Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: Mike Geary


In this article, I have an intriguing discussion about cardio training, which will hopefully get you thinking differently, and trying new things.

You may know I’ve been called the anti-cardio guy before, but this week I’m back posing the question to you… Do you really need cardio training to get lean and in great shape? By the way, you’ll see in a minute that I’m not really “anti-cardio”, just “anti traditional cardio”.

Most fitness buffs, weekend warriors, or anyone trying to get in shape or lose body fat, consider it a fact that they need “cardio” exercise to accomplish these goals. They would never even question it. However, I’m not only questioning it, I’m going to refute it! In fact, you may be surprised to know that some of the leanest and meanest people I know (men and women), NEVER do any type of normal or traditional cardio. And I’ve spent over 15 years working out in various gyms, and hanging out with athletes of all sorts, so I’ve seen it all. I will say that there can be a place for low-moderate level cardio for really overweight or deconditioned people, but even in those cases, there can sometimes be more effective methods.

But what exactly is “cardio”? Most people would consider cardio to be pumping away mindlessly on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical machine, while watching the TV screen at their state of the art gym. This is what I call “traditional cardio”. Hmmm, no wonder the majority of people get bored with their workouts and give up after a couple months without seeing results.

But if you look closer, “cardio” can be considered any type of exercise or activity that strengthens the cardiovascular system. I’m not going to get into anything technical like increasing your VO2 max or anything like that. To keep it simple, if it gets your heart pumpin, and gets you huffin and puffin, it’s cardio. I don’t care if you’re holding dumbbells or a barbell and everyone calls it a weight training exercise… it’s still conditioning your heart.

Let’s take a look at a couple examples. Take a barbell (or dumbbell, or kettlebell) clean & press for example, which involves lifting a barbell from the floor up to shoulders, then push pressing overhead. And listen up ladies, because even though this is usually seen as a manly exercise, it doesn’t matter if you’re not lifting 250 lbs; if 45 lbs is challenging to you, then you will still benefit just as much. At first glance, most people think of the barbell C&P only as a weight training exercise or strength exercise. However, I challenge you to do a hard set of around 10-15 reps on the C&P. If you used a challenging enough weight, what you’ll find is that your heart rate is probably up to about 80-90% of your recommended max, and you are huffing and puffing like you just ran a 100-meter sprint (which by the way, sprinting kicks the crap out of jogging any day if you want the easiest way to lose body fat fast).

Try the same thing for a set of 20 reps of one-arm snatches or swings with each arm with a kettlebell or dumbbell, and tell me your legs aren’t burning, heart racing, and you’re gasping for breath. How about trying 5 minutes straight of bodyweight squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest. Again, notice your heart pounding, sweat pouring off of you, and chest heaving for breaths!

Try and tell me you’re not conditioning your heart with this style of training! Conventional thinking says that these are weight training or strength training exercises. However, they are fullfilling your cardio needs as well due to the high intensity of work performed during these types of exercises.

Not only do you save time, but you strengthen and condition almost every muscle in your entire body with these full body exercises if you do them with enough intensity… something that can’t be said for that boring stationary bike ride or treadmill jaunt while reading or watching TV. Seriously, if you can read or watch TV while doing any exercise, you’re not concentrating enough on what you’re doing, plus you’re probably not working out hard enough to see any real results.

I challenge you to give the “traditional cardio” a rest for a month or two, and start training the way I explain in my internationally popular “Truth about Six pack Abs Program”, and see how you start getting leaner, more defined, and your six-pack starting to show through what used to be stubborn stomach fat deposits.

Guest Author: Perry Nickelston


Myths Exposed and Little Known Secrets Revealed

 What do you think of when I mention cardio? An hour-long jog? A long, steady session on the exercise bike? Sweatin’ to the oldies? If it’s any of those things, you’re doing cardio, but you’re not doing smart cardio. There are lots of things you can do to burn calories, but if you’re reading this article, you know that you want the calories you burn to come from fat, not lean mass. Traditional long, slow distance cardio burns muscle and fat pretty indiscriminately. In fact, if you do enough, you may find that your body burns muscle preferentially to ease the demands of doing so much aerobic work. That’s exactly the opposite of what you want.

So how do you do cardio without sacrificing precious muscle? The answer is interval work. Definitely get yourself cleared by a doctor before jumping into intervals, because the whole idea is to rapidly and repeatedly raise your heart rate, alternating the high heart rate work with brief recovery periods. The optimal way to do interval work is probably to do walk back sprints. Sprint all-out for 15 seconds, then turn around and walk back to where you started. It should take about 45 seconds to walk back. Once you’re back where you started, sprint for 15 seconds again. Do seven sprints your first week, and add one sprint per week until you’re up to 20 sprints per session. If you’re not up for sprints, you can approximate them on an exercycle or an elliptical machine. Simply go all-out for 15 seconds, then pedal or walk at a recovery pace for 45. The same build-up pattern applies.

