The importance of cardio...
Wow, I actually got a request! The ever-lovely bellastrega asks that I talk about the importance of cardio. No problem.
The importance of cardio really hinges on what your fitness goal is. If your only goal is to pack on the muscle, or to get stronger, you honestly don't need it at all. I can think of at least one IFBB champion that candidly confessed that he never does cardio.
On the other hand, if your goal is general health & fitness, aesthetics (you want to be toned or ripped), or endurance, cardio make all the difference in the world. Just 20 minutes of cardio a day, 3 days a week is all it takes to supplement your weight-training and give you the nice "cut" look.
The great thing about cardio is how uncomplicated it is. You don't need a super-advanced plan for cardio. If it leaves you out of breath and dying for Gatorade, it's cardio. Sometimes when it rains, I'll just pump up some music and jump around me room. Just hop from one side of my room to the other, then to the other corner, then to the middle, and just keep bouncing around from there. I'm sure I LOOK like a total retard, but it's fun, and after a while, it leaves me wiped. Of course, my favorite is still working over my punching stand.
The best time to do cardio is first thing in the morning, even before breakfast. Down some coffee or an energy drink (I've become very partial to "Amp" by Mountain Dew), and then get going.
I'll close this with an easy-to-follow cardio routine which I GUARANTEE will melt the fat right off, if you have the will to stick to it: HIIT it with High Intensity Interval Training.
HIIT is very simple to understand. Go hard briefly, then slow way down. Then go hard again. Lather, rinse repeat. The key with HIIT is balance. What I recomend is to take one day to just really get to know a running path in your area. Get in your car and drive beside it, for example, to find out exactly how long it is. Then mark off certain landmarks (fire hydrant, tree, bench, etc.) at regular intervals. If you have access to a football field, just use the yard-lines.
Now, when you've got your intervals marked off, walk to the end of the first interval, then run like hell to the next one. Then power-walk to the next, run like hell to the next one. Keep going until you've been doing this for about 20 minutes, or you're so wiped you can't do another run if your life depended on it.
Feel. The. Burn.
Raining cats and dogs? Snow? Just love the treadmill? Personally, I HATE the treadmill. Just doesn't feelm natural. But, I can't deny it's effectiveness. So here's a routine for that (of course, you could just use HIIT with IT, too, but here's another one).
This one comes to us from fitness guru Bill Philips, author of the best selling Body For Life if you want a complete program that's perfect for beginners, I HIGHLY recommend this book.
This is called "The High-Point" workout, and, if done correctly, is VERY intense. First, figure out what the highest speed you can run for two minutes is. Now, start walking/jogging at 50% of that speed for two minutes. Now, pump up the speed to 60% for one minute. Now to 70% for one minute. Now to 80% for one minute. Now, hit your high-point: 90% of your two-minute top-speed for one minute. Good job, now lower it back down to 60% for one minute. Repeat this process three more times, for a total of four of these cycles.
BUT, on the fourth cycle, you're gonna really challenge yourself, and hit your peak: after you run at 90% for a minute, focus all your remaining energy, repeat a catchy sport-shoe slogan, and push that puppy up to the full 100% for one minute. By now, you should be running on empty. Good job, now cool down (trust me, you do NOT want to just suddenly stop. If you do, you face cramping, dizziness, and the exhaustion is much tougher) and go at 50% again for one final minute.
All-in-all, this takes exactly twenty minutes, and leave your body burning fat like a FURNACE.