what is the best cardio exercise that you can do to burn fat/ how do u do it/ how long do uyou do it for?

there is no number 1 best but running is obviously good, try on like sand or grass better for impact, uphill makes more intense... so i combine all i run up sand dunes..(fun running and falling down too..) i live in michigan on west coast so many sand dunes everywhere

If you are in descent form, then you should take up jogging or running something that tends to require more from your body. In the studies I have read and to what I have researched there really isn't a difference in the amount of calories you burn when you run and when you walk quickly, the only difference is that when you run you burn a little more calories but you also burn calories longer, even after you have stopped running. So ultimatly jogging or running is good, your best bet is to go for about 30 min or longer.
 
I would avoid sprinting because it is hard to sprint for thirty minutes, and as far as the up the dune down the dune, your not going to burn much more fat running up hill appose to running on flat ground, but you will strengthen your legs and calves.

swimming. It tops running, rowing, cycling.
 
No impact pressure on your joints + gives you the V-shape that every male desires.

To what I understand swimming burns less fat and builds less muscel, although yes it is less impact. It is good for increasing your maximum oxygen intake though.
 
Ultimatly for trimming up, a fast pace jog is still the king.

To what I understand swimming burns less fat and builds less muscel

 
where did you get that impression from?

To my understanding, when you swim the water tends to cool down the body which in turn slows the fat burning rate. As far as the muscle muscle build, swimming would create more upper body muscle, but other wise I have trained by jogging and by swimming, and i only increased my leg strength signifactly when jogging. I don't remember where i heard the swimming doesn't burn as much calories, but I have always had better luck with jogging.

"Body weight, skill, pace, fitness level, and type of activity each play a part in equating exercise programs. As far as muscular conditioning is concerned, running is almost totally a lower body conditioner, whereas, swimming is mainly an upper body conditioner.
 
In the free-style (crawl) stroke, at least 75% of the swimmer's propulsive force comes from the arms. The main purpose for kicking one's feet is to raise the legs and keep the body horizontal in the water, thereby reducing drag. In general, the energy used to swim a given distance is about four times more than that used to run the same distance. This is because the swimmer must expend some energy to stay on top of the water and considerable energy to overcome the drag forces created by the body moving through the water.
 
Therefore, as a rule of thumb, for every mile you swim, you would have to run four miles. In terms of muscular conditioning, you are primarily strengthening your arms and shoulders when swimming, runnins is primarily strengthening the legs. "
 
Dr. P.J Bird PhD, University of Florida, Health and Human Performance.
 
When combing regular cardiovascular activity with an intense weights program, it would be wiser to choose a lower impact options such as cycling, rowing or swimming.

I agree on the upper body part of what you have said and with building muscle, but exerting more energy does not mean more weight lost. As far as low impact, in order to benifit the same cardio advantage you get from running, you would have to pedal a much longer distance due to the mechanical advantage. The main reason it seems to me you spend more energy swimming than jogging is simple, a great amount of energy is exerted when you are pushing foward in the water, which is more of a muscle builder than an actual cardio and due to the water friction in order to go faster it requires you to push harder wich in turns only makes it more of a muscle stimuli than a cardio worker.
 
sorry pchoice for getting off track, in order to lose weight do something that you can do for a least thirty minutes, wether it be walking, cycling, jogging, or swimming. Keep at a good constant pace and make sure you have a good breathing pattern. The harder the activity is usually the more cardio you get, not always though, for instance jogging is more benifical than walking. To really trim off the weight eat healthy in joint with the cardio. Good luck.

  exerting more energy does not mean more weight lost

 
?? Ofcourse it does. Thats the whole point of cardio in weight loss is to burn as much calories (energy) to create a negative energy balance.
 

  As far as low impact, in order to benifit the same cardio advantage you get from running, you would have to pedal a much longer distance due to the mechanical advantage.

