More and more people are starting to perform home workouts as a way to get in shape, which is great.  They are highly convenient, allow you to workout on your own time schedule, and are much more comfortable for some people.

The biggest issue that you may run into with home workout programs though is lack of equipment.  For example, unless you have money to burn, buying a new treadmill may be out of the question.

This does not mean you have to skip your cardio workout though.  Check out these alternatives by Arnel Ricafranca.

Arnel is the creator of the program, Beyond Six Pack Abs. For more information about him and what he does, please see his website:

——> Click here for Beyond Six Pack Abs

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If you’ve been reading up on the literature surrounding fat loss cardio training, you likely already know that the most effective type of cardio to lose weight tends to be interval sprints.  These allow you to burn more calories after you are completed them, they don’t eat up so much time in the gym (meaning more free time in the evening!), and they prevent you from losing lean muscle mass if you don’t overdo them (2-3 sessions per week – max).

But what about those of you who just don’t want to do intervals – period? Perhaps you aren’t in the kind of shape to go out and run at 8 miles per hour on your treadmill or you just don’t like working that hard.  What then?

Then you’re going to have to look at moderate intensity workouts for your fat loss cardio.  These can be effective if you do them correctly.  Most people, however, aren’t entirely sure what ‘correctly’ stands for.

Let’s have a look at the requirements for fat loss cardio to be effective when done at a moderate intensity level (ie. you’re working at a level of about 7 on a scale from 1-10).

Balance With Your Total Training Program

The very first thing you must do is look at your fat loss cardio training in context with the rest of your training.  If you’re doing weight lifting 4 times a week, you certainly should not go adding another 4-5 cardio workouts either – even if they are lower in intensity level.

Always think of it this way. Your body has a limited tank of ‘gas’ to perform physical activity.  Once that tank is empty, the car (your body) stops.  Each and every activity you do will take some away from that tank, while time off (rest days) will help to refill it.

When you’re constantly driving your car around, that tank is going to get empty fast.  But, with days off, you allow it to refuel so it can continue working hard once again.  The more intense the workout, the faster the tank drains, but with enough lower intensity exercise, eventually you’ll hit empty as well.

Balance will be key. If you’re doing two weight lifting workouts a week, you may be able to get away with 3-4 cardio workouts without feeling too tired (however I would not recommend this set-up because weight lifting is far more effective for fat loss than cardio is).

Sessions Lasting No Longer Than 45 Minutes

To expand on that point, I would say a good limit to cap your fat loss cardio workouts off at would be 45 minutes.  Why 45 minutes?

That allows you enough time to get a good calorie burn going on (300-450 calories), but doesn’t tire you out so much that you’re going to need to take the next day off.

If you find you need more than 45 minutes of cardio training, you need to make some adjustments to your diet.  There comes a point where it’s just more effective to look to the diet for fat loss than increased exercise – and this is one of those times.

Slowly Increasing The Pace

Finally, I would also like to make slowly increasing the pace one of the commandments of effective fat loss cardio training.

Now, I’m not saying go and bump it up from a 3 mile walk to a seven mile run – obviously that will back-fire in your face.

But rather, after a few weeks walking at 3 miles, try 3.2 or maybe 3.3.  Slowly inch your way up.  If you find that you’re feeling more tired because of this, cut back slightly on the time.  The reason I suggest this is because this more than just increasing the total time will help get you in better shape so you can eventually perform the higher intensity training described above.

You always do want to try and continually challenge your body so this is a good way to do it. You don’t need to make this an uncomfortable process, but do try your best to continually progress.  That will get you seeing results over time.

So keep these factors in mind.  In my world, cardio is the last option for helping you lose weight – it goes diet, weight training, cardio – but that said, since some people will always hold cardio training next to their heart, you at least want to make sure you’re setting it up correctly.

Related posts:

1. Empty Stomach Cardio And Fat Loss – Does It Really Work?
2. Empty Stomach Cardio – Does It Really Help For Fat Loss?
3. Reader Question: What Type of Cardio Burns The Most Fat?

