 |
|
Prescription
for Cardio Haters The New Year is now behind us. Many who made resolutions have probably fallen off the beaten track—35% of those who set New Year’s Resolutions stop working towards those by the end of January! It doesn’t matter what day of the year this is, shedding fat, gaining muscle, or simply improving health all take a combination of a few things: 1) nutrition, 2) exercise, and 3) behavior change. This article covers some of the exercises, then with free meal diet plans you can find online, or using a solid program like that found at Meal Plans 101, you’re on your way to a new you. Cardiovascular exercise is good…but so is change and varying your workouts! If you’re reading this and wondering “so how do I vary my exercise? My gym only has treadmills, bikes, and elliptical machines. That leaves very few unique options.” Well, my friend, a great way to burn blubber, is to burn rubber! No, not in your car—unless yours is one of those Fred Flinstone deals where the feet go through the floor. I’m talking about sprinting! If you’ve been stuck in the same cardio rut for sometime now, get outside (or if you live in the north like me and being outside with negative wind chills is dangerous, get to a treadmill). WARNING: sprinting will cause you to be short of breath, weak in the knees, and so fatigued you’ll want to collapse. Do not incorporate sprinting into your workout if you are a novice; sprinting is for intermediate and advanced trainees. Sprinting is more of an anaerobic type activity and will get your heart thumping like no other. Studies have shown that short duration, high intensity activities actually burn more energy (calories) post-workout than do longer duration, lower intensity activities, like walking. In fact, picture the physique of a marathon runner compared to a sprinter; sprinters are super lean and very muscular. To me, that’s the quintessential great physique. So here’s what I want you to do to begin your interval training. Begin by adding sprints two times per week to your normal resistance routine—in addition to the other simple cardiovascular exercise you may do throughout the days or weeks. I am far from a qualified track coach, but I can tell you to stand up as tall as possible when running (rather than hunching over when fatigued, which is common). Use your hamstrings to propel you forward, meaning your heels should kick off the ground rather high and look straight ahead the entire time. For a warm up I prefer walking a lap around the track and then jogging one lap around the track. Another very wise idea is to take exaggerated strides during the end of your walk to help stretch the hip flexors (top part of the front of your legs). At the end of your final
sprint, walk slowly to catch your breath; stretch all areas of your
legs. If you are not accustomed to sprinting, the next day (or two)
your entire body will be sore. You will feel this in your abs, obliques,
hamstrings, quadriceps and hip flexor area. These sprinting days
can either be coupled to a resistance training workout, or completed
on an entirely different day on their own. Week 1: Week 2: Week 3 (notice, there
are 3 sprinting days this week): Week 4: Again, this is just one
piece to the puzzle. Never forget the importance of diet. With free
meal diet plans you can find online, it’s easy to get off
track! It doesn’t matter how hard you train; if you’re
not following a sound diet, you will not efficiently lose fat. Order now through our secure server and you can instantly download the meal planning software along with the bonuses for just $87. You can start creating quick healthy weight loss meals in minutes and you won't have to wait for any software to be shipped in the mail.
|
|
