Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: A.J James


Can weight training burn fat?

Yes it most certainly can!

One of the least known things about resistance training is that it will help you to burn fat well and truly after you have finished your workout.

Just about everyone knows the value of aerobic training for losing weight and often the first thing someone starting a fitness regime will do is jog, run or hit the aerobics class.

While aerobic activities are great for assisting you to lose fat, often your muscles will shrink at the same time – this is a terrible thing, because your muscles are what burn the fat.

Also known as resistance training, using weight training can significantly improve fat loss in both men and women.

Why can it help burn fat?

Muscle is the body’s fat burning furnace and it stands to reason that we don’t want to shrink our major fat burning tool.

One of the keys is to ensure adequate protein intake – increasing your protein will stop your muscles getting smaller from protein degradation.

The best way to improve the effects of your aerobic activities is to use resistance training. Weight training helps to strengthen your muscles and prevent muscle loss. With intense weight training you can even create nice dense tight muscles that not only look appealing, but they burn fat like an industrial machine.

What Are The Benefits Of Weight Training?

Better Posture

Mood Elevation

Fat Loss

A Better Metabolic Resting Rate

Strengthened Bones

Better Blood Pressure

Increased Strength

These are just some of the many rewards that resistance training can bestow upon those who practice it.

What Exercises Should I Do?

If you have decided that you like the idea of increasing your fat loss potential by building some muscle, then you may want to know where to start. The best exercises you can do are the basic ones that you probably already know a little bit about.

Exercises such as: Bench Press, Squats, Lunges, Dips and Barbell curls are great because they incorporate many muscle groups, giving you the best possible reward for your time and effort.

Eating more protein is important if you are resistance training, because your body will need more protein to help build your new fat burning muscle machine.

Will Weight Training Make Women Huge?

The resounding answer is NO, women will not get big from training with weights unless they have the very specific desire to do so.

Men have high levels of testosterone, which women only produce a small amount of and the truth is most large muscular ladies take testosterone boosters.

Women have to have like a professional body builder to get big – it’s that simple.

Women benefit immensely from resistance training, they develop beautiful curves and tight, toned bodies. Tight bodies are conducive to fat loss, so it is more than just an idea – weight training is the answer.

Give weight training a try and you’ll feel tighter, stronger and better than you ever have.

You’ll also burn more fat when you rest and when you sleep.

Learn more about weight loss at Article Flame

Guest Author: Eddie Lomax


u using dumbbells for your cardio workout? I thought not. You’re about to learn why dumbbell cardio is better than boring aerobic exercise for improving heart and lung power, burning fat and building a high performance, athletic body.

Workout programs traditionally are split into resistance training (like weight lifting) and cardio (like jogging, rowing or biking). Or these two types of workouts are done on separate days. And more often than not exercisers head for the treadmill, exercise bike or row machine for the cardio session. I don’t see people picking up dumbbells when it comes time to do their cardio workout.

Guest Author: Liam Murphy


Now before anyone gets any misconceptions about this article, light weight training here refers to natural resistance training or adding impact training to various cardio vascular and aerobic exercises. There is no true definition for the term ‘light weight’ in the realm of fitness, and the weights for you to use should be directly proportional to your body weight, and also dependant on what you wish to achieve. Light weight training is not for people who wish to bulk up and build muscle mass like a bodybuilder. It is for the man or woman who’s looking to stay toned, burn fat, build lean muscle and to basically stay in shape. Light weight training is also great for people who wish to work on improving their blood circulation and enhancing their cardiovascular capabilities.

Now, the most important thing anyone needs to know is how to effectively use light weight training in the time that they have, and people would be surprised to know that the internet has many depositories of information that can help anyone get better gains and maximise their workout gains.

Online videos are free and there is a factor of replay-ability in the mix. With more than a thousand fitness topics catered to online, light weight training and low impact aerobics workout and how to do them at home. While on one side of the fence are those who advocate heavy reps for muscle building, we have to cater to women and men who want to define another look for themselves. The home can be a gym as well and an online video can be the perfect instructor. Look out for videos that have tagged on them low impact cardio workouts using resistance, because this is what you are looking for.

The equipment that you need is pretty minimal. If you are not a gym user and prefer to workout in the comfort of your home, then all you need is some resistance bands, some light weight dumbbells and some proper loose attire. More than likely you will be shown videos of the new age type of workouts, combining martial arts, dance, aerobics and resistance training to give an entire package of lean muscle building, calorie-destroying, body-chiseling workout. I highly recommend these videos, especially those which are credible and can be trusted because there is so much innovation all over the world and they are on the cutting edge of physical training.