More and more people are starting to prefer performing home workouts as a way to stay in shape rather than going to the gym each day before or after work.  Home workouts are nice because they are convenient and can be done at any time – you’re not bound by the time that your local gym happens to be open.

That said, one aspect of home workouts that many people do struggle with is how to get their cardio in.  If you own a treadmill, elliptical, or bike, it’s not difficult to get the cardio training in that you need, but if you don’t own these pieces of equipment and have to rely on creativity, you may struggle along a bit more.

Here are some of the best home cardio options that you can use for fast fat loss.

Best Home Cardio Option #1: Running Stairs

Running stairs is potentially one of the most intense calorie burners that will really allow you to get fast fat loss progress.  Doing stairs will also work the glutes, hamstrings, calves, and abs, making it a fantastic way to strengthen the lower body muscles while working your cardiovascular system and torching calories at the same time.

If you happen to live in an apartment that has a longer stairway this option works perfect for you, but even if you just live in a house, running up and down your own staircase will prove to be effective as well.

If you tire out too quickly after one or two trips up and down, just keep moving – walk, step and down off the bottom stair -whatever you want to do, just don’t stop.

Best Home Cardio Option #2: Skipping

The second option for best home cardio is skipping.  Skipping is also extremely intense and will burn almost as many – almost more calories than running does.

The only issue with skipping is few people are able to actually skip for longer than 10 minutes straight so you need to do it in bursts.

Over time you should be able to work your way up to doing ten straight minutes but don’t be too hard if at first you’re doing one minute one, one minute off, and so on.  It’s an exercise you definitely do need to ease into. Just try and keep moving during the time you’re not skipping so you’re not at a complete standstill.

Also be sure you’re wearing very good running shoes and avoid jumping on cement to help protect your knees.

Best Home Cardio Option #3: Step-Ups

Step-ups are traditionally used as a strength training movement to help develop the lower body, however they can also be used for cardio as well.

The only adjust you’ll make with this is that rather than using a heavy weight and only doing step-ups so you’re performing 5-10 reps, you keep performing them using only your body weight.

You can do a series of 25 set-ups leading with one foot and then once you’re ready, switch over to the alternate foot after that’s finished.

As long as you keep yourself moving, you’ll get great results from this form of fat loss cardio as well and it is slightly easier to use if you have limited space (since all you really need is a firm chair to step up on).

Best Home Cardio Option #4: Walking

Finally, the fourth option for the best home cardio is simple walking.  While you may not really be able to do this one in your home per say, everyone can walk outside (unless you live in an unsave environment – then you should go somewhere that you do feel safe).

Walking isn’t going to burn an extremely high number of calories but it will still burn some and that may be exactly what you need to start seeing fat loss results.

Remember that all forms of cardio will count (even 10 minute bursts throughout the day) so never underestimate the effects this small amount will have on your overall goals.

So don’t make your lack of exercise equipment become an excuse for you not doing cardio.  As long as you’re making the effort and getting creative, there’s no reason why you can’t include proper home cardio to help you reach your goals.

Do you have any home cardio methods you’d like to share?

Related posts:

1. Fat Loss Without Cardio – Is It Possible?
2. Fat Loss Cardio: Top 8 Reasons Why You Should Not Do Cardio For Fat Loss
3. How Long Should Fat Loss Cardio Last In Order To Be Effective?

With more on this, here’s Six Pack Quest author, Vince DelMonte.

For more information about Vince’s Six Pack program, please visit his website.

====> Click HERE for YourSixPackQuest

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But, how true is this statement?

If you’ve ever tried empty stomach carido first thing in the morning, it’s anything but pleasant.  Some people may be able to push through it, or if you’re keeping it to a moderately paced session it may not be that brutal to get through, but try doing sprints without eating anything first.

It’s not going to be fun.

So, must you really do this? Or, is there a better way to get results – a way you can see good fat loss success without doing empty stomach cardio?

