Freakshow

I used to be in fairly good shape. But 15 years in the Navy has pretty much ruined me. I got tired of the "shitlocker" around the midsection, quit smoking, and started eating better. I've also drasticlly cut back on the "beer after work". My problem is cardio. After being a smoker for so long my cardio is garbage. Not to mention the 20 lbs I put on when i quit. I go to the gym daily, but even after a few weeks, my cardio sucks so bad that I can't exercise for long enough to feel like i'm getting anything out of it. I've dropped about 5 lbs, but that was over 4 months or fo. Obviously I'm screwing up somewhere. Any advice on how to build my cardio faster would be awesome.

5'10, 219 lbs

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“A black belt only covers two inches of your ass. You have to cover the rest.” - Royce Gracie

Thales

Couple of questions:
1) How often are you working on your cardio?
2) How long are you working on your cardio?
3) What exercises are you doing to increase your cardiovascular endurance?
4) How long after a meal are you doing your cardio?
5) Are you restricting any of your macro-nutrients? (Ex: low carb, low protein, low fat, etc.)

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"In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men." -Cicero

Cormier - Machida - Aldo - Rockhold - Carwin - Griffin - Franklin - Edgar - B. Henderson

ISSA CPT : PM me for nutrition/fitness advice.

Freakshow

1) 5 days a week
2) bout 30 mins on the treadmill
3) I've mostly been just trying to increase speed/duration of the treadmill sessions, although I follow with about 30 mins of weights
4) about 1.5 to 2 hours
5) I haven't put my self on a "diet" but I've been going a more healthy route. Whole grain bread and pasta, no junkfood, or deep fried crap. things like that

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“A black belt only covers two inches of your ass. You have to cover the rest.” - Royce Gracie

G_Land

HIIT all the way man. You will feel like some one hit you will a bat over and over the first few weeks. But it is awesome for cardio. I went from not being able to run a full mile with out stopping to running 3 miles at just over 7 mins a mile. I'm no speed demon but I found that a huge step.

Are there any cross fit or insanity gyms near you? If not try the DVDs. It's not for every one but I know it works for me.

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WestCoastPoutin

I agree with the HIIT but I would only begin after you've strengthened your back, knees and other areas that could get messed up with hard impact exercises.

I do sprints for my HIIT and you could easily pull a hamstring or whatever if you dont work your way into sprints. The is a HUGE difference between going 75% and going 90-100%.

When you do feel like you are a bit lighter on your feet, that your knees, back, shins etc are ready for high impact, look into doing some hiit. It really does shed fat but man will you hate your life for the ~30mins you're doing it. You'll also get dizzy spells during the first few workouts... at least I did.

When I began doing my HIIT sprints, I would wake up in the middle of the night sweating as if I were still working out. Its crazy shit.

Gluteal Cleft

At least some of it will improve when you lose some weight. The more pounds you carry around, the more work your heart needs to do. Drop 40 pounds, and you'll be amazed at how much better your cardio will be.

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Defecato, ergo sum.

Thales

HIIT should not be the only form of cardio you perform. LISS cardio has been shown to cause eccentric cardiac hypertrophy(left ventricular enlargement), meaning more blood per cardiac cycle. HIIT offers you concentric cardiac hypertrophy which gives you the benefit of a greater contractile force, parallel sarcomere formation in the heart meaning more cardiac muscle, but it does not allow more blood per contraction. You should balance both low intensity steady state cardio and high intensity interval training to achieve the best cardiovascular results. HIIT will allow you to maintain a higher heart rate for longer periods, but LISS cardio will allow you to maintain a lower heart rate to begin with.

__________________
"In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men." -Cicero

Cormier - Machida - Aldo - Rockhold - Carwin - Griffin - Franklin - Edgar - B. Henderson

ISSA CPT : PM me for nutrition/fitness advice.

G_Land

Haha yeah thats happened to me too!! HIIT is crazy good. But it's only as good as you make it. Just like with Bas Ruten's work outs he tells you that if you are to tired to slow down but keep moving. And if you cant do an exercise do one you can.

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Freakshow

awesome. thanks for the advice. I'll be starting ASAP

__________________
“A black belt only covers two inches of your ass. You have to cover the rest.” - Royce Gracie