 
True but the advantages of lower impact for people who are obese, over-pronate and have increased laxity in the connective tissue in their joints far outweight the risks of injury with long-term or long-distance running.
 

   great amount of energy is exerted when you are pushing foward in the water, which is more of a muscle builder than an actual cardio

 
Thats not true. Swimming is just as efficient as jogging in training for optimal VO2 max. Although swimmer do have stronger upper bodies, the muscle gained is due to 'adaptive' resistance as opposed to 'eccentric/concentric' resistence.
 
 
Pchoice, what it comes down to when losing weight is simple. Whatever type of cardio you choose to do, in order to lose weight, Expenditure of energy should be more than energy intake every day thus creating a negative energy balance.

  exerting more energy does not mean more weight lost

?? Ofcourse it does. Thats the whole point of cardio in weight loss is to burn as much calories (energy) to create a negative energy balance.

 
In weight lifting you can exert a great amount of energy, but with circute training you might exert less energy but still see better results. Energy is not directly connected to calories, although they are very closely related.
 
True but the advantages of lower impact for people who are obese, over-pronate and have increased laxity in the connective tissue in their joints far outweight the risks of injury with long-term or long-distance running.

I agree with that

   great amount of energy is exerted when you are pushing foward in the water, which is more of a muscle builder than an actual cardio

Thats not true. Swimming is just as efficient as jogging in training for optimal VO2 max. Although swimmer do have stronger upper bodies, the muscle gained is due to 'adaptive' resistance as opposed to 'eccentric/concentric' resistence.

It tends to be more of a muscle builder than walking, mainly because peoples legs are normally strong to fit there weight. In order for a muscle to adapt doesn't it have to break down slightly and rebuild wich would mean "eccentric/concentric" resistence would have to take place.

Pchoice, what it comes down to when losing weight is simple. Whatever type of cardio you chooe to do, in order to lose weight, Expenditure of energy should be more than energy intake every day thus creating a negative energy balance.

Energy is not directly connected to calories, although they are very closely related.

 
What are you smoking??? thats what calories are! a measure of energy expenditure! Here - just to prove im not lying, a definition from a exercise physiology dictionary: A calorie refers to a (non-SI) unit of energy.
 

  In order for a muscle to adapt doesn't it have to break down slightly and rebuild wich would mean "eccentric/concentric" resistence would have to take place

 
Sorry this was my typing mistake. I was meant to say 'adaptive' resistence vs 'Hypertrophic eccentric/concentric' resistence. And there is a difference between the two.

I agree with what most of what u have said, and the rest I really don't want to debate any longer in this forum, but plz think about this and tell me your ideas because I do find it interesting dissagreaing with you and seeing what you have to say.
 
"The calorie is mainly used in nutrition and equals the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of one gram of water by 1 degree Celsius, at a pressure of 1 atm. This amount of heat depends somewhat on the initial temperature of the water, which results in various different units sharing the name of "calorie" but having slightly different energy values. It is approximately equal to 4.186 J."
from:http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/best_cardio_exercise_to_burn_fat%3f/m_62342/tm.htm
when you are swimming your body is cooled down do to the constant cool water surrounding your body, therefore it takes more time to raise your body temp and hence your are burning less calories.

when you are swimming your body is cooled down do to the constant cool water surrounding your body, therefore it takes more time to raise your body temp and hence your are burning less calories.

 
I think you have it backwards here. True, your body is cooled down by the surrounding water. BUT what this does is promote thermogenesis (production of heat) so the body can maintain its core temperature at around 37 degrees celcius. This is the physiological process behind shiverying. In order to produce heat, your body has to burn energy. While the amount of energy burnt isnt that great (because we dont swim in ice-cold water), the calories burnt in this process are negligible. Its the exact same situation as drinking cold water. To maintain core temp, heat is produced and energy is used up but the amount of energy is so small that it is hardly worth counting.
 
Silascn, I can sit here all day and argue with you about the physiology of the body's heat mechanisms but its not my intention to make this into a personal argument so im sorry if ive come across that way. I just love a good intellectual debate.
 
At the end of the day, I dont think either of us are going to disagree that running and swimming are both great cardio exercises.

Swimming:  Do you recommend swimming for cardio?