The Calorie Burn Equation of Empty Stomach Cardio

The first thing to look at because it’s what virtually creates ‘fat loss’ is the calorie burn.  In order to lose body fat you must burn more calories than you consume.  Popular thought is that by doing cardio before eating anything, you will be at a much higher chance of actually burning body fat, hence the reason it’s preferred.

Now, here’s the thing.

You are going to burn calories when you do cardio regardless of whether or not you eat beforehand. If you eat before, yes, you will start burning off some of the calories that were just consumed, hence ‘netting’ less from that cardio session.

But, those calories are burned off, none-the-less.

As long as your calorie intake stays constant in both situations (in otherwords if you don’t eat the meal before your cardio, you’d eat it later on in the day), you will still ‘net’ the same calories over the course of the day.

Since it’s how many calories you net over the day that really determines whether you lose weight or not, that’s what matters.

The Intensity Of Empty Stomach Cardio

What I consider much more important in the fat loss equation is the intensity of the cardio you are performing.  If you’re not eating before your workout, you need to ask yourself, how is this going to influence the actual intensity I am able to perform at?

Will I still be able to give as much effort?

First off, realize that the body actually cannot perform very high intensity exercise without glucose due to the energy system required. You may or may not have enough stored glucose in your body to get through it – this is dependant on a lot of different things.

In most cases though, attempting sprints without eating is going to lead to a lot of painful feelings of fatigue.

Moderate intensity cardio – that you can use fat as fuel for so you’d be okay.  I’m not saying it’ll feel pleasant, but you can do it.  For some people, just knowing they haven’t eaten is enough to make them feel more fatigued while doing it.

Since total calories burned is again the most important thing, if you’re session isn’t burning as many as it would have if you would have eaten beforehand (due to the fact you’re not working out as intensely), that’s a problem.

The Hunger Factor of Empty Stomach Cardio

Third you have the hunger factor.  While you may or may not be hungry during the actual cardio session (some people won’t be since they normally just aren’t hungry in the morning, others wake up hungry so it’s a completely different story), many people do find that after doing a session of empty stomach cardio in the morning, they are actually hungrier later on.

If doing empty stomach cardio causes you to consume more calories later on in the day, this will most definitely influence fat loss results, so if this is your situation, empty stomach cardio is not for you.

The Final Result On Empty Stomach Cardio

So, putting things into perspective – should you do empty stomach cardio?

I would say it depends on a variety of things.  Are you making good fat loss progress and only looking to do a short moderate intensity session?

If so, then it’s probably not going to hurt. It’s not needed but if you have your heart set on it…

If you’re looking to do higher intensity cardio work, then no, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Also, on that note, even if it is a moderate session, if you plan to go for an hour or longer, I’d at the very least consume a small amount of protein powder (15 grams or so) beforehand to provide the muscles with some amino acids to decrease the risk of muscle mass loss.

There you have the low-down on empty stomach cardio.  If you don’t want to do it, don’t.

Related posts:

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2. Assessing Calorie Cardio Burning For Weight Loss
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But how great of an indicator is this of your actual progress and workout quality?

Individual Variations

The first thing to take into account here is individual variations that could be present. Some people simply have higher heart rates than others. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the health they are in per say, it’s just that they have a high heart rate and it’s always been like that.

This is a more rare occurrence but it does occur none-the-less.  More often though it’s just that the individual is in poor shape and that is why their heart rate is so high. Obviously you should be able to judge this somewhat yourself.

If you’ve been active for many months and know you are in decent shape but yet your heart rate is higher even when performing lower intensity exercises, you know this is just how your body is.

If you’re just starting to exercise and are carrying more body fat, it’s probably more that this excess fat weight is just causing the body to work very hard, despite being in the lower intensity zone.

Nutritional Status

A second thing to think about with regards to heart rate and workout intensity is the nutritional status you’re currently in.  If you haven’t been eating properly for the last few days, this too can have a fairly large impact on how you feel overall.

If you’re short in muscle glycogen (due to not enough carbohydrates being eaten), you may perceive the exercise as being much harder than normal, hence why you feel more fatigued at any given intensity.

