Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: Conor Kelly


There is no question that moderate aerobic exercise has a role to play in fat loss.  But as you progress into your program, cardio workouts can become a bit stale and time-consuming.  Heck, I know some regular exercisers who probably wouldn’t do cardio if they couldn’t watch “American Idol” while on the treadmill.  Now that’s fine, but if you want ongoing change you need to keep finding new ways to challenge your body.  A great way to do that is to use Interval Training in your fitness routine.

 

Interval training involves alternating periods of high intensity work with periods of  lower intensity “active recovery” (e.g. alternating running with walking).  This has several advantages.  First, the short duration “burst” during the high intensity phase stimulates muscle in a way which moderate, steady-pace cardio does not.  And, if you remember, last month we learned that the key to being able to burn more calories and fat around the clock, 24 hours a day, is to increase muscle.  Now if you’re thinking, “yeah, but didn’t he also say that high intensity cardio burns muscle tissue?” then you’re correct.  The key is short duration, explosive spurts.  Think of the physique of an elite sprinter vs. that of the marathon runner, and you’ll start to get the picture.

 

Aside from being muscle-producing, interval training also burns more total calories.  In fact, there is evidence to suggest that this effect continues up to 24 hours after an intense interval training workout.  This is most likely because your body expends more calories in recovering and repairing than it would for a less intense workout.  Thus, it is possible for you to get a very effective cardio session in a lot less time.  Great for those of us with hectic schedules!

 

Training with intervals is dynamic and challenging, which makes it a great deal more interesting than regular cardio.  You can alternate a minute of skipping rope with pedaling a stationary bike, weighted step-ups with walking on the treadmill, even jogging up and down the stairs of your house or building, alternated with periods of walking circles around your dining-room table!  There are so many possible variations. 

 

Alright, so know that you know why it works, you’re probably wondering, “how can I start incorporating interval training into my workouts?”  Well, I usually like to start clients off by doing intervals on a stationary or recumbent bike, because it’s simpler and there is less chance of injury.  At first, each interval should be a bit longer, and the “active recovery” phase should be longer than the “sprint,” say 3 minutes compared to 2 minutes of high intensity.  Try to use a perceived 80% effort for those two minutes, by the end of which your legs should be burning and you should have the feeling that you couldn’t keep going for very long.  Do this by increasing the resistance and the speed of pedaling.  Then, to get the most out your intervals, it’s important that you slow right down to a comfortable 30% output for the recovery phase.  Repeat this process 3-6 times initially, but don’t forget to warm-up 5-10 minutes first, and cool down for about 5 minutes afterwards.  The overall duration of your session should be between 15 and 35 minutes.

 

As you become more advanced, try to challenge yourself with shorter, more intense intervals, and equal periods of recovery.  Try 4-10 intervals of 45 seconds at 90% effort, alternated with 45 seconds at 30%, and vary the type of cardio as well.  As with anything type exercise, you will get maximum results if you start gradually and push yourself more and more as your strength and stamina improves. 

 

Also, the best time for you to interval train is probably immediately after your resistance training workout, but because it is relatively brief, you may find it quite suitable to perform this workout as your AM cardio, as long as you properly warm up first.

 

So here it is in a nutshell.  To make best use of interval training:

 

1.       Warm up for 5-10 minutes

2.       Alternate periods of 80% to 90% effort with periods of 30% effort, depending on your level

3.       Cool down for 5 minutes after

4.       Start with longer periods and progress to shorter ones

5.       As your strength and endurance improves, challenge yourself with different combinations, and more intense “bursts,” while simultaneously reducing rest periods

 

 

In recent years, a lot has been said for the effectiveness of interval training, and some even tout it as the fat loss solution.  But that is misleading, and while I do believe interval training has it’s place in your fitness program, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.  A puzzle which, I hope, is beginning to make more sense to you with each successive issue of this newsletter!  Together with cardiovascular exercise, the right nutrition and resistance training are the three synergistic elements that will allow to achieve all your fat loss and fitness goals. Good luck!

