The Search for the Best Cardio Routine

The commercialized portion of the fitness industry has done a masterful job of keeping the public completely confused as to what equipment and techniques are most effective for cardio and fat burning. Walk into any local gym or fitness center and you see an "alphabet soup" of equipment choices: treadmills, ellipticals, stairclimbers, arc trainers... on and on. You'll find that most members randomly decide what equipment to use on that particular day and think "what does it matter as long as I get at least 30 minutes in". There are also the members that do the same thing over and over trying to force results out of their choice which does nothing more than plateau them and yield very little, if any results. Turn on your television and the next "miracle" piece of equipment is guaranteeing you results.. and for only 3 small payments ! I've seen an advertisement for a piece of equipment that claims to give you an entire workout in just four minutes and burn all the calories you need to.

The truth is that our physiology and the proper way to manage our workouts has never changed. Understanding your heart rate and being able to manage it on a finite level is the key to getting results.

I suggest that anyone who is serious about getting results should try joining a Spinning Exercise Program & get yourself a Heart Rate Monitor to wear every time you train. This is not to be confused with just taking a random spin class which many facilities are offering. Training & monitoring your body in all the necessary Energy Zones is the key to success and a Spinning Program is perfect for just that.

So let's talk about "Training Energy Zones". When we exercise, the intensity we chose moves our heart rate up & down into different zones. First you MUST know your resting heart rate in order to manage you exercise programs regardless of which form of exercise you chose. If you can't figure it out just ask me and I'll tell you.



Fat Burning Zone (50-65% of your maximum heart rate) This is the zone in which your body can eat away & use fat for energy most effectively. If you exceed the 65% by pushing it too hard your body will start to burn sugars, carbohydrates & other sources of energy. The key is staying in this zone the longest amount of time you can & you WILL see results in getting rid of stored fats.


Endurance Zone (65-75% of your maximum heart rate) The endurance zone is where your body is learning to be more efficient at metabolizing fat & increasing your metabolic rate so that your are burning more calories over a 24 hour span of time. Weight management and fat burning does not just take place when you are working out but rather it is a based on your metabolic rate all day long.

Strength Zone (75&-85% of your maximum heart rate) This energy zone is used to challenge & improve muscle strength in the body (including the heart which is the most important muscle) This is the zone in which you push and fatigue yourself to an uncomfortable level for an extended period of time. Training in this zone is essential because a stronger heart and improved muscle strength will improve performance during Fat Burning & Endurance training sessions.

Interval Zone (65-92% of your maximum heart rate) Training in this zone improves your heart's recovery time. How quickly you can recover is a direct indicator of your fitness level. Training in this zone should occur no more than 1-2 times a week. Excessive interval training will have a negative affect on your body's ability to train in the other zones that your body needs in order to function and maintain the right metabolic rate. You will plateau very quickly if you abuse this training zone. More than likely you will start to eat away at your lean muscle and still not be attacking your stored fats the way you need to.


A properly organized and managed Spinning program gives you the science and structure you need to get the results you want. There is nothing random about it. It is not just the newest fad. If you would like to know about it just email me and I'll be glad to tell you more. I am not suggesting that other programs and forms of exercise are not effective. It's just my belief that Spinning Pragrams can have the greatest impact. Variety in training is always best. Just be sure to know what your heart rate is doing while training in any form or you will be wasting your time & not getting the results you are looking for.

Mark Travers
Taurean Training & Wellness