Spinning / Cardio Enthusiasts out there

[Esanchez]

For years I have been hearing that one spinning class can burn between 500 to 800 calories. Is this true? What is the MOST effective cardio workout?
How many minutes of cardio per week is recommended?

[MostMuscle]

Spinning does burn alot of calories but most of those claims are a bit high, especially for a person your size (profile says 5'2).

The most effective cardio workout is the one the you work hard and enjoy doing ( Sorry I know thats not the answer you are looking for). There are any options out there, especially in sunny Miami.

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by Esanchez

What is the MOST effective cardio workout?

Define what this means to you. I may have a different definition.

[Esanchez]

Originally Posted by Lady C

Define what this means to you. I may have a different definition.

hmmmm....by MOSt effective I guess I mean the best calorie burning but I definetely want to know what your definition is.

[cursor]

As MostMuscle hinted, quality cardio usually is something that you are going to enjoy doing. If each session is a pain, and you're not looking forward to it, then more than likely you won't keep it up.

As a single personal example, I can't think of a single aerobic activity that I enjoy more than a good challenging game of basketball (with other quality players, of course). The focus is not on the exercise so much as it is on the very immediate goal of either playing quality defense or putting the rock in the hole.

[Cort]

Originally Posted by Esanchez

hmmmm....by MOSt effective I guess I mean the best calorie burning but I definetely want to know what your definition is.

Do what you like, and put effort into it. For example, the faster you run, the more calories you burn in a shorter time period. The idea is to get your heart rate up and burn off energy. It doesn't really matter what you are doing so much as how much intensity you are putting into it.

[Lady C]

Most effective to me means get it done and over fast - that probably means HIIT to me. Not some 45 min session listening to an instructor telling me to do it harder or faster. HIIT may or may not burn more calories. It depends on the intensity.

[Octagon]

Originally Posted by Esanchez

For years I have been hearing that one spinning class can burn between 500 to 800 calories. Is this true?

Not really, no. 500 cals over say an hour isn't *outrageously* high as estimates go but I wouldn't really read too much into any of the various calories burned guesstimates out there.

Originally Posted by Esanchez

What is the MOST effective cardio workout?

I will second (or third or fourth or whatever we're up to now) 'the one you'll actually do'.

Originally Posted by Esanchez

How many minutes of cardio per week is recommended?

Recommended for what?

For cardio health the recommendations vary a bit but generally fall somewhere between 30-60 minutes per session with at least three sessions per week. Recommended intensity is basically hard enough to be winded but not so winded you can't carry on a conversation. (That may seem like a really vague way to measure intensity but in practice it's FAR more useful than any of the cool sounding but not too informative heart rate charts out there).

For fat burning? I personally don't recommend any cardio at all for fat burning. Cardio is a great way to stay in shape, it's crucial when it comes to overall health and longevity and it can be helpful when trying to burn fat but it doesn't really have the specific fat burning advantages people seem to think it does.

Pay a lot of attention to intake, focus on quality resistance training as a fat burning aid and look at cardio as maintenance for your heart instead of your waistline - that's the way I would go.

[Esanchez]

I was always taught that your heart rate needed to be at a certain percentage (according to each individuals min & max) for at least 20 minutes or it was ineffective in burning fat. My max. heart rate according to the 220-(32) your age is 188. I usually maintain my heart at 145 at a slow pace jog (easy training day) I will go up to 170 on a good hardcore full energy day. I have noticed a significant drop when weight training. Anywhere from 105 to 135. What do you think about this. When have you "over trained"?

[cursor]

Forget the Fat-burn Zone
In Search Of The Ideal Aerobics Routine

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by Esanchez

I was always taught that your heart rate needed to be at a certain percentage (according to each individuals min & max) for at least 20 minutes or it was ineffective in burning fat. My max. heart rate according to the 220-(32) your age is 188. I usually maintain my heart at 145 at a slow pace jog (easy training day) I will go up to 170 on a good hardcore full energy day. I have noticed a significant drop when weight training. Anywhere from 105 to 135. What do you think about this. When have you "over trained"?

I am a big advocator of using a heart rate monitor or pulse rate counting in order to learn more about yourself and how you react to various fitness activities. Keep in mind that the more fit you become the less useful will become the generalized and averaged charts and algorithms. As you become more aerobically conditioned your resting heart rate will lower (the one you take in the morning before getting out of bed) and your maximum heart rate will rise thus indicating that you can push yourself harder in order to challenge yourself.

Aerobic or cardio exercise is mostly heart conditioning exercise. Weight training does very little to condition your heart. Both can contribute to fat loss but in different ways. One by significantly contributing to a calorie deficiency and the other by encouraging muscle growth which is metabolically more active (burns more calories at rest).