 

 



Health and Vitality Now

Guest Author: Eddie Lomax


Close you eyes and think of cardio workouts at home. Now, I’m not a mind reader but I believe a lot of your thought of jogging on a treadmill or riding an exercise bike. Or maybe you thought of some other exercise machine designed for cardio workouts.

But the fact is, you don’t need any equipment at all to get a great workout at home. All you need is your own body, and the desire to get a great full body workout. Here’s how…

Use Bodyweight Calisthenics

Bodyweight calisthenics consist of both bodyweight strength exercises and fast paced calisthenics exercises that stress heart and lung endurance. And you don’t need any equipment at all to get a great workout.

Plus, by combining bodyweight exercises and calisthenics, you get a BETTER overall workout than if you just jogged on a treadmill of rode a bike. Just think about it. Bodyweight exercises can be used to improve strength and performance of all the muscles in the body. And calisthenics uses full body movements to increase heart and lung power.

Basically, this ends up be a better overall workout than most cardio workouts at home that use equipment.

Cardio Workouts At Home: Example

Let’s pick 3 common bodyweight exercises and 1 common calisthenics exercise. We’ll use push ups, squats, crunches and jumping jacks.

Here is how you do it:

Do 10 reps of each bodyweight exercise in a circuit without rest. Then immediately do 30 seconds of jumping jacks. Repeat for 10 minutes.

What you’ll find is this quick and simple workout provided a full body workout and a great cardio workout all in one. And frankly, this is a better workout than doing aerobic exercise on a machine for 20 minutes. And with literally hundreds of bodyweight calisthenics exercises to choose from… you’ll never be left wanting for a cardio workout at home.

If You Have Equipment… Use Bodyweight Interval Circuits

If you do have a treadmill or bike, you can still get in on the action. Let’s say you are going to ride the bike for 20 minutes. Every 5 minutes jump off the bike and perform a circuit of bodyweight calisthenics like described above. Your boring cardio workout just got a whole lot more interesting and more EFFECTIVE.

Don’t let not having any exercise equipment at home keep you from getting a great cardio workout. As a matter of fact, it might be a blessing in disguise. You’ll find that bodyweight calisthenics workouts are far more effective for improving fitness, burning fat and building an attractive, athletic body than using only aerobic workouts.

Try it out for yourself and see!

Guest Author: Michael Collins


Cardio exercise is one of the most effective and efficient ways to burn fat. Nothing burns off calories like intense cardio exercise. The challenge is most people think of cardio as boring or tedious.

That’s why we’ve designed ways to get the most out of your cardio workout, and get it done as fast as possible.

So how do we get the most out of out cardio?

1. Make it Fun- Instead of doing the spend an hour-on-a-treadmill workout, go play some sports instead. perhaps you have a basketball court near your house? Even if you’re not any good, just dribbling and running down the court can burn many calories, while practicing your shooting skills. Be a kid again!

2. Make it Intense- On whatever cardio piece of equipment you use, if you’re used to going at a moderate pace, take it up a few paces and put forth more effort. Go faster, use a tougher resistance, and just bust your butt until you can’t go anymore (within healthy limits of course). This will boost your calorie burn like nobody’s business.

3. Throw your body for a loop- If you’re a creature of habit and always use a machine for cardio, try using some body weight exercises. Body weight exercises are great- they can be done anywhere, build lean muscle, make you stronger, and get your heart going for a powerful cardio, fat burning workout.

These are some simple ways to get the most out of your cardio workout. There are many more you can find as well.

Guest Author: Dane Fletcher


Whether preparing for an upcoming show, or just trying to keep body fat low, cardiovascular training is an important part of all bodybuilders’ routines. When trying to add mass, cardio should be done at a minimum, but for health reasons it should never be completely deleted. Cardio strengthens the cardiovascular and respiratory system, and gives you a stronger heart and lungs.

It’s often hard to get to the gym four or five times per week to train with weights. It’s even harder to make the trip 5 times a week for cardio, especially if you (wisely) decide to do cardio training in the morning to burn the most body fat, performed on an empty stomach upon waking. For these situations, a home cardio solution is a great idea. But which works best? Let’s examine the options.

