Cardiovascular exercise involves the prolonged use of the muscles through respiration and by increasing your heart rate. Cardio can help you create a calorie deficit, which is essential to losing weight.

The amount of cardio you need to do to lose weight depends on various factors, including your age, weight, and diet. It’s also important to be in a calorie deficit.

When you hear the word “cardio,” do you think of sweat dripping off your forehead while running on the treadmill or taking a brisk walk on your lunch break? It’s actually both. Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, means that you’re fueling your activity through the use of oxygen.

This type of exercise:

  • uses large muscle groups, such as your legs, back, or chest
  • requires respiration or controlled breathing
  • increases your heart rate and keeps it in an aerobic zone for a set amount of time

Common forms of cardio include:

  • walking
  • jogging
  • swimming
  • cycling
  • fitness classes

Cardio machines may include:

  • rowers
  • ellipticals
  • stair climbers
  • upright or recumbent bikes
  • treadmills

While cardio does burn calories and helps aid in weight loss, combining it with at least 2 to 3 days a week of strength training workouts can increase the rate at which you lose weight.

The amount of cardio you need to lose weight depends on various factors, such as:

  • your current weight
  • calorie intake
  • daily activity level
  • age

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficitTrusted Source. The number of calories you consume needs to be less than the amount of calories you burn. How much weight you lose depends on the daily calorie deficit you create in relation to the amount of exercise you perform over a period of time.

If you’re not sure how to create a deficit or need help meeting your goals, consider using a calorie-counting app. These trackers allow you to input your daily food intake and physical activity throughout the day, which enables you to check your current calories in/calories out equation.

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for AmericansTrusted Source, to see substantial changes, you should get at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Alternatively, you could also try 75 to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise.

You should also perform strength-training activities that involve all major muscle groups at least 2 days each week.

Generally speaking, if you want to lose 1 poundTrusted Source (lb) each week, you need to create a 3,500-calorie deficit, which means burning 3,500 more calories than you consume in 1 week.

Before you embark on a weight loss journey using cardio exercise, it’s important to understand that certain factors affect how quickly you burn calories and, consequently, how fast you lose weight:

  • Age: The older you are, the fewer calories you can expect to burn.
  • Body composition: If you have a greater amount of muscle mass, you’ll burn more calories doing the same exercise as someone with a lower muscle mass.
  • Intensity of workout: The more vigorous the workout, the more calories you’ll burn per minute.
  • Sex: Men burn caloriesTrusted Source faster than women.
  • Overall daily activity: The more sedentary you are during the day, the fewer overall calories you’ll burn.

To maximize your exercise time, consider choosing physical activities that burn the most calories in the least amount of time. This typically involves using the large muscles of your lower body at a moderate or vigorous intensity.

For example, a 155-lb person can burn anywhere between 105 and 594 calories in 30 minutes doing cardiovascular exercise. Here are some different methods of cardio and the number of calories you can burn in 30 minutes:

  • Hiking: 216 calories
  • Fast dancing: 216 calories
  • Walking (3.5 mph): 133 calories
  • Running (5 mph): 288 calories
  • Cycling (16 to 19 mph): 432 calories
  • Swimming: 216 calories

In general, to lose 1 lb a weekTrusted Source, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than your body needs to maintain your weight. If your goal is to lose 1 to 2 lb a week, you need a daily caloric deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day.

To lose 2 lb in a week, let’s say your daily caloric requirement is 2,200 calories. You’ll need to reduce your daily consumption by 500 calories and burn 500 calories through exercise to achieve the 2-lb weight loss goal.

With that in mind, you’ll want to create a workout plan that includes cardiovascular exercise most days of the week and strength training at least 2 days a week.

  • Cardiovascular exercise: Perform cardio exercise 3 to 5 days a week for 30 to 60 minutes each session.
  • Strength training: Perform strength training exercises that involve all major muscle groups 2 to 3 days a week.
  • Flexibility and stretching: Include daily stretching and flexibility exercises.
  • Rest: Include at least 1 to 2 days of rest each week. You can participate in active recovery exercises such as yoga or light stretching on rest days.

Performing the same workout every day leads to a plateau, a point at which the exercise loses effectiveness. Alternatively, hitting it too hard can lead to burnout. That’s why it’s important to stagger your workouts. To do this, make sure to include both moderate-intensity and high intensity cardiovascular exercise in your overall fitness routine.

For example, perform 30 to 45 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercise, such as walking or swimming, 3 days a week. Up the intensity for the other 2 days — 5 days total — and perform vigorous workouts such as running or cycling.

If you choose to do high intensity interval training, you can reduce the total amount of time. For example, alternate sprints with jogging intervals on the treadmill for 20 to 30 minutes.

Each type of workout requires your body to use its muscles in different ways. That’s why it makes sense to include a variety of exercises in your overall fitness routine. Combining cardiovascular exercise and strength training with a balanced diet that creates a daily calorie deficit can be an effective way to optimize weight loss.

To do this, consider performing cardio exercises most days of the week and strength training exercises at least 2 days each week. For your cardio, include at least two to three different methods of aerobic exercise. For example, run one day, swim another day, cycle the next day, and choose two different fitness classes for the other 2 days.

For extra benefits, consider taking a fitness class that also includes strength training, which can help maximize the number of calories you burn during the activity and after your workout.

In addition to physical activity, losing weight also requires changing your diet to create a calorie deficit. A balanced diet should include plenty of complex carbohydrates, adequate protein, and healthy fats.

The amount of cardio you need to lose weight depends on factors like age, weight, and diet. If you’re looking to lose weight with cardio, you have to create a calorie deficit. This means you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming.

The current recommendation is 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 to 150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise weekly.

Combining cardio with strength training can help. Make sure you include 1 to 2 rest days in your workout routine. Stagger your workouts to avoid the exercise losing its effectiveness.

It’s also important to follow a well-balanced diet.