10 Tips For Cardio Workouts

Workouts may seem boring and only the thought of sweating and panting may drive all your motivation miles away. But if you follow these 10 tips, you will surely not only enjoy but give more time to your workout sessions.

1. Activities you enjoy

Don't choose any activity just because it helps you burn more calories or is thought to be best of the cardio exercises. Don't run if you don't like it, o for an activity which you enjoy. If swimming or bicycling pleases you more then go for it. You can do these activities twice or thrice a week and once start doing what you enjoy; you won't feel bored or exhausted.

2. Right equipment

Buy the right equipment for your workouts. This is necessary to ensure your own safety and comfort. If you like running, then buy a good pair of joggers, or if you like swimming, then get an affordable sports watch. You will like to try the new accessories and will enjoy if you have something to do while you exercise.

3. Make your workout pleasurable

If you don't like to pedal your stationary bike for long, then bring your iPod or a magazine with you. The activity will keep your mind busy and the music will pump your adrenaline. You'll finish with your workout before you'll even know.

4. Switch

Working on one machine for 30 minutes can be boring. Switch to different exercises after 10 minutes or so.

5. Sneak a few minutes

You can do sprinting or jumping rope for 2 minutes or so between sets of step aerobics. This will not let you get bored and boost your energy.

6. Full body exercise

You burn lesser calories on a stationary bike than running. during cycling half of your body is still, while with a little more effort you can use all your body muscles with running.

7. Burn fat

Cardio exercises are very effective in fat burning especially when you do it with an empty stomach. You can do cardio exercises as the first thing after you wake up in the morning.

8. Wait before eating

If you are interested in burning fat then you should wait one hour before you eat anything after a cardio workout. As your heart rate remains huh even after the workout, it burns your fats in that time interval.

9. Heart rate

If you want to burn fats but are exercising within the target range of your heart rate then it's not going to be beneficial. To calculate your target heart rate, subtract your age from 220 and it is recommended that you start with 70% of your target heart beat and increase it with increasing fitness level.

10. No excuses

Now that you know ways to a healthy cardio exercise and all its benefits, you should start off right now. Make up a firm mind and devote some time to yourself.

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3 Fat-Burning Interval Workouts Without a Treadmill

Perhaps you are tired of your treadmill routine, or perhaps your knees, ankles and hips just need a break from the pounding. I've heard some trainers say that you can't use running to get into shape, because you need to be in shape to run. It made sense to me considering the crazy amounts of force and stress running puts on your joints. If you are carrying extra weight you are just adding to the problem. Doubly so if you are running with poor technique.. yes there is technique to running. Anyway, here are 4 alternatives to the treadmill that will still give you a fat-burning and exciting interval workout.

1. Switch Machines

If you are in a gym try switching to a different machine for a while.... like a stationary (but not a recumbant) bike. Bikes are actually easier to change speeds on than treadmills and don't involve any tricky jumping on and off. Also the tread of a treadmill guarantees you will work at a certain pace (or fall off). Without that on a bike, you are forced to push yourself to keep pace... most relatively recent bikes will have an RPM monitor so you can see your speed.

Or you could try my personal favorite machine: the erg rower. This one will hit the posterior chain much harder than a bike or a treadmill so go easy on your first day or you risk having very sore hamstrings the next. You also get a nice pulling action for more upper body integration than the other machines. Rowers might show your RPM, but it will spike when you pull and drop when you are recovering, so I find it easiest to count the number of strokes. Sprint your first interval and then knock a stroke off to find a decent target for your remaining intervals.

2. Get Off the Machines

If you have one at your gym a punching bag is about the most fun you can have for a cardio workout. If you've never taken a martial arts course, or a kickboxing class... well its not that important here. The priority is cardio! And nothing gets your heart rate up like wailing on a punching bag for 30-60 seconds. If you follow these 3 quick tips you should ensure some injury-free cardio time. 1. Wear bag gloves. These are not the big heavy gloves that boxers use, but rather thin leather gloves that protect the skin on your knuckles. 2. Keep your wrists straight. I've seen alot of former teammates try to punch with crooked wrists. If you punch hard enough that can be dangerous. Close your hand into a fist and keep it there like an extension of your forearm. True purists would say you should keep your fist loose until the actual strike to conserve energy. But we're not in a fight here, we just want to burn some calories (and take out a little aggression too). 3. Land punches with the first 2 knuckles of your fist. Those are the ones that line up straight with your forearm. Landing powerful punches with the other knuckles (ring and pinky fingers) can result in a classic boxer's fracture...though probably not very likely with gloves on and hitting a bag.

If you don't have a bag hanging up or standing up somewhere, then do some interval swings or snatches with a kettlebell. You can use a dumbbell in a pinch, but stick more to swings if you do since the handles aren't smooth like on a kettlebell.