They will point out common mistakes and ease you into a customised journey depending on your level of experience. Find out why your progress has halted and find out how to jump start a lagging body part or why the fat around your stomach hasn’t budged since Christmas last year. Find out the right time of when you should be having your workouts and how to effectively use light weight training techniques as a complement to an aerobic approach. Online training videos are the salvation to the busy and those who cannot afford expensive gym memberships. Light weight training can build a chiseled physique – you just have to know how.



The French Women’s Beauty Secret

Guest Author: Dorianne Schwaiger


What are the myths and misconceptions for women who weight train can they really build natural muscle like a man?

Basic Rules of Strength Training

Whoever is lifting the weight, be it male or female, the old rule will apply. So let’s get the facts straight right now and move on:

- Heavier weights performed with less repetitions will build muscle mass

- Lighter weights performed with more repetitions will build endurance, tone the muscle group worked without building mass

The average woman will experience a 20 – 40 percent increase in strength when lifting weights after several consecutive months of resistance training.

The same can be said for women that indulge in aerobic workout activities such as step classes, elliptical machines and stationary bicycle or outdoor cycling. increasing the resistance and step height on cardio machines will result in more muscle mass rather than a toned leaner look to your legs. True aerobic training in the form of running, race walking and cardio classes at the gym will build your heart muscle which is something we should all be concerned with at any age.

So How Do Women Build Muscle?

The true answer lies in our DNA. Our genetics have a large determining factor as to how we distribute our body fat and what ratio of estrogen to testosterone is in our body make-up. So, in a way we are already predisposed as to how our body responds to weight training and aerobic exercise in a certain way.

What Body Type Are You?

There are three classifications of body type for women:

Mesomorphs: Tend to be more muscular, this body type responds quickly to weight training and is more apt to gain muscle mass.

Ectomorphs: This last body type tends to be on the lean side with little effort. Even with strength training, they are less likely to build any muscle mass, but will become stronger through lifting weights. Weight loss occurs more easily and they tend to NOT store body fat.

Endomorphs: This body type is more soft and round, often referred to as voluptuous. muscle tone is hard to distinguish with this particular body type there must first be a good amount of fat loss before results are visible.

Research continues to prove that weight training is great for women. It builds body strength and helps to slow bone loss and osteoporisis in some cases. However, most women continue to avoid resistance training out of fear of developing large muscles and losing their femenity.

No two bodies are alike it is important to remember that every woman will respond differently to the exact training routine. everyone is unique, it would be wrong to try and compare yourself to others at the gym. Focus on your individual results based on your age and body type. It’s not what you look like, but rather how exercise makes you feel and the quality of life it brings to you.



Fountain Of Youth

Guest Author: Dan Swanson


I recently received a letter from one of my readers:

Dear Jon, You’ve written in Fit Over 40 (which I LOVE, btw), that you believe cardio is “overrated” and that training with weights is better for fat loss. This seems to run contrary to what Tom Venuto says in his book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, and what a lot of other experts in the field say, but I cannot help but listen, especially given your results and the results of everyone else in this book. Thanks — Joseph Surelli; New York, NY P.S. I should mention that I’ve already “discarded” (I’m using your terms and they work) over 40 pounds of fat in six months, however I do more cardio than you do. Joseph

My man, you are rockin! Great results…and they are very similar to a lot of emails I receive on a daily basis. Okay, on to your question.

Yes, I did say that, or rather something ‘close’ to that. Here is my official, “take this to the courts” stance on how best to shed body fat for good, and this does not require you to be 21, belong to a fancy gym, or heaven forbid do hours of spin classes.

Your meals come before exercise, it’s “Mind, Meals, Muscle, then Motion…in that order.” So, unless you have your nutrition on the mark, forget shedding fat. It wont’ happen.

What meal plan? My advice is to start with a balanced meal plan, or “isocaloric”, in which you obtain roughly 1/3 of your calories from protein, 1/3 from carbs (low-glycemic and non- sugar-based carbs) and 1/3 from fats (both mono and saturated fats….yes, saturated.)

Divide your calories by 6 (a good start would be 12x your body weight for discarding fat) and prep each meal around this figure and these macro ratios.

