Showing posts with label cardio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cardio. Show all posts

9/23/2009

Home cardio workouts without any equipment!


Home cardio workouts without any equipment!



Now more than ever, people want more results in less time, and they also want to save money. As a result of this fact, many people are turning to cardio at home workouts. If you want to lose body fat, improve your health, and save time and money, then at home workouts are your ultimate solution.



Don't be fooled into thinking you can't transform your body and improve your health without spending a penny on workout equipment. That just isn't true, and in many cases you can get better results with at home cardio workouts without any equipment.
As a personal trainer, it was necessary to the success of my business to provide my clients with a time efficient cardio workout that could be done at home. After much study along with trial and error, I discovered the key to highly effective at home workouts that could be completed in only 15 minutes that were more effective than traditional cardio workouts that lasted 30 minutes or more. That method is what I refer to as "bodyweight cardio."



The bodyweight cardio circuits are a series of different bodyweight exercises completed in succession with little to no rest until the end of each circuit. This method is excellent for burning fat, increasing heart health and saving time and money because it can very easily be done at home and requires no equipment.



At Home Cardio Workout Tips:



-Choose exercises that engage a lot of muscle mass at one time. For instance, you should choose planks over crunches, squats over leg lifts, and other big compound movements over isolation exercises. This will allow you to burn more calories while you are working out and keep your metabolism elevated for a greater period of time.
-Keep your rest periods to a minimum. The best way to do this is to only rest after you complete a circuit; by doing so the workout will be more challenging. However, you will complete the workout in a shorter period of time, and you will increase the rate at which your body burns fat. Furthermore, this will allow you to build lean muscle. That is something traditional cardio workouts just can't do.
-Progress to move challenging exercises. You should definitely start out with exercises that are easier to learn and are appropriate for your experience level. By progressing to more difficult exercises, you will keep challenging your body. This will allow you to keep getting the results you want without hitting the dreaded plateau.



Beginner Sample at Home Cardio Workout:



-Jumping Jacks x 50
-Squats x 15
-Elevated Push-ups x 12
-Assisted Inverted Rows x 12
-Plank x 30 seconds
-Mountain Climbers x 10 each leg
Perform each exercise for the prescribed number of repetitions without resting between exercises. After you complete the circuit, rest for one to two minutes and repeat the circuit two to four more times.



Intermediate Sample at Home Cardio Workout:



-Squat Thrusts x 15
-Jump Squat x 10
-Spiderman Push-ups x 12
-Inverted Rows x 12
-Side Plank x 20 seconds each side
-Burpee x 10
Once again, perform each exercise for the prescribed number of repetitions without resting between exercises. After you complete the circuit, rest for one to two minutes and repeat the circuit two to four more times.



Workout Tips



-To add variety to your workouts, perform your exercises at different speeds. For example: perform a set of squats as fast as possible while maintaining control and perfect form. The next time, perform a set of squats very slow and controlled.
-Instead of performing a certain number of circuits, you can also perform as many circuits as possible in a set period of time. For example: set a timer for 15 minutes and complete a circuit as many times as possible.
-Progress to more advanced exercises, increase the number of repetitions you perform for each exercise, and decrease your rest periods. Those simple changes can allow you to keep experiencing body transforming results.



These sample body weight cardio workouts will allow you to get greater results in a much shorter period of time. Not only will you get better fat burning and health benefits compared to traditional cardio workouts, but you will also build lean muscle, which is something traditional cardio workouts cannot do.

9/21/2009

The Absolute Best Cardio Workout For Women !


The Absolute Best Cardio Workout For Women !


So what cardio workout routine is best at burning a ton of calories and getting rid of your stomach?

Well, that is a loaded question, but I am going to give you the simplest and most hard hitting solution possible right here in this article.


I am pleased to introduce to you the dumbell swing.

Ladies, you may be familiar with the dumbell by now.


The base lift that you can execute with the dumbell is, of course, the double arm swing.

Now what this exercise does is incorporate hundreds of your muscles at once in order for you to raise your level of exertion.

You see to truly burn fat and burn it fast you have got to really get your heart rate up. Remember that there are two forms of cardio.

