Frequency of Cardio Workouts

The answer to how often to do cardio workouts depends on a number of factors. Among them is
your fitness level, schedule, and goals. 

If you are new to exercise, want to be healthier, don't have a lot of free time, and aren't worried
about losing weight, exercising a little bit every day can do you some good. If you have been
exercising regularly for years, are used to hitting the gym 60 minutes at a time, and are more
focused on building muscle than burning fat, cardio 3-4 times a week is probably enough.

When thinking about frequency, it's important to consider intensity as well. Light or moderate-
intensity cardio workouts can usually be performed every day. But if you do high-intensity
training, you'll need more rest days in between your workouts. Mixing the two helps you work
different energy systems and also keeps you from burning out.

Guidelines for Cardio Frequency

The frequency of your workouts will depend on your fitness level and your schedule. The
general guidelines are:

 For general health, try moderately-intense cardio 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, or
vigorously-intense cardio for 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week. You can also do a
mixture.
 For weight loss and/or to avoid regaining weight, you may need to do more than 300
minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to meet your goals.
 To maintain a healthy body weight, you need about 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-
intensity activity a week.

Doing too much cardio is a no-no and can actually backfire. There is a point of diminishing
returns, so keep it reasonable (3–6 days per week, depending on your fitness level), vary your
intensity, and don't forget to take rest days when needed.

When Life Gets in the Way

What happens if you can't follow the guidelines? If you're still working on building the
endurance and conditioning, it may take a few weeks to work your way up to more frequent
exercise.

If it's a busy schedule that stands in your way or other obstacles, do your best to work out as
many days as you can try shorter, more intense circuit training workouts to make the most out of
the time you do have.

10-minute time-saver workout ideas:

  10 Minute Low-Impact Cardio Workout: A low-impact workout that doesn't require
any equipment and uses your own body weight as resistance
 Burn 100 Calories in 10 Minutes: Six workout options help keep things interesting

Keep in mind that if you can't follow the guidelines because of your busy schedule, you may
have trouble reaching your weight loss goals.

If you can't do the work required to reach your goals, you may have to change your lifestyle or, if
that isn't working, change your goal to fit where you are in your exercise or weight loss
experience.

Intensity
Once you've gotten used to exercising (and are up to 30 minutes of continuous movement) you
can start working on your intensity. How hard you work is a crucial factor in your workout
because of:

 Calorie burn: Intensity is directly related to how many calories you burn.
 Ease of monitoring: A heart rate monitor or the perceived exertion scale makes it easy to
monitor your exercise intensity.
 Time savings: Raising your intensity burns more calories when you're short on time.
 Variation: Intensity is an easy part of your workout to change without having to find a
new exercise to do.

How Hard Should You Work?

Your best exercise intensity level depends on several factors including your fitness level and
your goals. There are three different levels of intensity you can focus on during your workouts,
and you can even incorporate all of these levels into the same workout:

 High-Intensity Cardio: This falls between 70% and 85% of your maximum heart rate
(MHR), or a 7 to 8 on the perceived exertion scale. This level feels challenging and
leaves you too breathless to talk much. If you're a beginner, try beginner interval training
to work harder for shorter periods of time.
 Moderate-Intensity Cardio: Moderate intensity falls between 50% and 70% of your
MHR (a level 5 to 6 on the perceived exertion scale). The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services often recommends this level of intensity in its Physical Activity
Guidelines. This is the level you typically want to shoot for during your workouts.
 Low-Intensity Cardio: This type of exercise is considered to be below 50% of your
MHR, or about a level 3 to 4 on the perceived exertion scale. This is a good level to work
at during your warm-ups or when you're squeezing in other activities, like walking,
throughout the day.

 How to Calculate Your Target Heart Rate

Keep in mind that your target heart rate calculation isn't 100% accurate so you might want to use
a combination of perceived exertion and your heart rate to find a range that works for you.