The Benefits of Cardio For Weight Loss
As I stated earlier, ask any trainer and you'll quickly realise that the strength training to cardio ratio will vary from person to person. Dr. Harrison typically recommends one day of cardio for people who are lifting six times a week, whereas I like to typically start clients off with just three workout sessions a week. With that split, two days would be strength training and one day would be cardio. Other weekly formats I suggest are three days of strength and two days of cardio or four days of strength, one day of cardio, and one day of active recovery (like yoga or walking). Some examples of cardio I recommend to my clients are jumping rope, doing a 20- to 30-minute run, cycling, and swimming.
Cardio is a great way to mix up your strength workouts without taking a day off (rest is important, though!), and it can also help you burn fat when done in a fasted state. This happens around eight to 12 hours after your last meal. "Benefits of fasted cardio include increased breakdown of fat cells for energy and use of energy from fat cells instead of carbohydrates from a meal or from glycogen (the body's most usable storage form of carbohydrates)," Perri Halpern, MS, RD, a clinical dietitian at The Mount Sinai Hospital, told POPSUGAR in a previous interview.