Interval Training for Fat Loss Not Aerobic Training

Announcing interval training for fat loss

 Forget long steady state aerobic training if you want to lose fat.
Why?

1. Its boring! Who really wants to spend half an hour or more running, cycling, rowing, etc .

 2. Your body will adapt to it! As you get fitter, it becomes harder to burn the same amount of calories as when you started exercising because your body adapts and becomes more efficient. So what do you do to burn the same amount of calories as you used to? Well if you continue with aerobic training the answer is either go for longer or do the same time quicker neither of which are particularly enjoyable.

 3. The fat burning zone or heart rate training doesn't work. Yes, you burn a higher percentage of fat at a sub-maximal intensity but the overall calories burnt are less than a higher intensity workout. (See the post below for more on Fat burning zone and heart rate training for fat).

 4. Sprinters have less fat than marathon runner.

 5. Yes, you burn calories whilst doing aerobic training however it may be detrimental to your muscle growth. As I've said many times before, the more toned you are the more calories you burn whilst sitting at home. Aerobic training is largely catabolic (breaking down), which can consequently reduce the development of muscle growth. Less muscle = lower calorie expenditure = lower fat loss.

  The answer? interval training

  Interval training is not aerobic exercise! Before I tell you what interval training is let me tell you what aerobic training is. Aerobic training (with oxygen) is exercise at a low or moderate intensity that can be maintained for a relatively large amount of time as long as oxygen is available for the muscles.

 Ok, so now let me tell you about interval training. This form of training is known as anaerobic training (little or no oxygen available). The key benefits of this training method are that it not only burns calories whilst you are doing it, it also burns more calories when you have finished as it revs up your metabolism for up to several hours afterwards, therefore helping you burn more calories through the day.

 So what exactly do I do when interval training?

 First off, choose an activity, running, rowing, etc . However , I recommend you do not do the same exercise every time. Remember your body will adapt! Try changing the machine or the activity every 2 sessions to avoid this.

 Once you have warmed up (5 mins) increase the intensity for 1 minute. This should be full out effort or as close to as possible (not recommended for those with heart problems). Think of a scale between 1-10, 10 being the most difficult, 9-10 is where you should be at this point. Once you have completed that slow down to a comfortable (5-6 out of 10) that you can maintain for 2 minutes. This is one bout, you should repeat this between 3-6 times depending on your level of fitness followed by 3 minute cool down. The total work out should be between 17-26 mins depending on how many bouts you do carry out.

 Remember, always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Now, go ahead, give it a go. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the results. Give me some feedback either way, thanks.

Exercise - Why You Need a Support System

When it comes to any kind of working out, having a support system is very important. Most people use exercise to stay healthy and lose weight, or to even gain weight. There are a number of people who can be a part of your support system in order for you to be as healthy as possible. These people will help you stay motivated so that you aren’t tempted to skip your workouts and watch television instead!

First, a health care professional should be at the head of your support systems. Doctors will be able to give you suggestions about your exercise routine as well as point out anything you are doing that could be bad for your body. When you have your doctor on your side for your workouts, you know that you are being safe and making good health decisions. Make sure that you visit your doctor regularly to chart your progress and also check with him or her when you drastically change your fitness program.

Also at the top of your list of support group members should be personal trainers. If you can afford it a personal trainer is the best way to meet weight loss or maintenance goals. A personal trainer will also be able to correct your form and give you tips to making your workouts as successful as possible. He or she will be mental support as well, urging you to do better at all times.

Your family can also provide a great support system. Even while you are at home and not doing exercise, you and your family can together work to live a healthier lifestyle by not smoking, eating healthy foods, and getting outside more often instead of sitting on the couch every day. You can take your whole family to the gym or on walks or cycling. This is a great way to bond as well as do something right for your bodies together.

Lastly, look to others who are exercising to round out your support system. You can work out with a partner in order to stay motivated. Find someone who does similar workouts as well and go to the gym, or attends the same classes. This can be great motivation. You can also look to more wider workout partners by joining an aerobics class. After your class and showering, hang out with these new friends and you’ll find that living a healthy life is rewarding and easier to do than you may have first thought. When you are starting a fitness program having a good group of support people can truly make all the difference.

Core Strength And Fat Busting Cardio - The Key To A Lean Physique

Efficient food production in the world's top economies has
caused a glut of quick, irresistible food that's more often
than not cheap and loaded with calories. Fast food tends to
be unbalanced and is deficient in fiber and other nutrients
found in fruits and vegetables. It's not surprising then
that a high percentage of the populations in the Western
countries are living on an unhealthy diet and suffering from
obesity.