3. No Equipment at All? No Problem.

Try Bodyweight-only Exercises. For instance, do as many bodyweight squats as you can for 20 seconds and then hold the bottom position for 10 seconds. Rest 30 seconds and repeat. 8 rounds of that is only an 8 minute workout that will have you burning.

Or if you are really adventurous (and already in good shape) you can try some squat thrusts or burpees. Starting standing up, you squat down until your hands touch the ground. Then kick your feet out behind you into a pushup position. For a burpee throw in a pushup, otherwise imediately jump your feet back up to your hands (resume the squating position). Then squat yourself back up to a standing position for a squat thrust or jump into the air for a burpee and repeat. Fair warning, you can do these anywhere and at any time, but these are possibly some of the most difficult cardio exercises you can find!

Alright, so those are just a few of the countless ways in which you can change up your interval training to keep burning fat and spend less time in the gym than with traditional cardio.

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Cardio Workouts - Exercises For Serious Fat Loss

One of the most effective combos for some serious fat loss is circuit training along side interval training. The following gives you a program to make you sweat out a blast of fat within 45 minutes!

You should know your Maximum Heart Rate and your correct training zone to know if you are training at the right pace. You can easily find your Target Heart Rate (thr) with this simple method. Subtract your age from 220 (226 for women) to calculate your Maximum Heart Rate (mhr). Find your training zone below and multiply that number times your maximum rate.

Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) 50-60% of maximum heart rate

Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) 60-70% of maximum heart rate

Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) 70-80% of maximum heart rate

Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) 80-90% of maximum heart rate

Red Line (Maximum Effort) 90-100% of maximum heart rate

Here is a sample of a 35 year old male who is working out in a training zone for fat burning (70%):

220 - 35 = 185
185 X .70 (70%) = 129.5 beats per minute

Strict form for this training is a must in order to maximize gains and prevent injury. Before you begin make sure you have a towel on hand, some water and really good cross trainer type sneakers well tied.

Follow the below with no rest in between until it says so, then repeat for one more round! These may seem menial but I DARE you to try it, I guarantee you will get your butt beat!

20 pushups
20 walking lunges per leg
10 burpees
Skip rope for 1 minute
20 bicep curls
50 Ab crunches on ball
20 Tricep Dips
25 Jumping Jax
10 deadlifts, stiff legged
20 Front Delt Raises
Stair stepping for 2 minutes
Rest for 5-7 minutes while stretched in muscle worked for 10 seconds remembering to stretch each side.

Sometimes we forget that it only takes a few simple exercises to get to our goals and that we can work with what we have. A gym is excellent but how about those who do not go to a gym for whatever reason? Something like this can be done at home as well. What if you did not feel like going to the gym because of weather or time constraints? This program eliminates excuses and keeps you on your game!

Water helps to get that fat out of your system so sipping throughout your workout is hugely advantageous and recommended.

This workout is well complimented by doing it 2 times per week with 2-3 extra days of 20+ minutes cardio work on a cross trainer or jogging. The stretching portion will help you recover for your next round as well as helping eliminate lactic acid build up which can cause delayed onset muscle soreness.

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How to Gain Maximum Benefits From Aerobic Workouts

The reason for workout may be different for different people. For some, it is to lose weight, and to maintain the good shape for certain others. It is advisable to ascertain your age and level of fitness before you start with Aerobic exercise at home.

One of your first steps should be to understand the benefits obtained by such workouts. Aerobics is a cardio workout that improves overall health of a person. It strengthens the heart, lungs and muscles; circulatory, immune and respiratory systems of the body. It also relaxes the muscles thereby lifting up your mood and mental health.

The next thing to do is to plan your workouts. You can start with 10-15 minutes workout, thrice a week and then increase it to half an hour, five days a week. In order to obtain maximum benefits you need to include strength training with aerobic exercise at home.

Start with warm up of about five minutes, followed by a set of strength training of 8- 12 times. Now, do some light aerobics for 15-20 minutes. You will not be able to see immediate results. It will take time and discipline.

As your body gets accustomed to workouts, you can interchange with aerobics on one day and strength training the next day. You can take one day off to relax yourself.

Lastly, it is important to start with slow workout and gradually increase the intensity and duration. You can easily work your way up with Video CDs teaching Aerobic exercise at home.

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Elliptical Workouts

Elliptical workouts basically involve aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. Elliptical cross trainers can be intimidating at first glance but once you get familiar with them you will find them easy to use and a fun part of your routine.

To begin your elliptical workout, stand with your feet firmly planted in the movable footpads. The advantage of your feet being stationary makes this a smooth and non-jarring motion that is unique to the elliptical cross trainers. Grab the handles to add the upper body movement for a total body workout.

Elliptical motion feels very natural and compliments normal body movements only making it feel like the workout is easier. Elliptical workouts are equal or greater than similar equipment such as the treadmill creating a safer workout. It reduces the harmful stress and impact on your muscles and joints.

