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Cardio with Heart!

Cardio Training is for the heart and can be divided into three levels; beginner, intermediate and advanced. All three levels can make use of Eliptical Machine, ThreadMill, and the step machine or just the environment. I am currently at the intermediate level after three years of consistent training.
The key points in doing cardio exercise are:

Beginner: Walking or Elliptical Machine (25 to 30 minutes total per day)

Walking I started out just walking for 25 minutes straight 5 days a week at a slow pace. I took the weekend off to rest, but the hardest part of this workout starting back up. Once I was used to the time, I picked up the speed and started to go a little further each day, but never more than a 10% increase in speed or distance per week.

As an example, I would increase the time from 25 minutes to 28 minutes every two weeks, which constitutes about 10%. Just doing this routine, I have lost about 15 pounds in 6 months.

Elliptical Machine (Gym): The good thing about joining a gym is that it is indoors. When it rains outside, I can still workout indoors. As well, there are always trainers and instructors that can guide you through the exercises. The Elliptical Machine was the first cardio machine I ever use. It is a fairly easy machine to use. Just hope on and press the “quick start” button and the computer will guide you for the difficulty, and time. I would start at the lowest level and slowly build up the pace. I started out doing 25 minutes at level 6 of 20. If in doubt, ask the instructor at the gym to help.

Intermediate (1 hour total: Running and Elliptical Machine, )

Running (30 minutes) After about a year of walking and elliptical machine training, I moved� up to the treadmill. I felt strong enough and ready to run (at 5.5mph)  at a “good” pace. In the beginning, my heart rate ranges from 165 to 145, which I found a little too high for my liking, so I would stop for a 2 minutes break and start again to finish my 30 minute workout. I later found out that it is the proper way to train. Run for 10 minutes, rest for 2 minutes, and then restart!

Elliptical Machine (30 minutes) After running for half an hour I need to cool down, guess the best way to cool down is to use the elliptical machine! Tip: Find a machine where there is good air ventilation so there is a cool breeze.

Advanced Training (2 hours)

I haven't reached this level yet, but eventually, I hope to be able to run the half-marathon.

Happy Training