DAVID KIRSCH IN A NEW YORK MINUTE

During the Ultimate Summer Slimdown, I recommended 45 minutes of cardio daily in addition to my cardio sculpting routines. A number of participants including “J” from Fitarella, have asked: “What type of cardio would you recommend?”

First, let’s remember that your daily cardio session will not only help incinerate calories and control your weight, but also condition your heart and lungs. To make it most effective, you must choose a form of cardio that helps you get your heart rate up – I  mean really up!

When you do your cardio, I want you to feel out of breath. I want you to hear and feel your heart and breathing rate speed up.  That means that things like walking, slow jogs, stationary biking or playing low-intensity sports like golf or softball, are not going to cut it.

I suggest the following types of cardio, which either work the upper and lower body simultaneously or are just challenging enough to “push the envelope.”

KIRSCH APPROVED CARDIO

Running
Run for 30 minutes or more. Vary your speed. Add hills/inclines to your run. Do no less than quarter-mile sprints (5.5 to 6.0 m.p.h. on treadmill). Make it more challenging by running backwards or incorporating drills like the karaoke, butt kicks and more.

Jump Rope
Work up to 30 minutes or more. If you can’t jump continuously, alternate push-ups or jumping jacks with shoulder presses or frog jumps in between sets.

Elliptical Trainer
Train for 30 minutes or more. Keep machine at a level that gets your heart pumping without burning out your muscles. While on the machine, sit back on your heels and stick your butt out as much as possible. Don’t stand up straight.

Rowing Machine
Set the machine to levels 5-7. Do no less than 2,500 to 5,000 meters. This should take between 10 and 30 minutes. You should feel a burn in your butt. Press through the heels and extend legs. Keep your abs tight and relax your trapezius muscles. For variety, alternate gripping the handles over- and underhand and pulling high and low into your torso.

Swimming Laps
Spend 30 minutes or more swimming the crawl stroke, breast stroke or any other stroke. To keep your workouts balanced, swim laps using different strokes to vary the muscles you work.

Outdoor Cycling & Spinning
Spend 45 minutes of high intensity cycling, mixing in hills/inclines and sprints. To up your intensity, shift to a harder gear or pick up your rotations per minute (rpm or pedal speed). Try to keep your rpms at 80 or higher. (This type of workout cannot be done on a stationary bike with the same results.)