Using Intense Cardio

Using Intense Cardio

The popularity of intense cardio activity is in the rise these days as more people come to realize the wonders of engaging in these types of vigorous physical activity.
The old style cardio training of long arduous training sessions with plenty of cortisol released into the bloodstream is definitely out and the new method of intense but rapid short bursts of activity is in! Cortisol tends to destroy the muscle and this is apparent if you see the skinny disposition of marathon runners.
These are strong evidence that lengthy session of physical activity wends to destroy muscles cells apart from burning energy.
In comparison, just watch the sturdy muscles of a sprinter. This is the muscles we want-strong, toned and yet the lacks the skinny-like definition of those marathon runners.

The human body is an amazing machine. It can adapt itself to any kind of stimuli it is subjected to. If you perform regular short burst of vigorous activity, it will tend to build muscles so it can withstand their pressure it is subjected to.
But if you engage in lengthy activity, it will want to burn off muscle to enable it to adapt to this form of intense activity.

So if you are sold on this concept and want to start training with this form of intense short bursts of physical activity, here are some suggestions you can use.

100m sprints-find a nice place where you can get yourself engrossed in a short 100 meter dash across the open area. No, this is not an obstacle race with hurdles and all but rather you would want somewhere you can run easily without worrying about tripping over chairs, toys, shoes, your grandmother's wicker chair etc.
Find an open field where you can run and still enjoy the scenery/fresh air. Do this three or four time per session.

If this is not possible if you do not fancy the idea of a 100 meter sprint, get yourself a stationery bike and perform intense workout for five minutes before your slow down for twenty minutes. Repeat this cycle again.

Your Cardio Routine is Keeping You Fat ?

Your Cardio Routine is Keeping You Fat ?

When most people think of a cardio routine one thing comes to mind. About an hour of jogging at a moderately intense pace, 3-5 times per week. However, so many people follow this plan without seeing any results.

Then they start thinking to themselves, "I need to eat better, I must be different, why doesn't anything work for ME?!"

If this is you, then start questioning the source of your information, NOT why your body is so different. The truth is that moderately intense cardio is one of the worst ways to burn fat off your body.

Every other day when you jog half-heartedly for an hour, your body starts to burn fat off your body at a certain point through your workout. While this sounds good on the surface, it is the reason that so many people see little to no results from this type of workout.

When your body starts to burn straight fat during your workout, it has run out of carbs (available energy). By getting to this stage, you are communicating to your body that it better start storing fat again so it will have something to utilize for energy the next time you go for a run.

So you burn some fat off during your normal cardio routine, then the next time you eat, your body starts to store fat for your next workout. This is exactly what we don't want to happen!

To get the results you're looking for, start doing VERY intense workouts over a shorter period of time.

Lifting weights is an excellent idea, but if you want to stick to just cardio routines, change your hour long jogging session into a 20 minute sprinting session.

First, you'll find that you have 40 extra minutes every day that you workout. Which is extremely valuable in itself!

But you will starting getting much better results.

Doing shorter, more intense workouts will give you more strength, burn fat off your body quicker, as well as beefing up your lung capacity and heart strength.

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.

Exercise: Maximize fat loss, increase your muscle definition.

Exercise: Maximize fat loss, increase your muscle definition

Exciting Results With The Interval Training Study

16 subjects divided into two groups was used in a study that was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2005. Eight of the people were a control group that did nothing over two weeks, and the other eight people did sprint intervals for two weeks. Before the two weeks, and after the two weeks, both of the groups were tested for their endurance. In this short period of time, the interval group doubled their endurance capacity.

Endurance Benefits Better Than Endurance Exercise

Now we are aware that HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training does improve endurance better than people that do nothing, so now we need to know what happens to people who do endurance exercise.

The results of the interval study, according to researchers, is that they are better or comparable, to aerobic- based training studies that lasted the same amount of time.

The endurance capacity was increased by the subjects involved in the study, more than an endurance study, in which the participants did endurance exercises for 20 hours in total, over a period of two weeks (5 days a week, 2 hours per day).

2 Hours of Normal Cardio vs 15 Minutes of HIIT?

When thinking that endurance exercises themselves, have less benefit to increase endurance than by doing HIIT, it is quite mind boggling. For many people out there, this is a huge paradigm shift. The information that is contained in the study isn't new, but it has yet to reach the mainstream audience.

Even now, when I go to the gym, I hardly ever see anyone doing interval work. This is something that makes no real sense at all!

For more than 15 years, we have been aware that HIIT is better at burning fat, and for the last 5 years, we have found that one of the ultimate ways to boost endurance, is by doing interval training.

How Can This Help Endurance Athletes?

If you are an endurance athlete, then to get the most benefit from your workout, you have to use endurance exercise. To be able to withstand the pain that comes from endurance exercise, the tendons and muscles must be strengthened. The best thing to do, is to do a mix of intervals along with your endurance training.

By doing it this way, you get the benefits from both exercises.

How Does This Help Everyone Else?

By doing steady state cardio after HIIT, you can get more fat burning from the exercises.

Also, when you have to run for a long period of time, this is great for conditioning your joints and body. It is wonderful when you can run for 20-30 minutes, and not have to suffer through body aches for a few days afterward.

Right now, I only do this 1-2 times a week. When what you are after is slimming down, then there isn't great need for extended periods of steady state cardio.

Below, are the methods I suggest if you are trying to maximize fat loss or increase your muscle definition.

Usually, I prefer to keep strength training separate from the fat loss part of the workout.

Muscle definition is best achieved using heavy weights and brief strength training at a low volume.

Your muscles will firm up and you will begin to see an increase in definition this way. Strength training is usually the easiest part of any workout.

With any workout, the calorie burning, fat loss portion is the most intense and difficult. It is best to include an intense fat loss routine into your workout at least three times each week. You can use any method of circuit workout or strategic interval that you want, including HIIT and body weight circuits.

You can't get an "after effect" using low intensity during a workout.
Most often, when I am at the gym, I see people doing a fat loss workout with no intensity in it. If you aren't resting or cooling down for the next part of your workout, walking on a treadmill is useless. When you do a cardio workout that is low intensity, you are not maximizing the amount of calories you could be burning.

Watch closely, to avoid a workout that is too high in intensity also.
You will more than likely find yourself resting for longer periods of time when you are finished with your routine, if it is too intense or difficult. For the most effective fat loss workout, you should be able to go on without extra breaks as if you never worked out at all. If you become overly tired and spend hours sitting down or resting after a workout, your fat loss workout is ineffective.

How do you know if you are working out with the right intensity for your fat loss routine?
Pay attention to what is called the "HGH Flush" I am not sure where this term originated from, but it does serve as a great tool for rating your fat loss workout.

You will know you have reached the HGH flush if you are out of breath, with hot slightly red skin after each workout. Try to remember how hot and out of breath you felt, after the gym teacher had you run lines in junior high. HGH is a hormone released by your body to burn fat when your metabolism is suddenly increased by heavy activity, like a high energy workout.

Your comfort zone can also guide you if you keep your workouts just inside its limit.
The ideal workout intensity will help you reach an HGH flush, without leaving you so exhausted that you want a nap.

In regards to workout intensity, I refer to this as the "sweet spot". You can start increasing your intensity as your body adjusts. However, pay close attention and back off a bit if you find yourself overly tired after a workout.