Extreme Cardio Days

Sup? Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I have been studying for an exam required by my job to move up, so I have been nose deep in studies. Good news is I passed so I'm free for a while. So let's get back to it. Today on Training Thursdays, I am going to talk about my Wednesdays at the gym. Every week I have a day I call Extreme Cardio Day. Why do I call it this? I'll tell you.

I start early in the morning around 6am at the gym. I do a good variation of stretches for about 10 minutes, because I am about to work the heck out of my legs. After warmup, I hop on the cardio bike and do a moderate resistant level for 20 minutes. After the bike, I quickly hop on the treadmill and go for another 20 minutes. After the treadmill, I get on the elliptical for about 15 minutes or so. After that, I change into my swimsuit and start doing laps in the pool for 30 minutes. After that, I hop in the hot tub and unwind for 10-15 minutes. Tired yet? lol

So let's break this all down. I start with the bike, because it is the easiest machine to do in my opinion. I can do 20 minutes pretty easily without being too tired. When I get on the treadmill, I will usually speed walk with an incline for about 5 minutes, then I run at 6mph for 10 minutes, then go back to speed walking for the remaining 5 minutes. On the elliptical, I just use the standard setting and do this for about 15 minutes. This maxes out my legs and gives them a nice workout. Finally, I jump in the pool and do laps until I can't take it anymore, usually 30 minutes. I do this last because I get wet and I don't want to go back into the gym soaking wet. Also because I jump in the hot tub right afterwards to unwind.

Now I do have goals when I do this. It is part of my training for the triathlons I will be starting in September. My goal is to increase resistance and speed every week, even if is just a few notches on the machine. My biggest weakness is running, so I always try to run longer than I did the previous week. So far, I have been keeping to my goals and getting faster and stronger in my cardio. Another reason I have this day, is because on days I do weights heavily, I don't want to do too much cardio and wear myself out to where I can't max out on weights. I'm a big dude and want to keep the muscles and stay strong. I'm not going for the marathon runner look.

Would I recommend this day to everyone? Absolutely. You don't have to do the same settings I use, but doing these exercises at your own pace will be a killer cardio workout and if you keep it up and strive for goals, you will be amazed at what your body can do. I never in my life thought that I would be able to do days like this because I was never a cardio person. Now I am burning almost 800 calories on Extreme Cardio Days and love every moment of it. Best of luck if you are trying this and remember to always WARMUP! If you don't, you are setting yourself up for injury. Also remember to eat enough food that day because of all the calories you burn. I usually go for 3000 calories those days because 3000 - 800 is 2200, the right amount of calories I should have a day. With that in mind, best of luck! Please be safe, be strong, and stay fit.