Good question.  And I hear it often.  The mistake I see most people make is doing too much cardio and not maximizing their efficiency.  In this era of "Activity Rich, Time Poor" people, wouldn't you rather do less cardio for more results?  Who wouldn't...

I think most people resort to cardio when they don't know what to do.   It is easy to get on a treadmill and walk...hop on a bike and pedal...but if you don't know what you are doing - you may just be "spinning your wheels."

How much cardio depends on your goals, and what you are doing.  There is no possible way I can speak to everyone in a few short pararaphs, but I can give you an example.  If it doesn't speak to you, email me and I will get you YOUR answer.

Let's say you need to lose 25 pounds.  You should be weight training (but I will save that for the next blog in this series - "Cardio vs. Weights") 3 times per week.  You should have 2 cardio sessions where you go long and steady - maybe the treadmill, maybe the bike, but you get on, get your heart rate up (see our website for specifics on heart rate) and stay there for about 40 minutes.  You should have one cardio bout consisting of interval training for 30-40 minutes, and then at least one session right after your weight training (when your heart rate is already up) where you go super hard for 12-15 min.

Cardio is very specific to your goals and your time.  You can get cardio programming based on your goals on
our site, and you will guess no more.

Resolve To Evolve,
Matt Jarvis
Your Online Personal Trainer
Phoenix, Arizona