so when i go to the gym i tend to end up doing an hour of cardio and then aabout 40 mins on toning machines/weights etc.

the only cardio i feel is doing anything for me is the rowing machine.

ive read about doing high intensity in short bursts but then ive read about different types of HIT in different types of short intervals.

i dont have a problem with controlling my food intake when i exercise if anything im more conscious so i know its worth me doing exercise.

i do most of my cardio on a bike but i find myself just sitting there getting a bit lazy watching the tv screens.

id like to do more on the rowing machine but again im not sure how i should do it. should i do like a min of hard rowing then 30 second rest? or keep increasing the minutes with a 30 second rest in between?

any advice would be much appreciated

The biggest issue with exercising is boredom. The machines are particularly difficult as the walls generally do not change.

So the question is then what do you want to do about it.

Generally the best advice is go into each work out with a goal. I am going to row for 30 minutes -- 1 minute fast, 1 slow, repeat. I am going to bicycle 10 miles at 10 miles/hr on the hilly course setting. Etc.

You should be working out to the point that you cannot carry out a conversation without becoming out of breath. Most likely you cannot read a book or talk on the phone while you are doing it. You should be sweating. It is exercise, not 30 minutes of quiet time.

If you are out of shape, that point may happen pretty quick. You may find you have to stop after 5 or 10 minutes. That is fine. But continue doing it. As you work out more, you will find the current work out is too easy. So step it up to either more minutes, a faster pace or more resistance or all three.

There is nothing wrong with doing the same thing every day. One idea is to mix it up is the duration, so 10 minutes one day, 30 minutes another . Or do two different machines. Or switch machines each day. You might find every other day is good. Depends on how you are doing.

Monitor your daily progress. If you are using a machine watch your rate. Initially you might do faster/slower intervals. The goal is to get to continuous rates or pushing very hard between regular pushes. Man is an endurance animal. Man's physiology is designed to run for hours. Man hunts by wearing out the prey.

If you are walking or running outside, get a stop watch and a map. Time yourself over each course/route or a various mid points. Layout multiple courses for variety. Do some out and back along the same route and some that are loops. Out-and-back is nice as you can shorten the trip if you are tired, etc. Loops may mean finishing it no matter what. Going clockwise will be different than counter-clockwise.

I personally found that an over-reaching goal helps. I ran and basically was training for my next big race. You can set goals like 60 minute on the bicycle at 15 mph. So set your daily goals to either increase the duration or the speed or trying to improve them.

I found a log book is a good idea. To remember what you did and to compare with future workouts. This is good for all work outs.


To avoid injuries, do the first few minutes a little easier. Stretching generally do NOT help. You need to get the muscles that you are going to use moving.

Cool downs are OK. I personally just stop. I have other things to do.

Good luck.

Here's an interval-training protocol that you can use on either the stationary bike or rowing machine:

After warm-up, 30 second intervals of maximum effort between 4 minute recovery periods at ~50% of maximum heart rate. Start with four intervals per session and work your way up to six. As your fitness level increases, you can shorten the recovery periods. (If you can tolerate 2-minute recovery periods, for example, we're talking about less than 20 minutes on the bike/rowing machine.)

In one study of cyclists, 30 minutes of interval-training provided the same benefits as 120 minutes of continuous cycling at ~70% of maximum heart rate.

http://jp.physoc.org/content/575/3/901.full