Muscle is next…not cardio, but muscle. Why? Muscle burns calories 24/7. Nothing else can come close. Train with weights, or train with “any” form of progressive resistance (in-home training is fine. The bottom line is to train, and do so in a progressive fashion. Build muscle, even a few pounds, and it will help serve your metabolic needs in the long run…plus it will make your body curvy, sexy and “toned” (although I don’t care for that term.)

You mentioned Tom Venuto. Interestingly enough, he and I did a recorded interview just last night on this subject, and even he (the StairMaster Master) agrees that weights are superior to cardio in post-exercise metabolic response. In short, your metabolism will stay elevated longer after weight training than any other form of exercise.

Finally, there’s Motion…in this sense, I’m referring only to cardiovascular work. Yes, it is overrated, but certainly not useless. In fact, it’s critical at times. What I meant by that statement is that most people ONLY do cardio while trying to burn body fat, and that’s just a plan for disaster. Without meals and muscle, cardio is a wash for shedding fat, but can still be an excellent means of exercising the heart.

Weight training rules when it comes to overall health and fat shedding benefits if done correctly.



Look 10 Years Younger

Guest Author: Eddie Lomax


Everybody knows bodyweight calisthenics are an excellent way to get a full body workout, or at least they should know. However, I want to explore another way you can use bodyweight exercise to improve fitness, physique and fat loss. Try using bodyweight calisthenics instead of other “cardio” like jogging, biking, rowing, etc.

Think about your workout program. Normally you’ll do some form of resistance training and then follow it up with some cardio work. Most people do the “cardio” to improve endurance and burn fat. But let me ask you a question. What do you think is better for helping you meet your fitness, fat loss and physique goals: 20 minutes on the treadmill jogging at an easy pace, or a full body, fast paced calisthenics attack for 10-15 minutes after your resistance training?

I think the answer is obvious, but first let’s talk about cardiorespiratory endurance.

Cardiorespiratory endurance is the level of ability your body has to gather, process, deliver and sustain oxygen to produce energy needed for the successful completion of activity. Your respiratory system gathers and starts to process oxygen, your cardiovascular system continues to process and distributes oxygen and cardiorespiratory endurance is your respiratory and cardiovascular systems ability to work together to sustain oxygen for activity.

Cardiorespiratory endurance is characterized by healthy, effective and efficient heart and lung function needed to gather oxygen for the production and distribution of energy to the body during activity.

Having improved heart and lung function allows you to…

- Do more, longer… greatly improving performance abilities in a wide variety of sport, work and life activities.

- Perform other physical abilities better… without being winded and exhausted you will be able to produce and distribute the energy needed to perform better for a longer period of time.

- Reduce the risk of injury… Fatigue leads to poor form and potentially dangerous movements that greatly increase the risk of injury.

- Be healthier… Healthy heart and lung function can greatly reduce the risk of disease and sickness.

- Live better… cardiorespiratory endurance carries over to every aspect of life greatly improving your quality of life.

Cardiorespiratory conditioning allows you to simultaneously keep the doctor away and improve your ability to live life to the fullest.

But did you know, improving cardiorespiratory endurance is more than just steady state aerobic activity?

Many people are brainwashed into believing the only way to positively improve cardiorespiratory conditioning is to do steady-state aerobic exercise for 20-30 minutes in your “target heart rate zone”. But what if you used bodyweight calisthenics for cardiorespiratory conditioning by performing a 10-30 minute workout made up of bodyweight exercises without rest?

- The bodyweight exercises (anaerobic in nature) increase your muscular endurance while bringing the heart and respiratory rates up.

- The calisthenics exercises (aerobic in nature) lower the intensity some-what, forcing the body to lower the heart and breathing rates while still under stress… greatly improving cardiorespiratory endurance.

- Therefore, using bodyweight calisthenics for cardiorespiratory conditioning in this fashion simultaneously improves strength endurance, heart and lung power and your body’s ability to function as one complete unit… with the added bonus of burning calories and fat even after the workout is completed!

Don’t you agree? Doing bodyweight calisthenics instead of steady state cardio does more to build the strong, lean, athletic body you deserve. So, give it a try, but be forewarned. This type of muscle blasting, heart pounding, breath taking, fat burning workout is intense, and you should work up to it progressively. You’ll find it is much more demanding than the easy cardio workouts you are used to doing while watching TV or reading a magazine, and this is what makes it so much more effective.

If you are currently bored with your “cardio” training, or don’t feel you are getting the most out of your cardiorespiratory conditioning, try using bodyweight calisthenics for cardiorespiratory conditioning… and see what you’ve been missing!



