WHAT FORM OF CARDIO IS BEST FOR ME?

 

 

The cardio machines in your gym or fitness centre can be a persistent source of confusion if you don't understand the different benefits provided by each cardio machine. When it comes to getting results, boosting your fitness and shrinking your waistline, the best cardio machine is the one that burns the most calories. In the course of researching the different benefits derivable from cardio machine training, I came across a Huffington Post article by Bob Greenfield which encapsulated my views on various machines.

 

The Bike

The pedaling motion of the bike incorporates the big and powerful leg muscles and can burn 500-1,000 calories per hour, which ranks it among the highest calorie burners (as long as you use it correctly). But most people don't choose a resistance that is high enough to stimulate all the calorie-burning leg muscles, and instead let the natural movement of a bicycle's pedals do the work for them. To get maximum benefit from a bike, choose a resistance that makes you breathe hard at 90 RPM (revolutions per minute). Most stationary bicycles show RPM on the computer display.

 

The Treadmill

Running on a treadmill can burn 600-1,200 calories per hour, and running up an incline on the treadmill is the best way to boost your metabolism for hours after you've finished your workout. In contrast, walking on the treadmill burns only 150-400 calories per hour, depending on your speed and incline. If you're using a treadmill, then either run or jog (if your joints can handle it) or walk up a steep incline. Avoid the common mistake of constantly holding on to the handrails. These should only be used if you have extreme balance difficulties or must stabilize yourself to change a setting.

 

The Elliptical

You generally burn about 600 calories per hour on the ellipticals that don't include arm movement, and 700-900 calories on the ones that do. Using an elliptical burns fewer calories than running because once you get the parts on an elliptical moving, they use momentum to keep going, and you expend less energy. To get the best results on an elliptical, use the rails as little as possible, and challenge yourself with the resistance settings. You should be breathing hard while aiming for a cadence or stride rate of 120-140+ (this is shown on the display). If you don't feel your muscles contracting during the forward and back stroke of the elliptical, then you probably need to increase resistance.

 

The Stairmaster

Although the stairmaster is popular, it doesn't get great results. It incorporates small, low-calorie burning calf muscles, and just a small part of your upper thighs and butt -- and only burns at most 400-500 calories per hour. In addition, if you have low back pain, then you may find that the pain is aggravated during the up and down motion of the Stairmaster.

 

However, if you are lucky enough to have access to the kind of machine where you walk up a moving belt of stairs (like a stationary staircase), then you can get far better results. It will give you just as much calorie-burning benefit as running up an incline on a treadmill, and do a fantastic job toning your butt and thighs. While using it, try holding dumbbells or switching to a slow pace and taking 3-4 steps at a time.

 

The Rowing machine

The rowing machine can burn over 1,000 calories per hour, and it's an excellent upper and lower body muscular endurance and cardiovascular workout. But it can be boring. To make things more interesting on the rowing machine, try to intersperse short periods of very hard pulling with easy pulling. For instance: row for 250 meters as hard as possible, then row 100 meters easy, and repeat 6-8 times. When rowing, use both your torso and legs -- not just your arms.

 

No matter which form of cardio you choose, be sure to regularly switch things up and incorporate new forms of cardio that are unfamiliar to your body. So if you always walk, then switch to cycling or the elliptical; or if you always run, then try rowing. This will ensure that your body is constantly challenged and burning as many calories as possible.

SWEATING IS NOT WEIGHT LOSS

 

So you've spent hours in the gym, counted the calories, and taken all the classes from Aerobics to Zumba, but everytime you climb the scale your weight remains the same.

 

So what could possibly be wrong?

 

 

Many people go into the gym and make several fundamental mistakes which prevent them from achieving their fitness goals. This swiftly demotivates the individual, causing them to reduce their gym attendance, and in most cases they stop attending the gym altogether.

