The ML Editor

In this article, I have an intriguing discussion about cardio training, which will hopefully get you thinking differently, and trying new things.

You may know I’ve been called the anti-cardio guy before, but this week I’m back posing the question to you…Do you really need cardio training to get lean and in great shape? By the way, you’ll see in a minute that I’m not really “anti-cardio”, just “anti traditional cardio”.

Most fitness buffs, weekend warriors, or anyone trying to get in shape or lose body fat, consider it a fact that they need “cardio” exercise to accomplish these goals. They would never even question it. However, I’m not only questioning it, I’m going to refute it! In fact, you may be surprised to know that some of the leanest and meanest people I know (men and women), NEVER do any type of normal or traditional cardio. And I’ve spent over 15 years working out in various gyms, and hanging out with athletes of all sorts, so I’ve seen it all. I will say that there can be a place for low-moderate level cardio for really overweight or deconditioned people, but even in those cases, there can be more effective methods.

But what exactly is “cardio”? Most people would consider cardio to be pumping away mindlessly on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical machine, while watching the TV screen at their state of the art gym. This is what I call “traditional cardio”. Hmmm, no wonder the majority of people get bored with their workouts and give up after a couple months without seeing results.

But if you look closer, “cardio” can be considered any type of exercise or activity that strengthens the cardiovascular system. I’m not going to get into anything technical like increasing your VO2 max or anything like that. To keep it simple, if it gets your heart pumpin, and gets you huffin and puffin, it’s cardio. I don’t care if you’re holding dumbbells or a barbell and everyone calls it a weight training exercise…it’s still conditioning your heart.

Let’s take a look at a couple examples. Take a barbell (or dumbbell, or kettlebell) clean & press for example, which involves lifting a barbell from the floor up to shoulders, then push pressing overhead. And listen up ladies, because even though this is usually seen as a manly exercise, it doesn’t matter if you’re not lifting 250 lbs; if 45 lbs is challenging to you, then you will still benefit just as much. At first glance, most people think of the barbell C&P only as a weight training exercise or strength exercise. However, I challenge you to do a hard set of around 10-15 reps on the C&P. If you used a challenging enough weight, what you’ll find is that your heart rate is probably up to about 80-90% of your recommended max, and you are huffing and puffing like you just ran a 100-meter sprint (which by the way, sprinting kicks the crap out of jogging any day if you want the easiest way to lose the flab).

Try the same thing for a set of 20 reps of one-arm snatches or swings with each arm with a kettlebell or dumbbell, and tell me your legs aren’t burning, heart racing, and you’re gasping for breath. How about trying 5 minutes straight of bodyweight squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest. Again, notice your heart pounding, sweat pouring off of you, and chest heaving for breaths!

Try and tell me you’re not conditioning your heart with this style of training! Conventional thinking says that these are weight training or strength training exercises. However, they are fullfilling your cardio needs as well.

Not only do you save time, but you strengthen and condition almost every muscle in your entire body with these full body exercises if you do them with enough intensity…something that can’t be said for that boring stationary bike ride or treadmill jaunt while reading or watching TV. Seriously, if you can read or watch TV while doing any exercise, you’re not concentrating enough on what you’re doing, plus you’re probably not working out hard enough to see any real results.

I challenge you to give the “traditional cardio” a rest for a month or two, and start training the way I explain in my internationally-selling Truth about Six pack Abs Program, and see how you start getting leaner, more defined, and your six pack starting to show through what used to be stubborn stomach fat deposits.

Visit http://truthaboutabs.com/freenewsletter.html to receive a free copy of the innovative ebook, Training & Nutrition Secrets for a Lean-Body, as well as your own free personalized metabolic rate calculator.

Michael Geary is a nationally dual certified personal trainer (NCSF-CPT, AFAA-CPT), and author of the internationally-selling The Truth about Six Pack Abs ©2004-2006. More Lean-Body training and nutrition tips can be found at my blog at http://truthaboutabs.blogspot.com/

Keeping a schedule work for just about everything in life. Your husband might like some non-scheduled time together for fun out in the sun or at the park, but for the most part a schedule works. With working out it is critical to a successful outcome. You need to go ahead and get some paper out and get it down.

