Cardio question - increase time or effort?

[Zarabelle]

Hi!

I have built up to 20 mins on the elliptical trainer (70rpms forward for 5, 55rpms backwards for 2 mins and so on) hill program (level 3) and 20 mins fast hill walk on the treadmill.

For maximum fat burning, is it better to increase the time to say 30 mins treadmill and 20 mins treadmill or keep the time the same and increase the difficulty of the workout (increase level or speed).

I am planning to add some resistance training and can only afford to be in the gym for about 1hr or just a bit more (4-5 times a week) as I need to collect my kids from nursery.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Z

[Lyssie]

To burn off the most amount of calories, I would say increase the duration and the difficulty...

If it's a choice of one or the other, there are various schools of thought on it... One being that if you keep a lower level of difficulty over a sustained time, you will be in the "fat loss zone", another being that you burn more calories with higher difficulty, and you still reap the benefits of having your metabolism raised afterwards, which has shown in certain studies, to be raised longer than if it's at a lower difficulty, the third one (that I know about) is to do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), where you fluctuate between high resistance and low resistance, so if you go at 90% for 5min, then slow down and catch your breath for 2min, then repeat, that you will burn off the most calories/fat/and have the benefits over the longest period of time.

I personally love HIIT on machines. It's easy to track your time, and you can mix things up a bit to kill the boredom. Like I said though, I feel like going for a longer duration is more important... You should be pushing yourself in the gym, I mean, if you're putting in the time, and being there, then you should be making the most of it. I still feel like girls who can workout and keep their makeup perfect are just not working hard enough.

[Zarabelle]

Hello again!

Thanks for your reply. My trainer has got me on a hill program on reverse mode so I really go for the burn for five mins and then catch my breath (whilst going backwards) for two mins.

I will increase the time to 52 mins as she said then (she wants me to do 32 mins on the elliptical??!!) and 20 mins on the treadmill and then I will add some resistance too. I am working at my maximum limit - I am increasing by 2 mins every session on the crosstrainer (elliptical) and am just about able to complete both machines without giving up. I will bump up the level as and when it gets easier.

Thanks for the advice xx

[Georgiana]

I still feel like girls who can workout and keep their makeup perfect are just not working hard enough.

Which reminds me of girls who come to the gym in jeans and do 1 mi per hour on the elliptical... while others who actually want to work out must wait after them.

[Zarabelle]

Actually, I had a girl like that waiting for the elliptical that I was on today.... needless to say, I didn't cut my workout (or cooldown) for her!

[Lyssie]

I wouldn't have either. I've had to wait or switch my workouts to suit them hundreds of times... I'm just as important as they are!