Fountain Of Youth

Guest Author: Christopher Guerriero


The benefits of lifting weights — also called weight training, strength training or resistance training — include stronger muscles, a stronger heart, a much leaner physique, a longer life, and a body better able to support your everyday needs and activities. Women, however, still tend to shy away from this beneficial form of exercise.

Ladies, does the mere idea of weightlifting scare you?

“I don’t want to lift weights because they’ll make me too big and bulky.” For how many of you is this the reason you’ve never attempted weight training?

It seems to be many a man’s dream to have big, bulky muscles. Why is it then, that men, whose bodies naturally contain much greater amounts of testosterone and growth hormone, lift weights yet DON’T get big and bulky?

It’s true! Unless they are supplementing with dangerous and unhealthful steroids or similar substances, most men do not naturally bulk up hugely by lifting weights regularly. And neither will most women.

The idea that women get big, ugly muscles from weight training is a complete misconception.

The fact of the matter is that women must lift weights in order to achieve the lean, sculpted bodies they dream of having. If a woman does happen to have the genetic disposition to bulk up quickly, there are easy ways to alter a workout to prevent this extra muscle size, while still increasing strength and rapidly burning fat.

The idea that weightlifting causes insanely huge muscle buildup is largely a creation of the media. It’s true that some women weightlifters takes steroids, and these hormones do make them look very masculine. The average woman who weight trains, however, will simply achieve a slim, healthy body without adding unwanted muscle mass.

Let’s start by discussing the basics of weight training…

Weight training involves controlled lifting and working out with weights. Two basic terms related to weightlifting are “rep” and “set.” A rep describes the complete act of raising and lowering a weight during a single act of exercise. A set describes the number of times a particular rep is performed.

For example, when a person does five reps of a squat, they squat down and stand up five times, continuously, before stopping and either moving on to another exercise or finishing their workout. Those five squats would equal one set. A balanced weight-training session will include several sets of different exercises.

Your goal as either a beginner, intermediate, or advanced weight lifter should be to exhaust your muscles in the shortest time frame – that simply means that when you lift a weight, you should lift a heavy enough weight to exhaust your muscles doing only 10 – 15 reps.

And you should do this exercising pattern about 3 days each week – with at least 24 hour of rest after each workout.

Now I’m going to share a principle exercise with you that many commercial fitness “buff’s” will hate me telling you because this single exercise will do more for your body than almost any other exercise around – making it completely unnecessary for you to ever buy another exercise gadget from late night television ever again.

Before I share it with you I’ve got to give you a quick disclaimer…this exercise should be done (at least initially) under the supervision of a qualified personal trainer, so that you learn the proper form to use during the movement.

This exercise will work EVERY muscle in your body, and you can do it in the privacy of your own home, without any fancy machines or expensive video’s.

In fact, this exercise a foundational core exercise and it’ll set your internal furnace up to burn more calories throughout the rest of the day than any other exercise we’ve tested (when done properly).

It’s called the dead-lift and here’s how it’s done for maximum fat loss and body shaping…

STARTING POSITION

Stand with feet flat and placed slightly farther apart than shoulder width with toes pointed slightly outward.

Squat down with hips lower than shoulders and grasp the weight lifting bar (or any small object)…in the beginning I highly suggest that you use very little added weight, so when you bend to grasp something, use a book or something else that’s small and light weight – just to help you balance.

Place hands on bar (or whatever you choose to lift) slightly less than shoulder width apart, inside the knees and with elbows fully extended. Place bar roughly 1 inch in front of shins and over balls of feet.

UPWARD MOVEMENT

Lift bar off floor by extending hips and knees.

Maintain an erect and flat back at all times.

Keep elbows fully extended.

Keep bar as close to shins as possible without hitting or scraping.

When bar passes knees move the hips forward.

Keep body erect at point of full knee and hip extension.

DOWNWARD MOVEMENT

Allow the hips and knees to flex to slowly lower the bar to the floor.

Repeat movement until finished with set.

Now this might sound a bit confusing the first several times you read it – however, once you practice it for a day or 2, the movement will become second nature to you and you’ll begin feeling and seeing the results quickly.

Remember that with any new exercise comes a bit of soreness, so start very slowly, and gradually increase your intensity.

Ladies, I encourage you: Let go of your preconceived ideas about weight training. Do not fear it. Embrace your weightlifting potential! You will benefit so much more from it than from spending hours on that piece of cardio equipment alone.