If you are getting pain relief at a back treatment center then you will be on a schedule. You will want to use that same type of schedule for your workouts. Some of the best bodies in the world have been created using a workout schedule of three days a week. These three days are used at full speed of working out. It is about one hour of work and then a half hour in the sauna or shower. The notebook is the best to document what exercises you have done and for how long you have done them. Focusing in on the number of repetitions and the speed for which they were done. If you have a partner to work out that is even better than going by yourself. With two people training together you can make sure that one another will push you if you need it and keep you in the best strength and form known.

Does the following scenario apply to you? Are you one of those people who are ceaselessly looking for other means, be it weightloss pills or trimming gear of achieving weight loss? Are you fed up with nonstop let downs from untested products and propositions, seeing that you actually only want to know one thing: how to lose weight fast? Often you may think you’ve got the right answer- when really everything you try proves to be entirely useless. All the same, don’t stop hoping yet! This new machine could be the answer to all of your prayers.

See how to get thinner in a way that’s enjoyable and easy with our brilliant innovative machine. Slim down your abdomen, bottom, hips and thighs by adopting our nutrition hints, in addition to making use of the contour Abs. There’s a handy DVD available as part of the pack, and there are other optional extras available such as calorie counters.

Please check out this terrific resource for Ab Circle Pro tips.

So, chances are that you’re asking yourself - is this sincere? Believe us- it genuinely does work! It’s very impressive, helping you get thinner in no time at all, particularly with those troublesome squishy body parts - and no pharmaceutical fat burners being deployed at all. Frequently, clients notice that their stomachs begin to get firmer within merely thirty days of them working out with the Ab Pro instrument. You can also build up your muscle tone on your back, shoulders and arms, just due to the stances you adopt while using the machine. Our product is extremely simple to put together - just pay attention to the instructions available on the DVD. You’ll have yours installed at home before you know it for such a small cost, plus shipping and handling. Other Ab Circle Pro reviews have already commented on how simple it was to assemble and stash away - it’s convenient for even apartments with no spare room. Hence, you have no pretext at all for not getting one here and now…

On the other hand there may be a couple of problems worth mentioning at all - some of our product users found that their knees hurt after using the Ab Circle Pro, so we recommend that you use a good deal of cushioning to save them. Additionally, the rollers may squeal a mite now and then after a while - but this can quickly be fixed with a small amount of oil. Alright, you might not get to look like the TV advertising demonstrators in a snap - but Ab Circle Pro really does help, although if you want the secret to losing weight quickly: do make sure you expand your workout regime further than exclusively relying on contour Abs. Because as they say: there’s many ways to skin a cat. So it’s wise to opt for a comprehensive approach to matters. Exercises involving this machine should account for just one feature of your daily routine. Flexing your muscles, working on your strength, improving your endurance and doing cardio workouts are needed too. Moreover, you should embrace a healthy diet.

This machine could enable you to look and feel so much better. Ultimately - with a good guarantee - what have you got to lose?

ResVeratrol Capsules, which have hit the natural health product sector like a whirlwind, are a product of ResVeratrol which is an antibiotic substance that is naturally produced by plants to help ward off infections caused by bacteria and fungus. A product of nature itself, Resv is found in cranberries, blueberries, mulberries, and raspberries.

More info:
Resv and Gratis reduxin

Japanese Knotweed is a large herbaceous plant that originates in East Asia and has been associated with Chinese herbal medicine for thousands of years. The plant grows prolifically, having the natural ability to emit its own natural herbicide that kills off many of the competitive plants in its vicinity. This is the main reason that in some areas (including the US and the UK), it is classed as an invasive species. The fact remains though that it is still commercially the most prolific source of Resv and for that reason it is encouraged and cultivated in many countries. Amongst the diseases that it is believed Resv may help to prevent are: cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer, Diabetes, and insulin resistance, and it is the Diabetes and insulin resistance that has a relevance in terms of weight loss. The research that was carried out on mice, found that as well as slowing down the aging process and keeping the test subjects healthy, the ResVeratrol supplement also stopped the mice from gaining any weight. It has also been discovered, that in humans it serves to suppress estrogen metabolites which helps to reduce body fat and facilitate muscle gain, which in turn stimulates the metabolic rate thereby increasing the amount of body fat (and calories) that are burned off naturally. It was during research on the aging process being undertaken by Doctor David Sinclair that the age slowing characteristic of ResVeratrol was discovered. A number of tests were then carried out on mice that were given a ResVeratrol capsule, and the results showed conclusively that the mice not only lived 30% longer, but they did not gain any weight, nor did they contract any of the sicknesses that are associated with growing old.

