Guide
•Centr Team
Your guide to cardio during Power Shred
Power Shred includes cardio workouts to help you cut fat and uncover serious definition.
This style of cardio workout is new to Centr, so let’s talk you through how to do it.
Why does the program include cardio?
Power Shred has been designed to help you maximize fat loss without losing muscle – this process is known as shredding or cutting. While the majority of your results will come from being in a calorie deficit and building or maintaining muscle, cardio is an effective tool to dial up those results.
Cardio exercise contributes to your deficit by burning extra calories. It will also boost your cardiovascular fitness, which can help you to lift heavier by improving your endurance. And lifting heavier will build more muscle, which burns more fat… you get the picture.
Don’t buy into the old myth that cardio kills muscle gains: cardio is good for you in a whole lot of ways.
When will I do the cardio workouts?
Open cardio workouts are scheduled for the end of your training week across all levels of Power Shred (and both the At Home and In Gym programs).
The only difference for Advanced is that your open cardio sessions don’t kick in until phase 2.
What is ‘open cardio’?
When you click through to your weekly open cardio workout in Power Shred, you’ll notice that we provide you with set work phases (e.g. 30 seconds or 1 minute) and heart rate zones to hit.
What style of cardio you use to achieve those heart rate zones is up to you.
You can choose any cardio exercise that allows you to control your pace and work effort to reach the zone targets. We recommend:
Running (treadmill or outside)
Walking or jogging uphill
Indoor cycling or air bike
Elliptical
Stair climber
Rowing machine
Ski erg
Once you’ve decided on your exercise style and clicked into your weekly open cardio session, simply hit ‘start workout’ and we’ll lead you through it with video representations of the intensity required (more on calculating heart rate zones below) and audio cues.
Can I do a coached cardio workout instead?
If you prefer, you can choose to have one of your favorite Centr trainers lead you through a guided cardio session. But be aware that these workouts may not achieve the same intensity as other cardio styles listed above.
Head to Coached workouts in Explore to find guided cardio sessions, or try one of our recommendations:
- Pick one of these no-equipment sessions
- A Centr Unlimited workout with Luke and Alexz
- Boxing with Michael
- MMA with Jorge
If you’re training at Beginner intensity, aim to complete at least a 20-minute cardio workout. At Intermediate and Advanced intensity, do at least 30 minutes.
Calculating your heart rate zone
As mentioned above, we provide heart rate zone targets in each workout to help you get the best results from your open cardio.
If you use a smartwatch or other fitness wearable, you should have access to data on your heart rate zone. If not, use the information below to get an idea of what heart rate zone you are working in.
Tip: To estimate your maximum heart rate (max HR), subtract your age from 220. For example, if you’re 38 years old, your max HR would be 220 minus 38 = 182 beats per minute.
Zone 1: 50-60% of max HR
Great for warming up or cooling down.
Very low intensity and should not make you feel out of breath at all.
You can easily carry on a full conversation or sing.
- For some, this might be reached with a brisk walk.
Zone 2: 60-70% of Max HR
You’re working harder but should feel like you can maintain this pace for a long time.
You can still talk, but may not be able to sing comfortably.
- For some, this might be achieved with a light jog.
Zone 3: 70-80% of Max HR
A significant increase in your heart rate and breathing.
Sustainable, but requires more effort.
You can speak in short sentences, but carrying on a conversation would be challenging.
- For some, this zone may be reached with a moderate-paced jog.
Zone 4: 80-90% of Max HR
A pace you can only maintain for a short duration.
Will feel challenging and push your limits.
Speaking more than a few words is very difficult due to heavy breathing.
- For some, this might be achieved with fast running.
Zone 5: 90-100% of Max HR
Used for short, sharp bursts of high-intensity exercise.
Feels almost impossible to sustain for more than a very short period.
Speaking is out of the question because you are out of breath and focusing on pushing through the effort.
- For some, this might occur in an all-out sprint.
Have more questions?
If you have any other questions about Power Shred, return to the program guide for At Home or In Gym , or check out the FAQ.
Take your fitness further with centr
Coaching On Demand and And In Your Hand
When you need a sweat session or an extra boost, your personal fitness coach is just a tap away.
Fitness On Your Terms
Goodbye cookie-cutter workouts and generic coaching. Every Centr training session is tailored to your goals.
Meals & Mindset Coaching
Elevate your performance with meals to fuel you and mindset exercises to recharge you.