How often should I do cardio to get lean?
If you want a cardio action plan to implement, here's a good guide: Accumulate 10,000 steps a day, every day at the minimum. After a few weeks, add one to two, 15-30-minute HIIT sessions. After a few weeks, add two to six, 20-60-minute low-intensity cardio sessions in (bike ride, power walk, swim, etc.).
If you're trying to lose weight, you should aim for doing cardio at least five days per week for a total of at least 250 minutes (4 hours, 10 minutes) each week. Contrary to what many believe, you can do aerobic exercise seven days per week. If this goal seems daunting for you, start slow.
As a general guideline, one or two cardio sessions per week should be enough to maintain your cardiovascular conditioning and keep your bodyfat gains in check while not slowing muscle growth.
Best Forms of Cardio Workouts For Weight Loss, Losing Belly Fat, and Getting Lean. Cardio workouts like running are an amazing part of any workout routine. Combined with the HIIT workout, they are extremely effective for losing fat fast and efficiently.
- Sprinting. Sprints outside, on a treadmill, or even up stairs or bleachers are great to burn the most calories in the least amount of time. ...
- High-intensity Interval Training. ...
- Rowing. ...
- Swimming. ...
- Cycling. ...
- Kettlebells. ...
- Jumping Rope. ...
- Stair Climber.
It's true that cardio is good for weight loss, but you shouldn't do cardio every day to lose weight. That's because daily cardio can not only be boring, which makes it hard to do consistently, but it's also inefficient compared with more diverse workout routines that include strength training.
Running is the winner for most calories burned per hour. Stationary bicycling, jogging, and swimming are excellent options as well. HIIT exercises are also great for burning calories. After a HIIT workout, your body will continue to burn calories for up to 24 hours.
Cardio is not a requirement for fat loss, but it certainly helps. Cardio burns more calories during your workout, while strength training helps you build muscle so that you'll burn more calories 24/7. The best fitness plan for lasting fat loss is a combination of cardio and weight training.
- eat 4 to 5 small meals spaced 3 to 4 hours apart. ( ...
- drink plenty of water.
- avoid fatty foods and foods high in simple sugars.
- don't skp meals or fast in attempt to lose weight (fasting slows metabolism)
- engage in weight training to increase lean muscle mass.
Do more with less – adopt a routine of more reps with lighter weights. You don't need to work with very heavy weights to develop lean, toned muscle. For example, two sets of bicep curls with a 5 or 8 pound weight will help you tone without bulking up.
Is 30 minutes of cardio twice a week enough?
The Physical Activity Guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity—think of it as 30 minutes, five days a week—for all adults, even the elderly and disabled.
Cardiovascular exercise
Generally, aim to do either : 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio activity at least five days per week (150 minutes per week) at least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity three days per week (75 minutes per week)

For weight loss, the National Institutes of Health recommends at least 30 to 45 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise three to five days a week.
It's true that cardio is good for weight loss, but you shouldn't do cardio every day to lose weight. That's because daily cardio can not only be boring, which makes it hard to do consistently, but it's also inefficient compared with more diverse workout routines that include strength training.
Running is the winner for most calories burned per hour. Stationary bicycling, jogging, and swimming are excellent options as well. HIIT exercises are also great for burning calories. After a HIIT workout, your body will continue to burn calories for up to 24 hours.