With time a major concern in our daily lives, an elliptical workout can be very desirable. It provides a total body workout utilizing one machine therefore saving time in having to go from machine to machine to achieve the same effect for all the different areas of the body.

An elliptical trainer benefit is they are safe for beginners and will even challenge the pro athletes. And because most people like to use these machines, they are more likely to workout on a regular basis. Consistent elliptical workouts will help in attaining good overall cardiovascular health.

It generally takes twenty minutes of elliptical exercise to start burning calories and improve your cardio health. If you are just starting out, exercise for twenty minutes and work up from there as your fitness level improves. Try to set 3 days a week as your goal to workout and work up to 5 days when you become more fit.

Another elliptical trainer benefit is they are perfect for burning fat. To burn fat effectively, you need to exercise at a moderate pace for a long period of time. Elliptical cross trainers give you the slow, aerobic, long duration type of exercise that works best to burn fat.

If you are looking for a good overall workout in the shortest amount of time, the elliptical workout is an ideal choice.

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4 Top Tips For Great Cardio Workouts

Here are 4 top tips for having great cardio workouts. Doing them will boost your workouts and allow you to be more productive and efficient while losing weight.

The 4 Top Tips for Great Cardio Workouts

1. Drink enough water

Your body is 70% water, your muscles are 75% water, your blood is 90% water. You need water... and lots of it. For optimum performance and results, water is essential. Why cheat your body out of what it basically is... water. All you need to do is sip it every few minutes.

2. Increase your intensity, but stay fresh

Intensity in the gym is what gets results. You shouldn't expect results if you're spending a lot of time talking to other people, talking on your cell phone... basically, if you can hold a conversation while you're exercising, you're not exercising hard enough.

Now, increasing your intensity will take a lot out of you, so you need to manage your rest times so you stay fresh. Use active rest... that's where you continue doing the exercise, but at a slower pace. Although this is low intensity, it's actually intense since you're not giving your body a true rest after a high level of intensity.

3. Have short rest times, but rest often

Resting often keeps you fresh and allows you to maintain a higher level of performance which creates better results, but make sure the rest times are short. Anywhere from 30-90 seconds is ideal.

4. Avoid cardio machines whenever possible

Cardio machines can help with weight loss, but a lot of them give you mechanical advantages that are not natural to the human body. You don't want that. You want your cardio movements to be as natural as possible for the best results.

The more complex the equipment, the worse it is. A jump rope, hula hoop, and mini-trampoline will get you a lot further than a treadmill even would.

So try out these 4 tips for great cardio workouts and watch as your get better results within a few weeks.

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8 Cardio Workouts for the Busy Woman

I have appointments the whole day. I might injure myself. I have more important chores to take care of.

These are but a few of the reasons we give whenever the idea of exercising comes up in conversation.

Unfortunately, very few women see the real benefits that they can get from exercise -- it gives them more energy to accomplish more things and it keeps their organs functioning at their peak.

The good news is that there are workouts that even the busiest women can do! Below are some suggestions:

1-Not all types of cardio are structured routines.

If you really need to pass on your morning or afternoon workout schedule, make up for it by walking several blocks to a restaurant on your lunch hour or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If you do these ''alternatives'' regularly, you'll find that they could add up to about three hours of cardio each week.

2-Before going to work, do an imaginary jump-rope routine in the comforts of your own bedroom.

Turn on your favorite music or watch the morning show while twirling your wrists as if they're grasping a real jumping rope. You can work up a sweat just by doing 10-15 minutes of this.

3- Make use of a good ol' exercise relic from the Flashdance era -- a mini-trampoline! Yep, this inexpensive contraption can substitute for a high-energy aerobic exercise without the risk of knee injury.

Also called a ''rebounder,'' it can easily be stored under your bed or in a closet when not in use.

4-March in place while watching TV, but make sure you do it continuously from one commercial segment to another (normally, that would take about 15 minutes).

To keep from getting bored, alternate two minutes of marching with thirty seconds of skipping. As you become more fit, you can lengthen the skipping intervals.

5- Do your treadmills or elliptical trainers while watching your favorite DVD movies or listening to an audio book.

6- If you're a frequent flier and flight schedules often get in the way of your exercise routine, make the airport your personal gym (don't be too embarrassed; people come and go at the airport and the staff would hardly remember that you're the exercise freak).

If you have some time before your flight or if it has been delayed, do some power-walking with your backpack and walk the length of the airport several times. You can even do some squats, lunges, and wall push-ups if you like.

7- Combine your cardio workout with something you love to do. If you're nuts about dancing, then take a ballroom dancing, hip-hop, or flamenco class.

8- Set power workouts instead of power lunches. Instead of meeting your friends over coffee and sandwiches, set an exercise date such as a brisk group stroll. In the winter, you can all go skating or sledding while you catch up on each other's lives.

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