Walking or running

This it the easiest option – put on shoes, open the door, and go for it. Cost is free, and it can be done anytime. However, drawbacks do exist. Weather can prevent you from running – it’s very hard to spend 45 minutes in the elements when it’s ten below zero, or a sweltering 90 degrees. Also if you live in a bad neighborhood, utilizing a predictable walking schedule might make you a target.

Exercise bike

This is a favorite of many due to the low-impact nature of the movement, as well as the fact you can very easily watch television while training. Time does pass quickly on a stationary bike. One drawback is the low intensity nature of the machine. It cannot deliver the same kind of full body workout as other machines.

Elliptical

Elliptical machines are very popular in gyms, but less popular for homes due to their size (big), weight (heavy) and cost ($500 and up for a quality machine). They are very effective for full body workouts.

Rowing machine

This very effective piece of equipment suffers from the same fate as the elliptical. It is highly effective for cardiovascular purposes, but also large and expensive. If you have the space and can afford it, a rower is a terrific investment.

Stationary stepper

This small piece of equipment is available for under $50, and it is used by a surprising number of athletes. It’s the size of a shoebox and provides no upper body balance, but it is easily stored and used, and provides full ability to walk or run using very little space.



Mother Nature’s Magic Pill

Guest Author: Ryan Cote


The perfect workout routine is one that combines strength training and some form of cardio. The problem is, most people hate doing cardio and will make up any excuse not to do it. A popular excuse is not having enough time. This article, however, will show you how you can spend only 20 minutes on a cardio workout and still reap the benefits.

So first of all, why is it necessary that you add cardio to your workouts? Most people understand the benefits of strength training because it adds muscle and muscle makes you healthier, more lean and stronger overall.

But what are the benefits of cardio? Here is a short list that names just a few:

- it helps reduce stress

- it burns calories which leads to weight loss

- it makes your heart and lungs stronger

- it reduces your risk of certain diseases

- it reduces depression and increases confidence

- it gives you more energy and helps you sleep better

To sum it up, adding cardio to your workout improves your health and well-being which leads to a better quality of life. Combine this with strength training and you’re on your way to feeling great, fast.

So how can you reap the benefits of cardio in only 20 minutes per workout? It’s called Interval Training and it can be applied to many different forms of cardio including boxing, running and biking.

The concept in a nutshell is shorter workouts, but higher intensity. This is accomplished by pushing hard for say two minutes and then slowing down for two minutes. If you repeat this cycle four more times then you have your 20 minutes. You could also do one minute hard, one minute easy and then repeat this nine more times.

Here is an example:

Interval training is perfect for running. If you’re working out on a treadmill or running outdoors, it’s the same routine. Start out with a warm up jog followed by two minutes of a challenging pace. This won’t be your all out because you have to maintain it for two minutes, but a pace that will be very hard for you. You then follow this with two minutes of either a walk or a very slow jog. Repeat four more times and you’ve got yourself an effective cardio workout in only 20 minutes.

This concept can be applied to many different forms of cardio: two minutes hard, two minutes easy, repeat four more times. Or one minute hard, one minute easy, repeat nine more times.

You’ll get your blood flowing, your heart pumping and reap all the benefits cardio has to offer…all in only 20 minutes.



Fountain Of Youth

Guest Author: Eddie Lomax


e doing a cardio workout that is quick and effective for building strong heart and lungs AND building a lean, athletic body. That is what happens when you use bodyweight calisthenics instead of your boring cardio routine. Don’t make the mistake of neglecting bodyweight exercises for the cardio portion of your workout.

You see, you’ve just overlooked one of the best ways to get a great cardio workout as well as build a high-performance, athletic body… bodyweight calisthenics. You don’t need any equipment at all to get a great cardio workout. And there are added benefits for using bodyweight calisthenics instead of boring cardio.