So before you jump to too many conclusions, ask yourself how your diet has been.  Has it been on par with where it should be? If not, that could be part of the reason you’re seeing an increase in workout intensity and possibly even heart rate.

Mode Of Exercise

Finally, the last thing to think about is the mode of exercise you’re using.  If you’re doing a new type of workout that is lower intensity, you may still see a higher heart rate due to the fact that it’s a new action pattern that the body has to grow accustomed to.

Likewise, don’t be led to believe that you have to have a high heart rate in order to receive benefits from the workout.  There are some exercises where you wouldn’t really ever have a high heart rate that still can prove to be very good for your overall fitness and well-being (yoga for example).

So keep these points in mind as you consider your heart rate reading with regrads to your fat loss program.  Don’t get too wrapped up to believe that you must be at a certain heart rate to see benefits. Instead, focus more on your level of perceived exertion. This is a much better yardstick to use to assess how much progress you’re likely making on that workout session.

Related posts:

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2. Fat Loss Without Cardio – Is It Possible?
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Or, perhaps you slaved away on the elliptical trainer and burned off that piece of cheesecake you indulged in the night before. 

Whatever the case, having those handy little calorie burn read-outs makes many people feel very accomplished after finishing a cardio workout.  But, just how accurate are these? Here are some things you should be keeping in mind. 

Your Height/Weight

The first issue with those calorie burn readouts from the cardio equipment you’re using is that they don’t factor in your height or weight.  These two factors alone will significantly impact how many calories you are burning during your cardio training so if the particular machine you are using doesn’t ask you to input this data, that’s your first signal that they aren’t entirely accurate. 

The Type of Cardio You’re Performing

Another issue with those calorie burn readouts is that they aren’t really assessing the type of cardio you’re performing.  If you’re doing higher intensity cardio, you’re going to burn a great deal of calories after the session is completed, which isn’t accounted for by this reading. 

There are also a number of other benefits that occur when you do more intense forms of cardio, all of which those machines aren’t going to explain to you. 

Your Current Fitness Level 

Finally, the third main factor that will have some influence on how many calories you’re burning during your cardio training is what your current fitness level is.  If you’re incredibly fit and doing moderate intensity cardio, you may not burn as much as someone working at the same pace who isn’t nearly as fit. 

Obviously to them this will be a higher intensity form of cardio, but the difference in fitness levels means they will have to work quite a bit harder just to accomplish the same task.  This will increase their calorie burn. 

So, keep these points in mind before you’re so quick to take that number exactly as you see it. If you’re using that to determine how many calories you can eat during the day, you may find that your body weight is not moving in the direction you want it to be because of this misinformation.

Related posts:

1. Empty Stomach Cardio – Does It Really Help For Fat Loss?
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But, most of us figure that if we want to lose weight, cardio is just something we are going to have to deal with. Is this really the case though? Let’s dig a little further and have a closer look.
The Function Of Weight Loss

Whether or not you lose weight on any given fat loss program is determined by your ability to sustain a negative calorie balance.  You simply cannot take in more calories than you expend in a day and expect to lose weight. It is impossible – unless you’ve got some type of funky metabolism going on.  Your calorie balance scale needs to be tilted in the negative direction. 

Cardio And Calorie Burn 

By the above, you’re likely now thinking that yes, since cardio burns off calories, it needs to be done regularly for weight loss to take place. 

But, what if you just reduced the calories from your diet? Many people hate to think about this equally as much as they hate to think about cardio because let’s face it – we love to eat.  Removing some of your favourite foods from your diet may seem like a much more painful process. 

So, you have to weigh the pros and cons.  Which do you love/hate more? Cardio or food? You will certainly be expending calories during your weight lifting activities which will help, but typically that alone without any form of caloric restriction is unlikely to be enough to really get fat loss moving forward. 