Turn Back The Clock

Guest Author: George Grigoryan


ve been struggling to get in shape you’ve probably considered cardio for weight loss including cardio classes.

But did you know that cardio for weight loss is the LEAST effective and to get in shape?

The idea behind doing cardio for weight loss is that it burns calories and therefore helps you get in shape. And yes, it works…very slowly.

There are other forms of exercise that burn MUCH more calories and give much faster results than cardio for weight loss.

Let me reveal to you the two most effective ones that I consider my ’secret weapons’ in my work of fitness coaching for women.

If you are going to do cardio for weight loss, then make sure you do something called interval training. It burns three times the calories in one third the time.

In other words it is NINE times more effective.

I’ve got a great beginner weight loss cardio workout for you that’s proven to work. I want you to try it.

Get on a treadmill and set the speed 2.5mph – 3mph and set a low incline. Walk for 5 minutes – this is warm-up.

Now keep the speed the same, but double the incline. Walk like this for 1 minute. This is you work interval.

Bring the incline back down and walk like this for 2 minutes. This is your rest interval.

1 work interval + 1 rest interval = 1 ROUND

Week 1: do 3 rounds 3 times per week .

Week 2: 4 rounds 3 times per week.

Week 3: 5 rounds 3 times per week.

Week 4: 6 rounds 3 times per week

Cool-down for 5 minutes after each session.

If this is too easy for you, pickup the speed in addition to the incline for your work intervals.

If you do this cardio routine in addition to your Metabolic Resistance Training (sign-up for my newsletter to get it), by week 4 you can lose up to 8 pounds of fat.

My other secret weapon is even more powerful. It is Metabolic Resistance Training.

It’s a form of resistance training I designed specifically for women. The reason it’s extremely effective is that it burns calories during the workout and for 48 hours AFTER the workout.

It elevates your metabolism permanently.

Sure, you can do traditional cardio for weight loss, but if you want results NOW, then I suggest you try interval training and metabolic resistance training.

It’s worked for dozens of women I trained and it will work for you too.

Guest Author: Scott White


The benefits of lifting weights, also known as weight training, strength training or resistance training, include stronger muscles, a stronger heart, a leaner physique, and a body better able to support your everyday needs and activities. However despite its many benefits women, still tend to shy away from this beneficial form of exercise because of a misplaced fear that they will “bulk” up and become like an overly muscular body builder.

It seems to be many a man’s dream to have big, bulky muscles. So why is it that men, whose bodies naturally contain much greater amounts of testosterone and growth hormones, can lift weights, yet never achieve those “Terminator” like muscles? Well, unless they are supplementing with dangerous and unhealthful steroids or similar substances, most men do not naturally bulk up by lifting weights, and neither will most women. The idea that women get big, ugly muscles from weight training is a misconception.

The fact of the matter is that women must lift weights in order to achieve the lean, sculpted bodies they desire. If a woman does happen to have the genetic disposition to bulk up quickly, there are easy ways to alter a workout to prevent too much muscle gain, while still increasing strength and rapidly burning fat.

The idea that weightlifting causes insanely huge muscle buildup is largely a creation of the media. It’s true that some female weightlifters take steroids, and these hormones do make them look very masculine, and women who take performance-enhancing drugs should expect to develop deeper voices and more masculine bodies, because these are the known side-effects, after all anabolic steroids contain elevated amounts of testosterone, the male hormone.

The average woman who weight trains, however, will simply achieve a slim, healthy body without adding unwanted muscle mass. In fact, this is how boxers, wrestlers, and other athletes who need a lot of strength without a lot of extra weight (muscle mass) train to stay in shape.

The process of weight training involves controlled lifting and working out with weights. Two basic terms related to weightlifting are “reps” and “sets”. A rep describes the complete act of raising and lowering a weight during a single act of exercise. A set describes the number of times a particular rep is performed. For example, when a person does five reps of a squat, they squat down and stand up five times, continuously, before stopping and either moving on to another exercise or finishing their workout. Those five squats would equal one set. A balanced weight-training session will include several sets of different exercises.

A more advanced weight-training method would be to perform exercises of only 6 or fewer reps, per exercise. This would make the time under tension very short and primarily train your nervous system, which would allow you to gain strength without building much muscle. This technique should be done using the maximal weight you can lift without losing perfect form for no more than 6 repetitions. Doing more than 6 reps allows for greater muscle development, presumably something women generally do not want to achieve.

