More Top Cardio Myths

7. Cardio is best in the morning before breakfast

Not sure where this myth even came from! The time of day you choose to do cardio is almost irrelevant, according to a number of studies. You'll be able to benefit from it before or after any meal, and at any time of day. You do not burn more calories through the day if you exercises in the morning!

8. “Steady-State” cardio burns the most calories

This falls in with the “fat burning zone” ideas. Steady state cardio is what folks do when they exercise at the same pace for their entire cardio workout not only is this ineffective at burning more calories, it is also less effective at training the heart and lungs.

You're better off training with intervals of intensity. Low and high intensity intervals can last from 10 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on how comfortable you feel and what your goal is.

9. Cardio machines know how many calories I burn!

The digital display on cardio machines which reads out how many calories you've burned is not an accurate way of finding out how hard you've worked and how many calories you've burned. This is an average, and it will be different for everyone. The number of calories burned is dependent upon an individual's level of fitness, sex, what they've eaten, their body composition, height, and weight. The best way to find out is with a heart rate monitor, and extrapolate from the amount of work you've done.

10. Cardio machines can measure my heart rate!

It is handy that cardio machines are also equipped with heart rate monitors. Unfortunately these are usually inaccurate. Those metal sensors on the handles of cardio machines are designed to take a pulse from your fingertips. This is problematic because finger pulse's are difficult to read, and the machine is taking it from several fingers!

The best way to find out your heart rate is with a personal heart rate monitor which goes around your chest. The watch that goes with it reads and stores information about how hard your worked, how much your burned, and can graph your progress.

Cardiovascular exercise is a great thing, especially when you know why you're doing and how to make it as effective as possible for your goals. Pay attention to the bigger picture at work here, and remember not to rely on your friends advice, but to take information and learn from experts!