I do'nt feel you should change up your weightlifitng routines and your cardio routines as often. I think you are better served to change up cardio on every session or every other session, whereas you should at least do a routine for at least 3 months at a time, while changing up exercises every 4-6 weeks.

I do think you can benefit from both as long as you know that the lower the intensity, the longer it shoudl be performed. ANd, the longer you do the same type of cardio, the more your body will adapt to it and become more efficient at it, thus causing less calories to be burned during the session. That's why change is good.

[sooner_ed]

Originally Posted by Firehawk

I do'nt feel you should change up your weightlifitng routines and your cardio routines as often.

I realize my answer was kind of vague. What I meant was, don't sit there and bench 200 doing one set of 10 every workout. You want to keep adding weight as you can, or perhaps doing two sets of eight or something like that. If you continue to lift the same poundages day in and day out, you will not grow. When you do reach a platuea, you have to mix things up a bit to break out of it. That's all I meant. But Firehawk is correct.

[Firehawk]

Originally Posted by sooner_ed

I realize my answer was kind of vague. What I meant was, don't sit there and bench 200 doing one set of 10 every workout. You want to keep adding weight as you can, or perhaps doing two sets of eight or something like that. If you continue to lift the same poundages day in and day out, you will not grow. When you do reach a platuea, you have to mix things up a bit to break out of it. That's all I meant. But Firehawk is correct.

Well I agree, if his routine consisted of 1 heavy set for 10 reps, he should try increasing weight every other workout or so, not just stay at that same weight for months lol.