Another method that has been around for a long time is performing as many repetitions as possible, with the idea of toning your muscles. Well, like a lot of uninformed ideas, this concept is false. You will build stamina and endurance within a muscle through multiple repetitions, but it will not shape or tone your muscles. If your goal is to build stamina without gaining muscle mass, perform anywhere from 15 to 30-plus repetitions of a single exercise.

These two solid principles will help you benefit from weight training without bulking up. Although, as stated in the beginning, chances are that no matter how much weight you lift, you will never have the problem of building too much muscle mass. It is always possible for you to gain fat, and with it a little additional muscle, so you will feel bigger, but remember, that is mostly the result of the fat, and I guarantee that once you lose the fat, you also will lose the feeling of bulkiness.

Ladies, I encourage you: Let go of your preconceived ideas about weight training. Do not fear it. Embrace your weightlifting potential! Your body and overall health will benefit so much more from it than from spending hours on the treadmill.

Guest Author: Robert Saladino


If you’re new to the world of fitness, first and foremost never over do it, and always get cleared by a medical doctor if you think you may have health considerations

Cardio short for cardiovascular training by design is different from resistance training. The main focal point of cardio training is to increase the fat burning process. This is accomplished by burning fat as the main fuel source. Weight resistance training builds bigger muscles and uses glucose (usable carbohydrates) as the main fuel source. Although if cardio training is intense (not able to talk and exercise simultaneously) glucose instead of fat will be used as the energy substrate. This is due to the fact that fat doesn’t burn fast enough to keep up with the rapid movement.

Like I mentioned before if you’re a newbie to exercise take it slow by walking in your neighbor 3 days a week for 20 min, for the first 2 weeks and progress up to 4-5 days a week for 45-60 min, at the end of the 3rd and 4th week. After that, you can try more intense versions of cardio including: treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, jogging and cross trainers. Choose a level where talking with your exercise partner is still possible for 15 minutes, 3x week for 2 weeks. You can progress up to 45-60 min 3x week.

A rudimentary way of determining intensity level for these cardio modalities is 55% to 65% of your maximum heart rate. You can estimate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220, then multiple that by either .55 or .65. This is a good range that will keep you in the fat burning mode and not burning glucose that you will need for your resistance training(glucose is the preferred fuel source during weight training).

Although the age predicted max heart rate is the most common method under use today it has one major flaw. Some 60 yr olds are in better shape that some 30 yr olds, but this method would fail to recognize such an important factor. I actually prefer using something called the Borg Scale to determine intensity which I outline a little later in this article.

Advantages of cardio training: When your muscles need oxygen and nutrients it’s your heart-lung complex (cardiovascular) that does the job. When your body has waste products that need to be expelled like carbon dioxide and metabolic wastes, your cardio system better be in tip top shape, or illness and disease might soon follow. The better shape you’re in the more proficient your heart will be to pump blood to all the various organs. This translates into more energy for you throughout the day and a more rewarding and productive life.

An out of shape person has his or her heart working overtime just to accomplish the minimal about of work required to maintain life. Now take that person and try to make them do something active beyond sitting on the couch. The heart will have a stressful time keeping up because it’s all ready working hard. Shortness of breath, rapid heart beat, wheezing, loss of balance and fatigue are signs of a weak cardio system.

The more cardio trained you are, the less your heart has to work. Who do you think has more energy a person with a resting heart rate of 80(how many times the heart beats in one minute) or a person with resting heart rate of 110 beats per minute? The person with the resting heart rate of 80 is more proficient in pumping blood throughout the body compared to the person who needs an extra 30 beats per minute to get the same amount of blood pumped throughout the body.

A good method of determining of how hard you’re working is something called the Borg Scale and my own preference of intensity feedback:

6, 7, 8 = very, very light

9, 10 = very light

11, 12 = fairly light

13, 14 = somewhat hard (correlates 55-65% age predicted max HR)

15, 16 = hard

17, 18 = very hard

19, 20 = very, very hard

You’re your own master here, which is why I like using this scale. Begin with light sessions according to how you perceive your own exertion and work your way up until you can maintain 2 somewhat hard workouts for about 45-60 min, 2 x week along with another 2 light workout sessions alternating between the 2 for a total of 4 sessions a week.

Again, cardio training along with resistance training is essential to good health. It is also the cheapest and easiest way to exercise, just grab some running shoes and you’re all set!



Fountain Of Youth