Alternating hard and easy cardio days?
 

Hi Everyone,

I'm trying to do cardio 5-6 days. I'm also doing weights. Does anyone ever alternate hard cardio days with easy cardio days. I'm thinking this will help save my legs.

This sounds weird, but I think I lose more weight if I exercise every other day. I don't know why.

This is what I do: I lift leg weights and do 30 minutes of cardio one day; the next I'll lift arm weights and do 50 minutes of cardio.

I do alternate.
Some days I do high intensity interval training - (lactate threshold training) but never more than 3 - 4 days a week at the most.

The other days, I do either low intensity cardio (long slow distance) or just a standard - ish cardio workout, lasting between 30 and 45min, where I'm not over 75-80% of my MHR.
I think it's a good way to mix things up and prevent overtraining.

I also tend not to do strength training on the same day as a long workout.
Plus, I've found that low intensity cardio like a long walk really helps with DOMS.

Yes, I mix it up.

Some days I will do a more intense cardio, like running, and other days do less intense, like elliptical. Plus I mix in weight training and on those days I do less cardio and less intense.

I mostly alternate running with swimming - both are kind of hard, but since the body is used differently, I'm not using the same muscles the same way all the time. Especially gives a break to my legs. I also do 2 sessions of weights a week - (not much legs because of all the running, mostly core and upper body) for about 30 minutes, or if I take a class at the gym, 1 hour. I fit these in either with a shorter run, or a shorter swim - I mean rather than swimming 1 hour or more, I'll do weights and swim only 30 minutes, etc. It can vary week to week depending on my schedule, but I find mixing it up has helped me improve my fitness without overworking the same tired muscles.

I also throw in a session of aqua fit every so often if I'm getting overtired - nice stretching and not too strenuous - or else do some yoga for the same reason.