The only thing that can counter the nutritional quagmire
that we're in is constant exercise. Sadly, a lot of people
find it a challenge to stick to a regular exercise program
and thus are suffering from all sorts of health problems
from diabetes to high blood pressure and heart disease.

A lot of those that manage to find time to squeeze in
exercise programs into their hectic daily schedules
eventually get bored and stop after a few months. Reason for
this is loss of motivation that comes about from inadequate
workouts and insignificant results.

A majority of gym goers or fitness aficionados start workout
programs to lose body fat and get flat six pack abs. When
results come too slow, this results in boredom and because
they become disheartened, a lot of people give up exercising
regularly.

To speed-up the effects of working-out and see something
come out of your fat-loss efforts in a shorter amount of
time, modified exercises that isolate the core muscles
should be done. A program that develops core strength
together with body-fat busting cardio exercises is the key
to fast abs and a lean physique.

The core or center of the body is our midsection and these
are made-up of the upper and lower abdominals, the obliques
and the muscles of the lower back. A lot of people only
focus on conventional ab isolation exercises like sit-ups
and crunches and neglect the lower back region. This causes
an imbalance of core muscle strength and can result in back
pain.

A faster abs workout that can give you a stronger core in
less time can be attained through the use of tools like a
Swiss ball or a Bosu ball. Both of these have round surfaces
which when used as support for the body when executing
abdominal or other resistance exercises will force the core
muscles to work harder. The effort of trying to keep steady
while working out on an unstable surface means more calories
burned and improved core strength faster.

The amount of calories burned while doing abdominal
exercises on an exercise ball or other round surface is
increased significantly compared to doing sit-ups and
crunches flat on one's back. Studies show that more muscle
fibers are engaged in activity when a person is lying on a
round surface. The wider range of motion means more calories
spent and hence a faster abs workout.

Do You Want Effective Weight Loss? Strengthen Your Core

Ask any gym buff what the most difficult part about
working-out is and chances are they'll say it's losing fat
quickly. A major detriment to working-out consistently is
boredom brought about by lack of motivation. Of course,
results will come even slower by skipping workout sessions
regularly.

In muscle development and fat loss, how fast we achieve
results have less to do with body type (ectomorph,
endomorph, etc.) than how we eat and exercise. Losing weight
from body fat reduction really depends on how much excess
calories we have when we hit our pillows at night.

Any fitness expert will tell you that the problem of
fat-loss comes down to creating a calorie deficit- burning
more calories than we take-in through food each day. Due to
the sheer number of novelty diets and workout schemes out
there however, they will not always tell you the fastest way
of getting lean and forming a shredded six pack.

Core-strengthening exercises have recently been recognized
by experts to bring about faster gains in toning-up the body
and losing excess fat. The upper and lower abs, lower back,
the obliques and buttocks make-up our body's foundation- our
core. Strengthening our foundation will inadvertently
improve our strength, endurance and balance also.

The simultaneous activity of the core muscles translates to
more caloric energy being consumed, leading to fast and
effective weight-loss. Adding exercises that improve core
strength to normal workout routines is a good option for
frustrated folks who want results yesterday.

Doing typical workout routines are quite ineffective in
developing core strength. Normal gym routines leave-out
certain muscles of the midsection because of their limited
movement.The same applies to all those traditional cardio
machines, never my favorite weight loss method.
Incorporating Pilates sessions into your weekly workouts
will let you reap the maximum benefits of core exercises
and ensure rapid gains.

The wider range of motion and balancing efforts involved in
Pilates and core exercises recruits more muscle fibers
around the midsection. This entails further usage of stored
calories from body fat, toning-up the body and giving you
faster results and increased motivation.

Increasing the efficiency of your exercise sessions by
maximizing calorie burn can shorten the hours you spend in
the gym- letting you focus on other priorities. Improving
your core-strength will also lessen back pain and injuries
from bad posture at the same time giving you a lean,
well-defined abdomen.

5 EXERCISE MYTHS, MISTAKES AND MISCONCEPTIONS EXPOSED

Have exercise misconceptions prevented you from starting an
exercise program? Clear up any confusion and let these
exercise tips improve your workout routine. Hopefully none
of these common exercise myths, mistakes and misconceptions
have prevented you from working out.

