When we workout, we commonly integrate cardio into our strength training by limiting the amount of time between sets to 60 seconds or less.Doing this is one exercise hack that can add cardio workouts into your exercise routine without doing it separately.
However, we also do dedicated cardio workouts. We workout 4 times a week.
Twice a week we use the Tabata Method (read this for more info on that > https://www.facebook.com/MensFitnessAfter40/posts/909935369555112).
And the other 2 times we do a run/walk combo. We do not run for long distances or for abnormally long periods of time.
Think about it. When you see people who run sprints and then you look at people who run marathons, they look different. Sprinters commonly look stronger and more athletic. Marathon runners commonly look quite skinny, to the point of unhealthy.
So, we run at a quicker pace. Tabata uses a high intensity interval training model. Our run/walk is for consistency.
It’s actually quite simple to understand. We use a treadmill, but you can run on a sidewalk or other track. For our example, we will use MPH (miles per hour) on the treadmill.
We run immediately after our strength training, so our heart rate should already be elevated. To start out, we walk for 30 seconds to warm our legs up.
Then, we run as fast as we can for 90 seconds. Then we slow down 1/2 MPH & run for 60 seconds. We repeat that 2 more times.
Next we walk for 1 minute at the same speed as our warm up walk, reduce by 1/2 MPH & walk another 60 seconds and repeat once more. Here is an example:
1) Walk for 30 seconds at 3 MPH
2) Run for 90 seconds at 8 MPH
3) Run for 60 seconds at 7.5 MPH
4) Run for 60 seconds at 7 MPH
5) Run for 60 seconds at 6.5 MPH
6) Walk for 1 minute at 3 MPH
7) Walk for 1 minute at 2.5 MPH
Walk for 1 minute at 2 MPHExecute this Run/Walk and you have a solid 5 minute cardio workout with a 3 minute cool down afterwards…all done in less than 10 minutes.