Aerobic training, or "cardio" training, involves continuous movement of the major muscle groups for an extended period of time. Cardiovascular training is a great way to burn fat. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you must perform 30 minutes of cardio, four to five days a week, to achieve measurable health benefits. In order to experience weight loss or weight loss maintenance, your training session should last 60 to 90 minutes.
Walking/Running
Walking is a low-impact form of cardio that you can do on a treadmill, at the mall, around your neighborhood or in place while watching television. All you need for walking is a comfortable pair of shoes. From a caloric standpoint, a 180-pound person can burn just over 400 calories in an hour of walking at 4 mph. That same person can burn over 930 calories in that same hour by running at 7 mph.
Biking
Biking can not only burn fat, but also tone multiple lower body muscles, such as the glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves. The harder it is to pedal, the more work you are doing. Biking can be done outdoors with road and mountain bikes or indoors with upright, recumbent and stationary bikes. Recumbent bikes have a backrest and you pedal horizontally.
Stair Climbing
Stair climbing is a low-impact cardio exercise that can be performed either on a stair machine or on actual stairs. You can simply run up and down a set of stairs for as long as you wish or you can run up multiple sets of stairs at a stadium. A stair machine is a small, revolving staircase; you can control the speed to increase or decrease your intensity. In similar fashion to biking, this form of cardio works your glutes, thighs and calves.
Elliptical Training
Elliptical training is a non-impact form of aerobic exercise. Place your feet on pedals and your hands on poles, moving your arms and legs back and forth in an alternating, gliding motion. The advantage of using an elliptical machine is the fact that your upper and lower body is working in unison. In addition to your legs, your back, chest and arms get exercise as well. A 200-pound person can burn approximately 860 calories with 60 minutes of elliptical training.
Rowing
Rowing is another form of full-body cardio. This is performed on a machine that has a sliding seat, a platform to place your feet and a straight handle to pull toward your body as you are in motion. In addition to the caloric expenditure you get from rowing, you also work your back, butt, thighs, shoulders and arms.
Jumping Rope
Jumping rope is a type of plyometric exercise that doubles as an aerobic exercise. Plyometric training involves fast, explosive movements of the body. The fast, explosive movements with jumping rope are short and close to the ground. You can increase the intensity with jumping rope by using a weighted rope or by going at a faster pace.
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