1. Common Mistake: Failure to set goals. Do you exercise
without a clear goal in mind? Having a clear goal set is a
critical step in exercise and weight loss success. Tracking
your progress in a journal will help ensure you see your
improvements, will help motivate you and help you meet your
ultimate goal.

2. Common Misconception: No Pain, No Gain. Pain is your
body’s way of letting you know something is wrong. Do not
ignore this. When you go beyond exercise and testing
yourself, you will encounter physical discomfort and need to
overcome it. An example of this would be training for a
marathon. It is important that you have the “base training”
before getting into the advance training. The base training
develops the body and gets it ready for extensive training.
You need to learn to “read” your body. Is the heavy
breathing because you are pushing your body or could it be
the beginning of a heart attack. Exercise is important. Do
it correctly and you can do it for the rest of your life.

It is normal for you to hurt after you exercise, but it must
be done gradually with a good amount of rest periods to
allow proper healing. There are two common problems here
with beginning exercisers. You can cause long lasting damage
to muscles, tendons and ligaments if you work out while you
are in pain, without allowing enough rest time to heal. You
might find yourself in constant and long lasting pain if you
do this which means that you will no longer be able to
exercise.

If you wake up the next morning after you exercised and can
barely drag your aching body out of bed because everything
hurts, you are going to be less motivated to exercise at
all. Constant pain is a sure way to kill your exercise
program.

3. Common Mistake: Sacrificing Quality for Quantity. When
you are ready to increase the number of reps of a particular
exercise, and strengthen the corresponding muscles, instead
of forcing yourself to do a little more each time try
decreasing the number of reps in a set but increase the
number of sets. Also, back off to half your usual number of
reps but add a couple of more sets. You will feel less tired
and will be able to gain strength in your fast-twitch
muscles.

4. Common Myth: Weight Training Makes Women Bulky. Weight
training for a woman will strengthen and tone muscle, burn
fat and increase metabolism, not build mass. Women do not
produce enough of testosterone to build muscle mass the way
that men do.

5. Common Mistake: Over-Emphasizing Strengths. You should
start focusing on your weak points rather than what you are
good at. This will help you balance things. For example, if
your lower body is stronger than your upper body, then try to
work only on this area one day a week.

Being smart about how you exercise will take you a long way.
It is important to have a healthy body so get out there and
start exercising today.

The 3 Main Categories Of Exercise

Exercise is the central ingredient of good health. It tones
the muscles, strengthens the bones, and makes the heart and
lungs work great. It increases your physical reserve
and your vitality. Exercise eases depression, assists the
function of the bowels, leads to sound sleep, and aids in
every activity of your daily life. Exercise helps prevent
heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and many more
diseases. Exercise for the body comes in three
different types:

Strengthening Exercise

Strengthening exercises are the traditional body building
exercises that build stronger muscles. These exercises can
be very helpful in improving function in a particular body
part after surgery where it's necessary to rebuild strength.
They also help to strengthen your bones, since bones react
to stress by becoming stronger; they can help strengthen
bones even at advanced ages. When using strengthening
exercises you should never use anabolic steroids or any
other drugs because you may damage your future health.
Examples of strengthening exercises are squeezing balls,
lifting weights, and doing push-ups or pull-ups.

Stretching Exercise

Stretching exercises are designed to help keep you loose.
These exercises are truly important and everyone should
be doing them everyday. Stretching can be of great
benefit, like if you have a joint that's stiff because of
arthritis or an injury. There's nothing strange about the
stretching process. Any body part that you can't completely
straighten or bend needs to be frequently and repeatedly
stretched. A good rule is at least twice daily. Over weeks
or months, you can often regain motion of that body part.
An example of a stretching exercise is like toe touching
without the bounce.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercises is the most important of the three. It's
the key to fitness and vitality. The word aerobic means
that during the exercise period, the oxygen that you breathe
in balances the oxygen that you use up. A number of good
things happen while doing this exercise. Your heart speeds
up to pump larger amounts of blood. You breathe more
frequently and more deeply to increase the oxygen transfer
from the lungs to the blood. Your body develops increased
heat and compensates by sweating to keep your temperature
normal. At the same time you build endurance which improves
the function of all the cells of the body where you become
more fit. The best form is interval training.

It's never too soon to develop the habit of lifetime
exercise. It's never too late to begin an exercise program
and to experience the dramatic benefits. If you haven't
been exercising for some time, start at a lower level of
physical activity than a more active person would until you
build yourself up.