Guest Author: Dane Fletcher


If you’re a bodybuilder who enjoys the soreness and limp you experience following an incredible leg workout, then you probably already know the woes of trying to do intense cardio with sore legs.  Many bodybuilders consider weight training and cardio training to be two separate things.  In reality, since both utilize the legs, careful planning should take place to ensure your cardio doesn’t interfere with your weight training, and vice versa.

The first key to remember is that you cannot do cardio the day before you train the legs with weights.  Your leg muscles and glycogen stores need to be replenished.  You can’t expect a good performance on the squat rack if you went all-out just 12-24 hours earlier.  Give then a rest before pushing them to the limit.

Second, you must ramp down the cardio intensity and angles in those two days following leg day.  After all, DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, is at its worst in the 48 hours following a workout.  So after you destroy your legs on leg day, the two following days will be slow, relaxed cardio, which gives the lungs a workout, yet works around the well-worn legs.

Finally, you should take advantage of the numbness you are feeling at the conclusion of your leg weight training session, and complete a very intense cardio session directly after completing your leg routine.  Same day, same session.  Climb off of the calf machine and get on the stair stepper.  Your legs will already be torched, so you won’t feel much of the pain.  You might as well get the most possible gains out of the day’s workout by torching them at this moment.

Day 1 – Rest (no cardio)

Day 2 – Full leg workout (quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves) followed by 30 minutes interval cardio on the stepper machine.

Day 3 – Full Chest/Triceps workout, followed by 30 minutes walking on treadmill

Day 4 – Full Back/Biceps workout, followed by 30 minutes elliptical machine at low intensity

Day 5 – 30 minutes medium- to high-intensity cardio

Day 6 – Full shoulder workout, followed by 30 minutes very intense cardio

Day 7 – Rest day (no cardio)

Listen to your body.  After day 7, (a full rest day), you might want another rest day.  If so, keep day 1 as listed.  However, if you are feeling your legs have fully recovered, then skip day 1 and go right into day 2 and train legs that day.  The most important rule is to listen to your body and train legs and complete cardio with as much intensity as possible, while still giving them required rest for maximum recovery.

Guest Author: Terry Sandhu


Cardio exercise is an activity that you will do at a moderate pace for a minimum of 20 minutes, building up to around 45 minutes or at times even higher. You should always begin at a slow pace for about 5 or 10 minutes because this allows your body to warm up and decreases the risk of any injury. It is also a good idea to spend 5 or 10 minutes cooling down after finishing your workout. You do this by going at the same slower pace as you were when you were warming up.

Before starting a cardio program, always consult your doctor, who can evaluate your current situation and give you a rough idea as to where you should be starting and what you are capable of. For the first week or two don’t try to push yourself too much. Spend this time getting to grips with what you are doing. This also gives you and your body the time to get comfortable with these changes. Once you have a couple of weeks under your belt then you can start adding to your program. This can be in the amount of time, or distance that you do. Remember that to keep on improving you must keep adding, otherwise your body will soon adapt to what you are doing and this will lead to your results stopping.

The next thing is decide what type of cardio exercise you want to do. Try to think of something that you may enjoy. If you hate running, it will be pointless taking up running to lose weight, because your heart will not be in it, and you will soon stop doing it. For cardio to be effective you will need to do it for a certain amount of time (20-45 minutes). Some people can find boredom setting in pretty quickly. To compensate for this you should use music wherever possible while you do your cardio workout. Pick your favourite tunes or something fast and motivational. Focus on the music and not the time you are spending doing your workout. This stops you from clock watching and you will find that the time spent doing your cardio workout goes by much quicker.

Here are a few of the best cardio exercisers for burning fat:

Elliptical machines are a great way of burning fat, improving your stamina, and toning your muscles. They are relatively new compared to other pieces of exercise equipment, but are very effective. You have the benefits of working your upper and lower body with an elliptical machine.

Rowing machines are excellent pieces of equipment. Not only do they target all areas of your body, they can up to a point increase muscle mass, which is always a good thing when you are trying to lose weight. Apart from the fitness benefits, you can burn many calories using a rowing machine. The fact is that the more of your body you use during a workout, the more calories you will burn.

