It's not every day that we get health and fitness lessons
from a pro-bodybuilder, so we took this opportunity to ask Ross
Garshong about starting a new cardio regime and which method he finds to
be the most effective, as well as highlighting the importance of hydration during exercise.
What is cardio?
Cardiovascular exercise is exercise that gets your heart
rate up. Though some people use it solely for weight loss, cardio has other
benefits as well. It is any rhythmic exercise that raises your heart rate into
your target heart rate zone. This is the zone where you burn the most of your
fat and calories. Whether you’re an athlete or a fitness fanatic the importance
of hydration during exercise is vital.
The importance
of hydration during exercises such as cardio
It’s important to make sure you are drinking water during a
workout. Being dehydrated can affect your energy levels, and you’ll find that
you won’t be able to work as hard if you do not have enough fluid in your
system. Drinking little and often rather than a lot less often will give you
the best chance of hitting your exercise targets.
One way to know when you should be drinking water during a
workout is to respond to what your body tells you. If you feel thirsty you
really need to drink as your body is already showing signs that it needs to
take on more fluid.
Types of cardio exercise and the benefits of drinking water during each workout
When it comes to cardio there are two main players: High
Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or Steady State (SS).
SS - Steady State Cardio
You pick a pace, typically at a heart rate at which you can
maintain a conversation but will still work up a bit of a sweat. This is
typically done aerobically which means your body is able to use oxygen to
release energy.
Doing 45-minute steady exercises on a treadmill, stair
climber, bike or elliptical is a great way to implement a cardio programme in
your exercise regime. Make sure with any form of exercise that you understand
the benefits
of drinking
water during exercise, you don’t want to start exercising and feel as though you
aren’t giving yourself
a sufficient amount of water.
Pro =
Typically easy to do as the pace is down to the individual, just don't
stop!
Con = A long
amount of time will needed to be spent to maximise the benefits - 25mins plus!
HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training
Can be completed a variety of ways but the main premise is a
burst of time spent at an intensity you could not maintain, jumping between
aerobic and anaerobic thresholds, then an active recovery at a rate you can
drop your heart back down to a level where you can aim at the higher intensity
again.
Make sure to listen to your body and understand the importance
of hydration during exercise.
Pro = If
completed properly should last around 10-15 minutes max, studies have shown due
to a higher epoc (excess
post-exercise oxygen consumption) effect, your metabolism will be boosted from
as long as 12 hours after.
Con = Tends
to be rather taxing on the body and central nervous system, not everyone is fit
enough to train at high intensities safely.
So, which cardio exercise is better!?
Depends on you, I always recommend everyone start off with
steady state cardio especially if you don't have much of a fitness base from
sports or other exercise. For those well attuned to their bodies, the honest
answer is whichever you enjoy the most.
The progress of technology is a blessing and a curse to our
modern society, (rant incoming) our physiology has not changed much, but we
live sedentary lifestyles and have an abundance of food, in contrast to use
once upon a time being active and food scarce.
The importance of hydration goes beyond the workout
It's not just about what you do to your body, it's also about
what you put into it. And one thing that never changes is the need for proper
hydration. So, always keep in mind the importance of hydration during exercise
When our body is
dehydrated our metabolism can drop by as much as 30%!
So to get the most out of ourselves it's imperative we keep
ourselves well hydrated to obtain and sustain optimal health and vitality, so
get moving! And look out for the most common dehydration signs.
Ross Garshong is a personal trainer and competitive bodybuilder (5th place IFBB A.Olympia Finalist), so when it comes to health and fitness, there’s nothing this guy doesn't know.
When he’s not training, his passion lies in understanding our bodies composition and what we can do to maximise our intake of fuel in order to perform at a top level.