There is aerobic cardio (which means with oxygen) and there is anaerobic cardio (which means without oxygen). Dumbell swings incorporate the latter. The double arm swing is done by you picking up the dumbell with both arms. Next, you have to execute a movement that is known as the hip snap. This is done by you having to fluently and consistently flex and extend at both your hips and knees to build momentum to swing the dumbell up to your chest level.

From here you are simply swinging the dumbell back and forth like a pendulum.

This cardio workout routine is tremendous for burning fat and helping you to get rid of your stomach.

If you are looking for cardio exercises to burn fat fast then you have hit the jackpot here with dumbell swings!


Take your cardio workout routine to all new heights. Take the time to properly learn the technique involved with dumbell swings and then move on to more challenging lifts with this strength and conditioning device.

I promise you won't be disappointed. Remember to train hard, but train smart my friend!

8/31/2009

Exercise: Secrets to Lose Fat Faster Than Ever Before


Exercise: Secrets to Lose Fat Faster Than Ever Before

Cardio is a great way to lose fat because when you do aerobic exercises oxygen is be used. And to burn fat your body need oxygen as well.

However another statement is also true your body adapts very quickly and it needs constantly new challenges.

For example in the beginning of your fat loss programme you could get away with running on treadmill for twenty minutes a day three times a week. However after a while this workout is far to easy for your body, your metabolism will not increase anymore and therefore it does not burn the desired amount of calories.

To lose more fat with cardio you need to challenge your workouts a little bit.


Increase duration

The first thing you need to do is to increase the duration of your aerobics. Do always a minimum of thirty minutes per session if your goal is fat loss. Perhaps this amount does not produce enough results for you.

The most logical step is to increase the duration incrementally by five to ten minutes per session. Review the increase of duration systematically on a weekly base. Most people find out that doing cardio for forty to forty-five minutes is the optimal duration.

Increase frequency

Increasing your duration beyond sixty minutes will work counterproductive. Start with a minimum of three days per week of cardio workouts. To increase the rate of fat loss add one day per week until you reach six or seven days per week.

Doing cardio training seven days a week for months is excessive. However if you want to break trough a fat loss plateau doing cardio for six to seven days per week is recommended for a period ranging from one to twelve weeks.


Improve food choices

It is almost impossible to out train a bad diet. Think about it you only spend a few hours a week in the gym so food choices do play a very important role. First of all increase your intake of good fats and decrease your intake of bad fats. Try to eat at least one food that contain complex protein with every meal. Eat fruit in moderation but do not drink refined fruit juices. Eat breakfast but do not eat white bread with your breakfast or just in general. With bread contains refined flower and refined flower is a food that truly makes you fat.


Incorporate high intensity interval training

Perhaps your nutrition is already in place so therefore it is recommend to incorporate HIIT training. A good beginners HIIT exercise would be the walk-jog interval training. Walk for one minute, jog for one minute and then repeat as much as possible.

With HIIT training the combination are almost endless. For example you can challenge yourself with a 30/30 session. Walk for thirty seconds and thereafter run for thirty seconds and repeat as much as possible. You can challenge yourself with doing the workout on a hill. Within a few weeks or months walking and jogging may be to easy for you so you can try a run/sprint workout as well.

However to lose more fat with HIIT training you should change your workouts every four to six weeks in order to keep it fresh.

8/25/2009

Cardio Exercises to Lose Weight Fast!


Cardio Exercises to Lose Weight Fast!


If you want to lose weight and give a pleasant shape to your body in a record time you should start doing more cardio exercises. Cardio exercises done at the right intensity are one of the best ways of burning the excess fat really fast.


The secret of a good cardio workout is to exercise until you start sweating. After you start sweating you have to sustain that rhythm for at least 20 minutes for maximum fat burning results.


If you want to really accelerate your weight loss you should exercise for around 1 hour. Do the cardio exercise at a higher intensity for 20 minutes, take a 3 minutes break and then increase the intensity for 20 minutes once more. Do this 3 times. During the 3 minutes break you don't stop moving.


For example if you choose to go jogging, you can run for 20 minutes, then walk for 3 and so on. Do this every day for 2 whole weeks and I guarantee you will lose at least 8 pounds.


