When using cardio machines at the gym to lose weight or fat is it better to have a high intense workout by running or a low intense workout by walking?

Answer 1

Intense exercise increases endurance and challenges your body more than low-intensity exercise. Also, high intensity exercise like weight lifting increases muscle mass, which is very metabolically active. This means that it raises your metabolism and burns calories even while you aren't working out. That's more than you can say for running half an hour on the treadmill, which might just burn off a doughnut.

It all depends on your health and current fitness level. Weight reduction exercise should be "aerobic", meaning that you should not get to the point where muscles are not getting enough oxygen. You should exercise at a level where you are able to talk comfortably, without gasping or feeling out of breath. That level of exercise increases with general fitness and is dependant on your fitness level at the time of your exercise. You can perform calculations based on your age to determine the best cardio "rate" for exercise. That target rate will give you a target pulse rate to achieve when exercising, but in general, a half hour to an hour of cardio exercise, at a level where you can still talk without gasping, will be about all of the calculation that you need. Good luck in your exercise program.