Turn your body into a fat burning furnace
Did you ever wonder why some people spend countless hours on the cardio deck but never seem to loose weight? I know what you’re thinking. It’s because as soon as they’re finished they go directly to McDonalds, right? Well, that’s not always the case. For many people it’s simply a matter of making changes that will cause their cardiovascular work outs to be more productive.
So what can you do to maximize your work outs and get the results that you deserve? I have found that in the world of fitness as in most things, variety is the spice of life. As a personal trainer I have experimented with many different techniques that efficiently speed that fat burning process and have come up with a checklist of things that you can try that actually work.
1. Choose the most efficient mode of cardio. Most people use the stationary bike because it’s familiar. However there are much more effective forms of cardiovascular training. The problem with the bike is that it only requires you to use your legs. Why not choose an exercise that forces you to use your whole body instead of just half of it. My personal favorites are the elliptical machine and the treadmill. The elliptical machine forces you to move your arms just as fast as your legs therefore involving a much larger percentage of your body and burning calories at twice the rate of the stationary bike. The treadmill can be used in a variety of ways. Try programming it to a steep incline and walk at a brisk pace moving your arms back and forth as if you were speed walking. This technique is sure to get your heart rate up.
2. Work within your target heart rate zone. The most efficient way to burn fat is to work within your target heart rate zone. Your target heart rate zone is when your heart beats at 60-85% of is maximum potential. Trust me you will know when you reach this zone because it’s much more intense than what most people are used to.
The other day I was working out on the treadmill when I noticed a woman on the machine next to me. Upon first glance she seemed to be talking to herself, but after I looked a little closer I realized that she was wearing a headset connected to a cell phone. The fact that I had to spend the next 30 minutes listening to her personal conversation was bad enough, but it was a great example of someone that was not training within the zone .If she was training within her target heart rate zone, chances are she wouldn’t be having any long conversations because she would need to save her breath in order to continue her work out.
In order to find your target heart rate zone, all you have to do is subtract your age from 220. Then multiply the answer by both .60 and .85. The answers will give you your heart rate zone. Keep your heart rate somewhere in the middle of this range for 30-45 minutes and watch your body turn into a fat burning furnace.
3. Always do cardio after weight training. I am always amazed at the amount of people that get this rule confused. If you are planning on doing your cardiovascular training and weight training in the same work out, always do your weight training first. If you do your cardio, first you will deplete your body of the much needed energy stores used to fuel your muscles through a tough work out. By the time you get to the weight training you will feel sluggish and weak. If you do your cardio last your body will be out of energy stores and ready to use fat stores for fuel.
4. Workout for 30-45 minutes periods. It takes your body about 20-30 minutes to burn off its energy stores. If your cardiovascular work out lasts less than 30 minutes, you are really missing the boat. Increase your work outs to periods of 30-45 minutes if your primary goal is to burn fat.
5. Try using interval training. In order to continue progress you have to throw yourself a curve ball now and then. Your body will quickly adapt to any work out plan if you don’t change things up. Your work out’s will become routine and your progress will slow to a snails pace. Try the following technique to keep your work out from getting stale and unproductive.
Start by getting the intensity level of your cardio to about 70% of your maximum heart rate for two minute increments. Then increase the intensity to about 85% of your maximum heart rate for thirty seconds. Bring the intensity level back down to 70% and repeat this process for the rest of your work out. This technique will keep your body from adapting to the work load and is guaranteed to get you sweating. In order to find 70% of your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220 and multiply by .70. Most gyms have cardiovascular equipment with built in monitors that allow you to track your heart rate during work outs. However those of you that work out at home can purchase a heart rate monitor for about sixty dollars at your local sporting goods store.
Try adding these techniques to your daily routine and success is sure to follow.