This exercise system is so good at burning fat because when the intensity of the cardio exercise gets increased your body uses up a lot of energy to get your body under normal operating conditions.

Your heart starts beating faster than normal and the blood flow will get increased through your body. To lower your blood flow your body needs to use up lots of energy.


When you exercise with great intensity your metabolic rate also gets increased. A faster metabolism equals more calories burned. You practically turn your body in a fat burning furnace.

If you exercise frequently you increase your overall metabolism meaning that you burn more fats all day long. Just one cool side effect of exercising regularly.


Cardio exercises aren't only good for weight loss. Your cardiovascular system and heart will benefit tremendously form them. You significantly reduce the chance of getting any disease related to your heart or cardiovascular system. Considering that heart problems are one of the top reasons people die daily I consider this a fabulous bonus.


All you have to do now is start doing more cardio exercises to lose weight and become healthier. I wish you good luck.

8/15/2009

Exercise: Cardio Power!


Exercise: Cardio Power!

If you want to develop some serious cardiovascular power then you will like this workout.

There is no doubt that the engine of your body is your heart. The cool thing is that in order to increase the power in this engine you have to work it hard. The following workout is designed to do just that.


To start this workout you will need a few things.

You will need a couple of dumbells of moderate weight. You will also need the availability of some flat open space and a couple of markers (cones or even water bottles will do).


Mark off a straight distance of 50 yards. Place a dumbell at each end of the 50 yard running area. Start out at one end of the running path by performing 50 double-arm dumbell swings.

As soon as you finish the swings drop the bell and sprint the 50 yards to the other side.


Recover for a minute and a half and pick up the dumbell at this end and repeat the same thing. Once you finish with completing a round trip (100 swings and 100 yards of sprinting) start the process over, but the second time around change up the style of dumbell lift.

For instance, maybe perform 50 overhead snatches (25 each arm) with the bell before sprinting to the other side.

The goal is to perform 3 round trips with 3 different dumbell drills before each round trip (or set of 100 yard sprints).


This is some serious cardiovascular fitness!
If you incorporate this little workout into your routine then I guarantee your cardiovascular fitness and endurance will drastically improve! Dumbell training will definitely help you to develop some serious cardiovascularpower!

8/14/2009

Exercise: A powerful 2-Part Workout




Exercise: A powerful 2-Part Workout


If you want to achieve astounding cardiovascular fitness then you have to train intense!


Thats right, I mean you have to have an attitude that you'll either succeed in gaining big results or die trying. There is no gray area!


The following 2-part workout that I have included below certainly "fits the mold, and oozes with that attitude!"

Part 1: The Overhead Dumbell Swing:


For this drill you will have to have a moderately heavy dumbell to kickstart your cardiovascular training. To start the drill simply squat to pick up the bell. Perform a normal dumbell swing by flexing and extending your hips and knees in a continuous snapping motion.


This will allow you to swing the dumbell from between your legs all the way up to above your head in a wide arc.


This drill is much more intense than the traditional chest level swing. To build great cardiovascular endurance execute 50 repetitions of these in the first part of your intense 2-part workout! When finished immediately transition to part 2.

Part 2: Dumbell Squat Jumps:


For this part of your intense training you will need 2 relatively light dumbells of equal weight. Stand on flat ground and pick the bells up holding one in each hand.


Next, you will want to perform squat jumps while holding the bells in each hand on each side of your body. Make sure that you perform a perfect form squat every time and explosively elevate your body off of the ground.

Every repetition should be performed in rapid succession. Start out by executing 15 to 20 repetitions immediately following part-1 of your intense cardio workout.


When finished give yourself about 3 minutes rest and repeat the process 2 more times! Train hard and enjoy.

8/09/2009

Exercise: Cardio that burns Belly Fat Fast!

Exercise: Cardio That Burns Belly Fat - Cardio Workouts


Everyone knows that cardio burns belly fat. But still most people who do cardiovascular workouts fail to get real results, even if they exercise for hours each week.

The reason is that all cardio is not made equal. If you want to get real results, you need to focus on maximum fat burning cardio workouts and do them in a way that helps you achieve optimal results.

Here are 2 tips:

1. Focus on the the kind of workouts which tend to be more intensive as these workouts will generally burn more fat faster in a shorter time, allowing you to spend less time at the gym and still achieve better results.