Make no mistake, kettlebells aren’t a fresh idea. The popular opinion is that they’re approximately three centuries old. However, are you surprised to hear that it is now one of the most popular workouts on the planet? So let’s examine how that happened. The Russian kettlebell has just experienced an amazing increase in popularity. They’re simple and easy, don’t require a lot of special apparatus, and there’s no barrier to starting out. We can’t advise going straight to the trickier moves. You should practise the first exercises prior to mustering the challenging routines. Most importantly, with kettlebells as with all weight work, you must take care that you acquire the best weight for your workout. That said, with these kinds of exercises, you need smaller weights than you’d think. Gauged by gender, the 18lb variety is commonly right for women just beginning, and males beginning should expect to get the most out of a 35lb size. The reason for this lies in the mechanics by which this regime will benefit you. With a Russian kettlebell it comes from motion rather than from how much weight is lifted. An educational aid - along the lines of a brochure or video - is a wise acquisition at the beginning, making sure that you have the routines the way they’re meant to be.

In the beginning, before attempting any of the other Russian kettlebell routines you need to understand a double-handed swing. As the origin point of a great many exercises, this ought to be studied in the early going - and it looks easier than it is. At all times your motions must be easy, not jerky. A helpful health word of advice is worth restating before you begin - your back and your shoulders won’t take repeated uses to lift the weights. Instead, employ your hips.

If you’re sure you’ve mastered the double-handed swing, you’re ready to look further on; you’ll have learned enough to attempt advanced exercises. Keep your exercises interesting by adjusting techniques, perhaps backed by different kinds of music. While you get comfortable carrying out these movements, look at adding an additional pair of kettlebells into the routine, perhaps even using a selection of weights. Following these tips, you can keep your muscles performing as effectively as possible and not risk levelling out. It’s important to remember that if you begin using kettlebells to develop your muscle mass or for body building, you will probably be disappointed. Instead, look to them for weightloss and, also, to develop and maintain all round fitness and health over time.

Lastly, bring a session working with the kettlebells into a well rounded fitness scheme. Of course, the degree to which you employ them will vary according to personal taste. Hoping to sustain your weight? A mere two sessions should be fine. Alternatively, you can step up the intensity, have 5-6 sessions every week, and shed that excess.

If you clearly understand and apply the principles involved in natural bodybuilding, you will experience very rapid muscle gains. However, over a long term, eventually a ’sticking point’ or plateau in your training may be reached. It is at this point in training that further muscle gains can sometimes appear almost impossible. Sticking points are almost always a direct result of overtraining. More often than not, this plateau can be overcome with a brief layoff.

The reasons for such a “plateau” in muscle gains can vary. Applying some of these simple strategies below should quickly produce further muscle gains. Most guys mistakenly assume, when reaching a plateau, that their maximum muscular potential has been reached. That is simply not the case. Your true potential is incredibly high. Very few guys come close to even “scratching” their limits.

Now. Taking a brief layoff, is the first recommendation when experiencing a sticking point in your training. After returning to regular training, if you are still unable to increase your muscle size, two further strategies can be applied to produce bigger and better gains.

Increasing the current resistance on the exercise you are stuck on can stimulate extra muscle growth. This increase should not exceed more than twenty percent. For example, if you are using 100 pounds in a barbell curl for ten repetitions, the weight should be increased to 120 pounds. Adjusting the weight like this, will more than likely reduce your performance ability to three or four repetitions. However, if you perform all sets with maximum intensity of effort, the number of repetitions you are able to perform will quickly increase to ten or more.