Running us another good way of burning calories and it is also free. Running is more effective than jogging for burning calories. A couple of points to remember are that you should make sure that you have a pair of good running shoes. Also try to run on a soft surface such as grass as this will have less impact on your joints than if you were on a road. If you do run on a street, forget the music because you don’t want to be hit by a car that you didn’t hear coming.

A stationary bicycle is a traditional piece of equipment which has been around for many years. It is still considered as an effective cardio workout, but it all depends on what levels of difficulty you choose to use. The benefit of this piece of equipment is that you can ride it while you are watching television, which may alleviate some of the boredom associated with an exercise bike.

These are by no means all of the cardio exercisers that you can do. There are lots of others including swimming, skipping rope, circuit training, using steppers, and walking. You need to pick one or a combination of a few that you will think you might enjoy. Always remember to start slowly and increase what you do a step at a time. One thing is clear and that is the effectiveness of cardio exercise for weight loss.



Instant Skin Tightener

Guest Author: Chris Chew


Cardio Exercise Machines – Common Cardio Workout Mistakes

Cardio exercise machine workouts are great and fun for burning excess body fat and building good cardiovascular health. These exercises not only help to burn body fat fast it will also strengthen your heart and lungs and thus reducing your chances of getting high blood pressure, stroke and heart diseases. Regular cardio exercises can also reduce bad cholesterol and raise the level of good cholesterol.

However, are you getting the most out of your cardio machine workouts? Are you using the cardio workout machines efficiently to gain maximum benefits of the exercises?

Well, you probably are not if you are an average gym user without any personal trainers to guide you because you will probably commit common cardio machine mistakes when exercising.

We shall now examine the more popular cardio workout machines and the common mistakes people commit when using these machines for their workouts.

Common mistakes when using cardio workout machines are :-

• Step up stair climber – This is perhaps the most common mistake for not getting the most out of the step up stair climber machine. Almost invariably, everyone when exercising with this machine will rest their arms on the railing. By doing so, the railing now becomes sort of like a crutch as it will now support some of your body weight making the exercise less intensive.

• Treadmill – The treadmill is perhaps the most popular cardio workout machine in the gym. A careful observation will show that many treadmill users run with too much up and downs. This mistake will wear out the person’s ankle and knee joints over time. The correct method is to take long, smooth and purposeful strides during the exercise.

• Stationery Bike – When exercising on the stationery bike, do adjust the height of the seat to a comfortable level. I really don’t understand why many stationery bike users adjust their seats to be either too high or too low. I mean, why be uncomfortable when exercising when you can be comfortable.

When the seat is too low, it adds strain to your knees and spine. When too high, your will butt will rock from side to side. So besides not getting the best from your cardio workout on the stationery bike because your body weight will be involved when you peddle, you will also look weird. It is such a silly workout mistake right?

Another common mistake is that I often see stationery bikers reading a book when exercising. That means that they exercise at a very low intensity level. Hey, how can low intensity cardio exercises work your heart and lung effectively?

• Elliptical Trainer – This is also another bewildering common cardio workout mistake. You use the elliptical trainer to tone your body and to exercise for your cardiovascular fitness right? Then why is it I often see people who use the elliptical trainer exercising at a high speed? So what is the mistake? The mistake is that they have set the resistant level too low.

You see, if you do not puff, pant and breakout in sweat, you are not getting the best out of your cardio exercises. Is it any wonder then that people are not losing weight and not improving on their cardiovascular health even when they are doing their cardio exercises regularly?

Now that you know how to avoid these common cardio machine exercise workout mistakes, you can now head for the gym and get the best out of these exercises. In a very short time, you will see your body toning up nicely, improvement on your cardio health being felt and visibly losing excess body fat.



Smooth Away Wrinkles Instantly

Guest Author: Jim Suzak


ght (c) 2009 Jim Suzak

Choose the best weight training program that will help you get the results that you are searching for. There is no single weight training program that will fit the needs of all. Everyone must search for their own program that will work and fit into their own personal workout schedule. Although no single weight training formula will work for everyone, some weight training plans are proven to work better than others.