In order to grasp this concept, you must first learn what your body burns for energy during strenuous exercise.  I call this energy body burn, “The Hierarchy Scale Of Energy.”  The human body accesses certain nutrients for energy and does so in a precise manner every time.  This access order NEVER changes.  Let me repeat, NEVER changes.  This scale will alter the way you train forever!  Here it is.

 

   1. MUSCLE GLYCOGEN

(Sugar processed from carbohydrates and stored in muscle for contraction)

   2. LIVER GLYCOGEN

(Storage organ for excess glycogen; primary fuel source for brain function)

   3. BBA (BLOOD BORNE AMINO ACIDS)

(Branched Chain Amino Acids formed from protein)



4. FAT (Speaks for itself)

 

 ¨Notice where FAT is on the scale.  It is last!!!  It’s the one thing we hate the most about our body and it’s the one thing your body hates to give up.  The irony! 

 ¨It takes between 20-30 minutes to reach level #4, depending on the time of day you train and when you last ingested carbohydrates.

 

   Case#1: Come into the gym and jump on the cardio machine (pick your favorite).  Remember it will take 20-30 minutes to burn the muscle glycogen, liver glycogen and BBA before you reach fat.  In reality, the first 25 minutes of cardio is totally USELESS!! That is of course unless you actually enjoy doing cardio, simply for the love of doing cardio.  If you do, then I will affectionately call you NUTS!  Most people do it for fat loss, so why not make it the most effective?  To access fat, you now have to add an additional 20 minutes of cardio to get any results.  The entire cardio session alone will be around 45 minutes. Now you go to weight training.  But wait, where is your muscle glycogen (fuel for muscle contraction?) Right, it’s gone!  The result; weaker workout, less muscle development, increased fatigue, over training, burnout, longer recovery and a slower metabolism.  In short, NO PROGRESS!  You get discouraged and quit training because your body is not changing.

 

   Case #2: Come into the gym and you jump on the cardio machine for 5-minutes to warm-up. Now you hit the weights.  Where is your muscle glycogen?  Right, ready to go for power and intensity resistance training.  Train for 30 minutes with weights and use up #1-3 on the Hierarchy Scale.  Result; increased strength, more lean muscle, less fatigue, no burnout, more intensity. Now begin cardio training.  What is the only available energy source left to burn for the cardio session since #1-3 are gone?  You got it, #4!!  Now you access fat stores immediately and only have to do 15-20 minutes of cardio to get the same benefits as 45 minutes in Case #1.  That means more fat loss! In short, PHENOMENAL PROGRESS!  You get psyched and train harder.

Which would you choose to do? I know my answer!

 

 



The Real Youth Potion

Guest Author: Pat Pohzer


After reading this interesting material, I hope you’ll think differently about cardio training and try something new. It’s not that I’m totally against cardio as part of your exercise routine, but is cardio training really what you need to get fit and healthy? If you continue reading, you’ll soon realize that I’m not really against cardio as a form of exercise, I just believe that “traditional cardio” is not the most effective form of exercise you can be doing to achieve your goals.

Most people who are trying to get fit or lose body fat think, without question, that they need “cardio” exercise to achieve success. I beg to differ! This may come as a surprise, but some of the fittest people I know, both men and women, do not swear by traditional cardio. After many years of working out in different gyms and knowing several athletes and personal trainers, I have to agree that low to moderate cardio is more appropriate for the obese or really poorly conditioned person; and even then, it’s still not the most effective method.

So what pray tell IS “cardio”? Most people think it’s running on the treadmill, riding the stationary bike, or gliding on an elliptical machine in front of a TV. That is, what I would consider, “traditional cardio”, which by the way, is why I’m not surprised that people get bored and eventually give up.

To put it simply, “cardio” is any physical movement that gets your heart pumping and helps strengthen the cardiovascular system. If you’re engaging in a physical activity that gets your heart beating faster and you find yourself short of breath or gasping for air, consider it cardio.

For instance, there’s the barbell/dumbell/kettlebell clean and press (C&P), which is hoisting a barbell up from the ground to your shoulders, then push pressing overhead. To some this may seem like a weight training or a strength exercise, but try doing 10-15 reps with a challenging weight and I can guarantee your heart rate will go up you’ll find yourself breathless as if you just ran a sprint which, by the way, is better than jogging for weight loss.

Give the C&P exercise another go, this time with a 20-rep set or one-arm snatches or with swings while each hand holds a kettlebell/dumbell. Or try 5 straight minutes of lunges, pushups and bodyweight squats with minimal rest in between. While 5 minutes may not seem like a lot, try it, and if these suggested exercise routines don’t get you sweating, huffing, and puffing, I’m not sure what will.

While these types of exercises are usually referred to as strength or weight training exercises, they will definitely satisfy your cardio concerns and get your heart beating faster.

These exercise routines are not only time saving, but if done with the right intensity, they will produce results of a full-body work out. Unlike “traditional” cardio where you’re not concentrating or putting in every effort in exercising because you’re watching TV or reading a book, this method of exercising will get you fit, healthy, and looking good! And it doesn’t take much time and/or equipment.



Fountain Of Youth