6-Week Cardio Program for Fat Loss

By Corinne Prainito, BSc (ExHealthSc), Adv Dip Nat

This 6-week cardio program is perfect for burning fat / losing weight. You’ll see excellent results if you couple your cardio with a slight reduction in calories from your diet as well as two to three whole body strength training sessions per week.

Follow the instructions below and reap the rewards. You can expect to burn plenty of calories (during and after each workout), increase your fitness, improve your mood, retain your muscles, ward off osteoporotic changes, prevent training adaptations (the training effect), and reduce boredom.

Weeks 1 and 2: Long duration, Moderate Intensity Exercise
Brisk walking, light jogging, or working out at a continuous moderate intensity on the treadmill, stationary cycle, stepper or elliptical trainer.

During your workout you will be exercising so that your heart rate is elevated but not to the point where you are short of breath. If you like to monitor your heart rate when exercising, you should be exercising at around 70 to 75% of your maximal heart rate.

Beginners: 20 minutes, 3 to 5 days per week.
Intermediate: 40 to 60 minutes, 4 to 6 days per week.
Advanced: 90 minutes, 4 to 6 days per week.

Weeks 3 and 4: Interval Training
Interval training incorporates high and low intensity exercise and should be performed 3 to 5 days per week. This type of workout is great because it’s short (takes 23 minutes to complete) and produces great results by maintaining muscle mass and speeding up your metabolism.

Apply the following instructions to whatever cardiovascular exercise you choose and try to switch your cardio choices around for added variety. These instructions apply to beginning, intermediate, and advanced exercisers because the intervals are determined by your own perception of intensity based on a scale of 1 to 10 – where 1 is very easy and 10 is VERY HARD. To increase your training intensity increase the speed, incline, or level, on the equipment you are using.

Warm up: 5 minutes, Intensity level 3.
6th minute: Intensity level 4.
7th minute: Intensity level 5.
8th minute: Intensity level 6.

Minutes 9 and 10: Intensity level 3.
11th minute: Intensity level 5.
12th minute: Intensity level 6.
13th minute: Intensity level 7.

Minutes 14 and 15: Intensity level 3.
16th minute: Intensity level 7.
17th minute: Intensity level 8.
18th minute: Intensity level 9.

Cool down: 5 minutes, Intensity level 3.

Weeks 5 and 6: Combo Training
This part of your training program combines moderate intensity, long duration exercise (outlined in weeks 1 and 2) with interval training (outlined in weeks 3 and 4). Combination training encourages fat loss by making it difficult for your body to adapt and keeps you stimulated mentally.

Below is an example of a Combo Training plan for an intermediate level exerciser:

Monday: 40 to 60 minutes moderate intensity, long duration exercise.
Tuesday: Interval training.
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 40 to 60 minutes moderate intensity, long duration exercise.
Friday: Interval training.