Second Place: 15 Minutes Of Pain by LJ57
The best cardio workout for burning fat is one of high intensity that gets the job done in as little time as possible. High intensity usually means that your cardio workout will involve working at about 75 percent or greater of your maximum heart rate.
A major benefit of high-intensity cardio is that you can burn more fat in a shorter amount of time and minimize catabolism that can result from too much cardio.
Another important aspect of creating the best cardio workout is ensuring that it does not become boring. Since you will be performing cardio for a much shorter period of time than if you were following a low-intensity protocol, the boredom factor should be significantly lessened.
In addition, you can eradicate boredom by using a variety of machines in your workout. For example, you can switch between the treadmill, elliptical machine, and recumbent or stationary bike during one cardio workout.
Your high-intensity interval workout should only be needs to be about 15-20 minutes, max. Brief high-intensity periods will be punctuated with moderate-intensity periods throughout the workout. Personally, I like to do rounds of 30 seconds of work, followed by 1 minute of rest.
Before you get intense, though, spend a minute or two getting warmed up by working at a low-intensity pace. Once you feel thoroughly warmed up you should increase the intensity of cardio to about 75 percent of your maximum heart rate for about 30 seconds before returning to a moderate pace for about a minute.
If you are using a treadmill, you will sprint for those 30 seconds. If you are on a cycling machine you will cycle vigorously during that time. You can adapt the way you increase intensity for whatever cardio exercise you choose. Whichever you choose, you will work at high-intensity levels for 30 seconds before returning to a slower pace for about a minute.
Take a few minutes before ending your workout to cool down. Just as you warmed up for a couple of minutes before increasing intensity, you should also spend a couple of minutes preparing to complete your workout. The cool-down is just as important as warming up as it helps to promote recovery and decrease soreness.
As for frequency, it is best to limit these intense cardio sessions to no more than 3-4 times per week. The majority of people seem to subscribe to the "more is better" philosophy of cardio and end up devoting 6-7 days to it. This is an excessive amount of cardio regardless of what intensity level it is performed at.
Third Place: The Cardio Finisher by VeinMania
What is the best cardio workout for burning fat,
Many people think that you need to be in the "fat-burning zone" (70-80 percent max heart rate, or MHR) to shed that excess fat. But I am a firm believer that HIIT will help burn off the extra fat that covers any well-formed physique.
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. It is a very intense form of cardio that shortens up your time in the gym. Although training at 70-80 percent of your MHR maximizes the amount of fat burned during the workout, it may not be the best way to maximize total fat-loss. HIIT uses frequent alternating periods of high intensity (80-90 percent MHR) and low intensity (50-60 percent MHR) to let you recover for your next high-intensity interval.
Since HIIT is very intense, you will be working harder and will not need to spend as much time on cardio. This means that your HIIT workouts will only last 15-25 minutes, depending on how intense your high-intensity periods are.
Even though steady-state cardio for 60 minutes in the "fat-burning zone" burns more calories at the time, you will lose more fat doing HIIT. Why, High-intensity bouts keep your metabolism elevated at a higher rate and for a longer period after the exercise is over.
There has long been a debate over the most effective time to do cardio. Morning cardio is very effective at burning fat because you are in a fasted state. This means that you have not had any food yet, particularly carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate intake increases your levels of insulin, a potent anabolic hormone that will decrease fat-burning. However, fasted cardio can compromise your muscle tissue because your body will break it down for energy. This is why I recommend you take in 10-20 grams of whey protein or 6 grams of BCAAs before your morning cardio, to increase fat-burning and maintain muscle mass.
If you are lifting weight and doing cardio in the same day, lift before you do your cardio. It is also very important to have a good and consistent diet when you goal is fat-loss.
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