Sometimes, an increase of poundage is not safe, due to the current level of weight already being used. In such cases, adding extra weight can pose a threat to your safety. So instead. Replace the exercise with an alternative. The change of exercise need not be drastic. For example. If you have reached a plateau in the bench press, you could replace it with the incline dumbbell press. Or, parallel dips. The alternative exercise should be included in the routine for three to four weeks. After this period, the regular bench press can used once again. You should notice significant gains very quickly after doing so.

If you are still unable to increase your muscle gains after applying these strategies and taking a brief layoff, overtraining is usually the cause. Instead of having another layoff, the number of sets you perform and the frequency of your workouts should be reduced. Overtraining results from the amount of exercise performed. Level of intensity is never the cause.

To compensate for overtraining, the amount of exercise performed should be reduced by approximately thirty percent. If you are currently exercising three times a week, your frequency should be reduced to two times a week. If you are currently training with ten total sets in a workout, that number should be reduced to a total of seven. Look. I have never seen or heard of anyone who after applying these strategies failed to make further muscle gains. Any exceptions are usually due to poor nutritional habits or not training with enough intensity of effort. Period.

Trent Brook is the Author of “Huge Gains Fast - How to Get More Rock-Hard Muscle Mass In A Month Than You Now Get All Year. His “Huge Gains Fast” muscle building program is an easy-to-follow system so simple and understandable it’s fully explained to you in just 4 easy steps! The Revised Edition is now available online at his website, http://www.hugegainsfast.com

So, you’re doing cardio religiously and you’re not getting any
results…What’s the deal?! Good news. You’re probably just making
some minor mistakes that need to be corrected. If you want to make
changes to your body, it’s probably pretty important for you to
understand how your body works. After all, I doubt you’re running on the
treadmill because your cable got shut off and the cardio-theater at your
gym is the only place you can watch “The OC.” I’m almost certain you
want to burn fat. So, let’s learn how that works.

We’re going to talk about using nutrition to maximize the benefits of your workout. What you
eat and when you eat it can make a world of difference. But first, we
need to talk about how your body works.

Even though you want to get
rid of the excess fat that’s stretching out your pants, your body is not in
such a hurry to do so. You almost have to trick your body into burning
that fat as energy. You need to have fat to survive, and to your body,
those love handles are money in the bank. Because of this, when you
don’t eat anything for an extended period of time (as little as 4 waking
hours), your body will go into what’s called “starvation mode.” In
starvation mode, your body will actually store more fat and break down
muscle tissue to use as fuel. This slows your metabolism and increases
your body fat. It’s basically a self defense mechanism. With no fuel
coming in, your body fears it may have to survive for some time without
food. Your body doesn’t know that you’re just stuck in traffic or that you
had to skip lunch because your boss was making you do his work. It just
thinks…Holy Mackerel, I’m gonna starve. So instead of using it’s
valuable fat stores, your body gets stingy and actually cannibalizes it’s
own muscle tissue to use as fuel.

So to keep your body from freaking
out and going into starvation mode, try to eat small meals throughout the
day. 5 to 6 small meals a day is ideal. When I say meals, that doesn’t
mean that you need to sit down and have 3 courses. A handful of
almonds or even a protein shake can count as one of those meals.

On the other end of the spectrum, if you eat a turkey sandwich right
before you hop on the treadmill, your body won’t burn fat then either.
When you eat carbohydrates, your body stores them in the form of
glycogen in your liver. As you expend energy, your body uses these
glycogen stores until they are gone. When performing any type of
aerobic activity, like walking, running, etc., your body can use glycogen
stores or fat stores for fuel. The problem is that your body will never use
the fat stores until the glycogen stores are gone.

So you’re saying that
if I don’t eat, my body will get scared and hold on to all my body fat, but if
I do eat, my body will just use that as fuel instead of burning fat? Yes….
And if this were the end of the article, you would probably be pretty mad.
Fortunately, there are ways to make this work.