 

I see lots of people make the mistake of spending an inordinate amount of their workout session going from one cardio machine to the other. Many people equate sweating with weight loss. Sweating just means you have a hyperactive internal system,” he says. “It doesn’t have a single thing to do with losing weight, or with burning calories, which is how much work you do. Also, sweating is all water weight --which is all replaced once you take in liquid again. It doesn’t mean anything.”

 

Maintaining a healthy bodyweight is a function of several lifestyle decisions, not merely jumping on the cardio machine.

 

 

 

 

 

 



IS RUNNING BETTER THAN WALKING

You know, if I had N100 for every time someone asked me this question, I would be quite the millionaire.

 

Many runners caution against just walking, insisting that walks do not burn enough calories for weight loss. Walkers, in turn, warn that running can be too hard on the joints and bones over prolonged periods of time. A number of studies have been conducted in regards to the age-old debate concerning whether the stroll or the sprint wins this race for better health. And the conclusions?

 

Running does burn more calories than walking per hour, which makes running a better fit for those whose longterm fitness goals centered around weight loss. A study completed by the Life Sciences Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory compared recreational runners and walkers in 2013. The survey compared stats such as age, weight, height, health risks and existing health problems, and took a sampling of nearly 50,000 runners and walkers over the course of six years. The results proved that runners, statistically, were in better shape

 

 Walking has a real edge over running in how accessible it is for a person to start doing, however. Walking does not place undue strain on the joints, does not strain or tear muscles, and does not require shoes that are designed to specially absorb the shock of pounding the pavement, which running does. Running has also been known to elevate the likelihood of cardiac distress in distance activities, such as marathons. Likewise, running has been linked to osteoarthritis as well as damage to cartilage over time. Choosing which habit, running or walking, is better for longterm fitness goals is up to the individual; the choice seems to be centered around whether a person is looking for rapid weight loss and increased endurance, or in building a manageable routine and maintaining a healthy body.

Research suggests that walking can offer the same health benefits as its speedier cousin if the activity is done for a longer period of time. It is not inadvisable, either, to both run and walk in variation. Fitness experts urge runners and walkers alike to listen to their bodies and to neither strain nor take it too easy where personal fitness is concerned. The benefits of both activities manifest themselves over time and bear repeating for the best results.

 

 

 

 

 

A CRAZY WORKOUT FOR A POWERFUL BACK

The back is one of the largest muscle groups in the body, composed of

 

.Sternum Chin-Ups

This variation of the chin-up involves leaning back throughout the entire movement. In this variation, the lower portion of the chest should touch the bar. As you pull yourself to the bar, have your head lean back as far away from the bar as possible and arch your spine throughout the movement.  Your hips and legs will be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. You should keep pulling until your collarbone passes the bar and your sternum touches it.

 

 

Seated Rope Cable Rows to Neck

Most people will agree that the vast majority of trainees devote far more time to chest work than to back work. As a result, they start to look like Neanderthals. Seated cable rows to the neck will help balance the equation.

 

Set the adjustable pulley so that it’s directly in front of your pecs. Use a rope—it will reduce the stress on your forearms and wrists and allow you to concentrate on the task at hand (which is upper back work, just in case you forgot).

 

Grab the ends of the rope with a pronated grip. Start with the shoulders protracted and the forearms extended. Begin the movement by retracting the shoulder blades, and immediately bend the elbows to continue the movement until the forearms make contact with the upper arms.

 

Make sure to eliminate the lower back from the equation by keeping it perpendicular to the floor at all times. If the development of your rhomboids is lacking, you may choose to pause for a moment when the shoulder blades are retracted.

 

Narrow Parallel- Grip Chin-Ups

 

Many gyms are equipped with V-handle chin-up stations that are set six to eight inches apart, and this is just about perfect. Focus on bringing your lower sternum to the handles as you pull yourself up. In other words, lean back as you near the top of the concentric range.

 

Since the grip is narrow, the inferior fibers of the latissimus are hugely recruited. These fibers have been shown to have a higher fast-twitch makeup than the superior fibers and, therefore, they should be trained using lower reps.