|
Fat Burning Secrets For Cardio Workouts
by Gerald Gore
Lets face it, most of us live pretty busy lives and the amount
of time spent exercising does eat up what little free time a lot of
us have. I don’t like to waste my free time anymore than anyone else
so if I am going to use it up on an activity, I feel the rewards of
the activity should out way the cost.
That being said, one of the activities that I add to my workout
routines is a cardio program. I’ll be blunt in stating that I love
to lift weights but I absolutely loathe doing cardio. I personally
do not enjoy cardio at all but I do understand how it is very
important to my workout regimen. So, if I am going to invest my time
in a cardio routine, you better believe I am going to make sure that
I am maximizing the benefit of that routine.
There’s a lot of great cardio equipment out there and I personally
use a variety of them ranging anywhere from treadmills, to exercise
bikes to stair steppers and more. My main focus for this article
will be treadmills since they appear to be the most popular of the
cardio equipment. However the same principles can be applied to
other cardio equipment too.
Slow down, it’s not a race
I have found that I burn more fat moving at a moderate pace than an
all out sprint. When you go out at a 100% you burn more glycogen
than fat. Basically your burning carbohydrates instead of your fat
stores. The idea to effectively burn fat is to go at a moderate pace
for a longer period of time.
Moderate pace means just that, not too fast and not too slow. On a
treadmill I like to walk at a fast enough pace where I am building
up a sweat but I could also hold a conversation without panting. The
keyword here is walk, I believe that once you start jogging and
running you are really moving away from the optimal fat burning
pace.
Short and sweet isn’t the key
Your cardio time should range anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.
However, I also believe that your body can only take so much
exercise at a time. Therefore if you plan on an hour and a half
cardio session I would recommend splitting up your cardio into two
sessions: one for the morning and then one in the evening. I have
tested all types of cardio durations and workout times on my own
body and found that a good 40 to 45 minute session in the morning
works the best for me.
If you’re going to do it, do it right
Always perform a full range of motion on your exercise equipment.
Don’t cheat yourself by taking baby steps. On the treadmill take
long strides instead of short little steps. By taking the longer
strides you will work the hamstrings and glutes (back of the leg and
buttocks) more.
In addition to talking longer strides try to avoid holding on to the
rails of the treadmill. Let your arms move back and forth as you
would when running. You will be surprised of the difference of not
holding on to the exercise equipment if you are already use to
holding on to the treadmill, stair stepper or any other exercise
equipment while performing the exercise.
If you don’t believe me, try it out for one workout and I promise
you will feel the difference in a matter of minutes.
Note: If you feel that you must hold on to avoid falling or getting
hurt then by all means hold on.
Breathe
I like to take deep breaths in the nose and out the mouth when doing
cardio exercise. I find that I focus more on the activity at hand
when I concentrate on my breathing. I also have found that I sweat
more too. I know it sounds crazy but give it a try and I bet you
will notice a difference too.
Note: Not over exaggerated deep breathes but not short breaths
either.
Tying it all together
In conclusion, I personally feel that if I am going to add cardio to
my workout routine then I want to do whatever it takes to maximize
the workouts benefits. I have personally found that I more
efficiently burn body fat by slowing my pace down, increasing my
cardio workouts over a longer duration, using full range of motion
on the equipment and breathing correctly. Go ahead and give these
ideas a try and see if they work for you too.
About the author:
Gerald Gore is the owner of the online fitness review site
One4Fitness. For more health and fitness related tips and reviews on
workout equipment visit Gerald’s site at http://www.one4fitness.com
|