Option 1: Right when you wake up, before you eat or drink anything
(except water), do 55 minutes of moderate impact cardio. Walking or an
elliptical machine is ideal. If you’re breathing too hard to carry on a
conversation normally, slow down. If you get light headed or weak from
this option, eat something with no carbs before you workout. For
example: egg whites, chicken breast, or a protein shake with no carbs.
Protein consumption will not affect your glycogen stores so your body
will still be willing to burn fat. With this option, it’s okay to eat breakfast
when you’re done.

Option 2: If you only have 20 minutes in the
morning, do intervals before you eat. Warm up for 5 minutes and then
run for one minute and walk for two. Each time you run, make it a little
more intense until you are running at full blast for one minute. After 20
minutes of these intervals, cool down walking for 5 minutes and then
don’t eat for an hour after you’re done. Your body will burn fat for that
entire hour.

Option 3: If you can only do your cardio in the middle or at
the end of the day, use either of the above formulas but try to workout
about 2-2 1/2 hours after you eat.

Option 4: Do your cardio right after
you do your weight training. I know you’ve heard to do it before…this is
wrong. Warming up for 5 minutes before you weight train is fine, but
always do your fat burning cardio sessions after your weights. For more
on this option read “Weights Before Cardio”: www.shapeyou.com/nutrition_cardio.html

Option 5: If your cardio
sessions are more intense like an advanced step class or a spin class,
you’re better off having something in your stomach. Try eating about 2
hours before the class and then don’t eat for an hour after the class.
Most often, during an intense cardio workout, your body is not willing to
burn fat as fuel. It doesn’t know that you’re going to stop in an hour. It
thinks this behavior could continue for some time so it can get stingy
with it’s energy stores. But it will burn plenty of fat in the hour after you’re
done.

Be specific when following these formulas. They work. Am I
saying that if you eat before your cardio that you’re wasting your time?
No, anytime you do cardio it’s great for your heart, you’re burning
calories and you can increase your metabolism. But why not get the
maximum benefits if you’re going to do the work anyway.

You may reprint or publish this article freely as long as you include a
visible, active link to ShapeYou.com along with the author’s bio.

Tony Hale is a certified personal trainer with 12 years of experience
servicing clients in the entertainment industry throughout the Hollywood
area. He is also the editor in chief for http://www.shapeyou.com
To Train with Tony online, visit http://www.shapeyou.com/trainers.html

Being obese triggers many severe medical concerns. And while it may be in your interest to achieve your target weight, it isn’t as simple as it first appears. Step one is finding out how to do it.

Make sure to review our awesome site for how to lose weight fast tips.

No-one enjoys watching their calories for long periods of time, even though it took months or occasionally years to gain the all that excess weight in the beginning. Dieting for months and months without seeing the results is bad for motivation levels. And even worse, some solutions can lead to other serious medical problems. So it’s essential to consider every option open to you before committing to one. Gastric bypass surgery encourages drastic body fat reduction, but patients who select a surgical procedure of this type run an elevated risk of stones in the kidneys or gall-bladder, and vitamin B12 deficiency. Fluid imbalance, nausea, and frequent vomiting due to narrowing of the intestine are some the side effects noted on a regular basis, particularly if you overindulge. Cold intolerance, food allergies, and altered toilet habits are also commonly experienced. For most people the dangers decidedly outweigh the gains. Fat-burners offer a smart solution if you want to learn how to lose the extra pounds without surgery. These increase your metabolism by increasing your body temperature, which mirrors the effects of physical exercise to unburden yourself of the surplus weight. Assorted compoundsincluding caffeine and ephedrine are utilized by fat-burners. These ingredients are nowadays sold in a liquid form. The advantage is that they work almost instantly because liquids are digested much faster. Regardless of whether you opt for gastric bypass surgery or hope to restrict what you eat, you have to take care that you the nutrients needed by your body. If you cut down on calories in turn means cutting the variety of nutrients you can get from your food intake. So, a good supplement and drinking sufficient water are a necessity. If you wish to further accelerate your metabolism, you should take some fat burning exercise three or more times a week. Without a doubt it would be a dream come true if we were able to say a magic word and be slimmer. It is essential that you do not compromise your well-being when losing all that excess weight. In summary, it is recommended that you eat properly, workout regularly and start using a good multi-vitamin to increase your prospects of getting to your target weight…