Additional Benefits of Cardio 

There are also some additional benefits to cardio such as maintaining good heart health, increasing blood circulation, and so on.  If you’re doing higher intensity forms of cardio training, you’ll also be seeing a much greater increase in fitness level, potentially getting you in the best shape of your life. 

For some people, these benefits make them still want to include cardio in their program, regardless of its effects on weight loss. 

Drawbacks To Cardio 

Finally, you have your drawbacks.  Too much cardio, especially at higher intensities could cause you to start verging on overtraining, which is a very bad thing. You really must balance how much cardio you’re doing with the rest of your lifting and how much food you’re taking in (a very low calorie diet coupled with loads and loads of cardio is not a good plan either). 

So, keep these points in mind.  Is cardio necessary to lose fat? Nope. Not even close. 

Many people have great success obtaining the body they’re going for without ever stepping on a bike, elliptical, or treadmill. They lift weights, maintain very good dietary adherence, and watch the pounds fly off. 

But, you have to be strict with your diet. If you don’t, you’d better start doing the cardio if you want to be successful with weight loss. 

Which do you prefer? Cardio to create a calorie deficit or a strict diet?

Related posts:

1. Assessing Calorie Cardio Burning For Weight Loss
2. Empty Stomach Cardio And Fat Loss – Does It Really Work?
3. Cardio For Muscle Building

Cardio is a very heated debate among professional trainers. Some feel you need to do it. Others, they would rather skip it and focus on the diet.

Here are Vince DelMonte’s thoughts on cardio training.

For more information about Vince’s Six Pack program, please visit his website.

====> Click HERE for YourSixPackQuest

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Energy Availability For Empty Stomach Cardio

The very first thing you must get straight with regards to empty stomach cardio is the energy availability for the exercise.  Since the body is using the ATP-CP system for very high intensity exercise, which relies strictly on glucose, if you don’t eat some form of carbohydrate before that cardio session (assuming you’re doing it first thing in the morning), you aren’t going to be able to perform it correctly.

You could try, but the intensity you work at will be lower than what would be possible had you eaten.  So, then you have to ask yourself, what is more beneficial – performing the workout at full intensity or performing it at half intensity without eating?  In most cases, the former is the correct answer.

Current Body Fat Level

The next thing you should assess is your current body fat level.  Are you verging on single digits of body fat? (slightly higher for females due to higher essential fat requirements).

If you are, you’re going to put yourself at a higher risk for losing muscle mass should you decide to pursue your empty stomach cardio.  Since you don’t have food fuel available to you and you don’t have much stored body fat, the body will take the energy from somewhere – namely, your muscle tissue.

In that case, you really must weigh the pros and cons. Losing muscle mass on a fat loss diet is something you really want to avoid, so if performing the cardio after eating helps avoid this, most times it’s better to do so.

Moderate Cardio Sessions

Finally, if it is in fact moderate cardio sessions you are performing on an empty stomach, then you may be able to get by without eating. You definitely don’t have to do the cardio on an empty stomach in order for it to be effective and for you to lose weight, but if you like doing it, then you’re likely not going to experience huge disadvantages by doing so.

When it comes to fat loss, always remember that it’s total calorie balance at the end of the day that matters.  If you were to do your cardio after eating 200 calories of carbohydrates, yes, your body would have to burn those 200 calories off first, reducing how much it burns off its’ fat stores.

But, if you take in 200 fewer calories later in the day, the body will have to dip into the fat stores to come up with energy to go about your daily activities.  Don’t forget that your BMR (basal metabolic rate) accounts for a large portion of how many calories you burn each day, therefore it doesn’t just matter what you burn during your workout.  Fat will be lost provided total calorie intake is less than total calorie expenditure.  How you arrive at that number matters less than the fact you do.

So, don’t rush off and think doing empty stomach cardio is going to blast your fat loss through the roof.  If it’s not done correctly, it could actually hinder the results you see.

Related posts:

1. Empty Stomach Cardio – Does It Really Help For Fat Loss?
2. Assessing Calorie Cardio Burning For Weight Loss
3. How Long Should Fat Loss Cardio Last In Order To Be Effective?