type of cardio....

[alo5603]

is it a good idea to switch up your cardio equipment like every week or so? Like say do elliptical one week, tread the next, bike, stairmaster, etc. Does it really matter? I personally use the elliptical only right now and jogging cuz that seems to work good.
This sounds stupid but i was curious if your body can adapt to a certain type of cardio.. If so, then you need to change it, kinda like weightlifting. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

alo

[alo5603]

any thoughts bros?

[He-man]

No adaptation,just conditioning.But you will not stop reaping the benefits of cardio.You may have to up your intensity to get to your target heart rate,but thats about it.

[Zapp]

I believe the elliptical workout is a joke! My dad weighs about 290. He starts breathing hard just walking to the kitchen, but he can get on the elliptical machine for 45 min. That goes to show you that you can't be getting much out of it. Put him on the stairmaster....he wouldn't last 5 minuites.

[alo5603]

well i do not do the elliptical like the average man does. I set it at the highest setting for the first 10min to get my heart literally beating out of my chest, as well as put fire in my legs, and then taper down every 2-3 min till i get to a comfortable setting and heart rate.

[TCEL300]

elliptical is the best for you...running can break down muscles...also the high impact isnt good for most people if they do not have the proper shoes

[alo5603]

my thoughts exactly, i use to run when i lived in AZ, but the only problem was i was getting shin splints occasionaly and I always ran outside and if any of you are familiar with AZ, you know just how hot it gets and i believed i lost muscle cause of it.
Thinking elliptical is the best for it works your whole body, unlike the stairmaster of bike cause you use your arms as well, not just feet. Also considering swimming.
Anybody elses opinions are welcome.

alo

[Flexor]

bodybuilders are too heavy to run effectively and would just knacker their joints. I'd like to see a 250lb guy try and do 30 bunny-hops for a full ROM!!! Too much friction and clumsiness in the quads to do it quickly enough i'll bet

[alo5603]

yeah my old workout partner was just like that. He is about 275 lbs, some fat but mostly muscle do to his bull riding years, and when we use to go jogging, he would complain after like 5 min and would stop. Kept getting shin splints and that his legs just got sore too fast. I guess being huge has its drawbacks.......

[Giantz11]

That's why I rock the eliptical, way easier on all body parts.

[alo5603]

good to hear from ya giantz, if you use the elliptical, it must be good cuz you know your shi*.

alo

[IronCy]

I always thought it was best to stay close to a target heart rate of 65% of MHR...MHR is based of age 220-age, correct? So is switching cardio machines really to curb redundancy? Will the body burn fat differently, depending on type of cardio?
-Cy

[ginkobulloba]

Personally I hop on my mountain bike and ride around the countryside for about 45 minutes. I used to race before I got into bodybuilding and now I can combine the two, but of course it much less intense these days, just about 65-75% MHR.