Do I need to do Cardio? Which Cardio machine is the best, how much cardio should I do? These are some very frequently asked questions and I thought I’d address this matter today.

I will give you my thought on this subject in a nutshell.  And I am not just giving you thoughts but knowledge from personal experience. Experience from years of doing myself and teaching others.

Cardio is important… you want to keep your heart strong and fit. Now I am not against cardio 
equipment but you do not need any machines to get sufficient cardio exercise.  As a matter of fact, the best cardio vascular exercise can be done while doing resistance training.  Body weight exercises are by far the most effective and safest way to get your cardio training in.

In the Hot Burning Body workouts there are quite a number of exercises that demonstrate this fact. Take for instance the lunge combination. If I wear my heart-rate monitor while doing that exercise and I do the exercise up to speed, my heart-rate up to a 174 bpm by the time I start the second set.

Not to mention the lunges with leg lifts and a few others.  By the time I am done with those my heart rate is sometimes sky high – healthily so, and at the same time my legs and my abs and my arms and glutes are getting a great workout. 

When it comes to cardio equipment.  Each machine has its pros and cons of course.  If you have bad knees or ankles, or you suffer from lower back pain or weak back, I would suggest you stay away from the treadmill.  When walking and running on the treadmill there is a lot of joint impact and kneecap stress.  

If you are healthy, then the treadmill is OK but make sure you are wearing proper running shoes, they will
absorb some of the impact.  

As for the other machines, I think it is a good idea to change it up.  Cross training using more than one machine in your exercise program is a good approach because you get each machine’s benefits while minimizing its shortcomings.

The important thing is to exercise consistently.  Your general strategy for all cardio vascular exercise is to train four to six days per week, alternating intense and easy days.

But like I said before, if you do the Hot Burning Body workout four to six times a week, you will have no need for cardio equipment.  And you will quickly see which exercises gives you the most cardio vascular benefits.

On the days that you want to increase your cardio, just to a few extra repetitions of those exercises.

The Hot Burning Body Workout System is all you need to improve your Strength, flexibility, movement quality, coordination and cardio vascular endurance all in one!

Kind Regards

Vanessa Bader

P.S. I will soon have a circuit training Hot Burning Body DVD available for you.  This will give you the extra benefit of cardio vascular training and strength training in one workout.