Some of these workouts include:

Running
Rowing
Kickboxing
Spinning
Rock climbing (also a strength workout)

Some of the less effective workouts (which are still better than nothing) are:

The elliptical machine
Walking at a slow pace
stationary bike riding (if not spinning)

A good way to increase results is to change your workouts from time to time so that your body doesn't get used to a specific workout.

2. When you do your workouts, you need to do them as intensively and as time efficient as possible. The old belief that the longer you do cardio the better is obsolete. You need to focus on making the most of your time and this means that you need to work hard.

For your cardio to burn belly fat, you should make each workout count. The best way to do that is to do interval training. This means that you change the pace and intensity of the workout you do every few minutes.
For instance, you can sprint for one moment, walk the next, run at a medium pace the following moment and so on. After all, you can't sprint for 10 minutes straight, so changing your pace allows you to sprint at high intensity, and still be able to do a long enough workout to burn off fat.

The kind of cardio that burns the most belly fat fast, combine high intensity workouts with interval training. You will get the best results.

Explosive Cardio Workout

If you are looking for a way to gain superior cardiovascular fitness then you have got to attempt the following workout.

The old mindset of "cardio" being thought of as only "aerobic in nature" is thrown out the window right here. Keep reading to learn what I am talking about.

First of all, if you want to achieve REAL cardiovascular fitness then you have got to ramp up your intensity. Cardiovascular training doesn't only consist of "aerobic" training.

For this workout you will need 2 items. You will need a set of stairs or bleachers and a single barbell or a pair of dumbells of moderately heavy resistance.
Start out the drill on flat ground with the barbell.

Squat and pick up the bell with both hands.
Next perform a series of double-arm overhead swings for 30 repetitions.

As soon as you are finished set the barbell down and sprint up the flight of stairs or bleachers. Try to sprint a height of about 2 to 3 stories if possible. If the bleachers or stairs you are using are less than the recommended height then sprint more times. Learn to manage with what you have.

This is a great barbell cardio workout. By combining both of these drills you stand to make some serious gains in your cardiovascular fitness.

Trust me, if you want to step up your cardiovascular conditioning then you have got to step up your cardiovascular exercise! Train hard and give it a try!

2/12/2007

Certain myths about cardiovascular exercise


Certain myths about cardiovascular exercise


Cardio exercise, or aerobic exercise, is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your body.

It is known to strengthen the heart muscles, improve respiration, provide muscle tone, reduce the risk of heart disease, and increase bodily energy and endurance.


And there are many different ways to get cardio exercise, such as through aerobics, running, basketball, tennis, boxing, rope skipping, and dancing.

So it’s not surprising that a lot of people are into cardio exercise.

What is surprising is how even fitness buffs still believe in certain myths about cardiovascular exercise. In this article, I will examine some common myths about cardio exercise.


Myth #1: “You can burn off more fat if you don’t eat breakfast before doing your morning cardio exercise.”

In fact, it is a bad idea to forego eating before doing cardio exercise, especially in the morning. That is because your body temperature is at its lowest during the morning hours, and so it will take you longer than usual to warm up and get your muscles working.

And your body will not burn off more fat if you do your cardio exercise before eating breakfast. Your body actually works at burning off fat when you are sleeping. There are no significant benefits to going without your breakfast before doing your cardio exercise in the morning.


Myth #2: “You should do cardio exercise before doing weight training.”

This is a very common myth, and even some of my past gym instructors tended to structure my fitness program so that cardio exercise would come before strength training.

However, it is actually better to do the cardio exercise after a session of lifting weights.

This is because doing your cardio exercise can draw on the glycogen stored in your muscles. And so your cardio session will leave your muscles with less glycogen to use during strength training, which can make muscle building a lot less effective. However, it is all right to do a short amount--about 5 to 10 minutes--of moderately intense cardio exercise before doing your weight training.


Myth #3: “You have to sweat to get the most out of cardio exercise.”

Sweating is nothing more than the mechanism by which your body cools itself. By itself, sweating is not an indicator of how effective your workout is, and even light exercise such as walking that does not make you sweat can help you get rid of a substantial number of calories.