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Cardio training or aerobic exercise is any activity that employs the use of considerably large groups of muscles in a continuous and rhythmic manner throughout certain periods of time. The most common examples of which are running, skiing, skating, sprinting, tae bo, elliptical training, walking, rowing, and biking. In some cases, circuit training is also categorized as cardio training since it requires continuous movements from one form of exercise to another.

In essence, cardio training works by elevating the maximum heartbeat the organ may reach somewhere around 65-80%. This state is called aerobic or heart beat state because only in here, and in some special instances will the heart reach such great increase in heart rate.

As we all know, there are many benefits that may be had with cardio training. Aside from strengthening and raising the level of endurance of the heart and the lungs, cardio training also helps burn unwanted fats and calories. And since heart problems are one of the major contributing factors to prevalent premature death among men and women, it is extremely important to get involved with any forms of cardio vascular training.

Experts would recommend a minimum of 25 minutes up to 60 minutes of cardio training per session. And there should be a minimum of three sessions in a week and a maximum of five. Being that the normal session should range for around 30 to 40 minutes.

Most people perform cardio training to burn excess calories. With obesity as one of the leading health problems in the Western world today, people are seriously considering doing cardio workouts since they burn much more fats and carbohydrates in so little span of time. But it must be noted that the amount of calories burned during cardio training will always be dependent on the body weight of the exerciser, the intensity of his workouts and the type of activity he does.

Since cardio training is almost always interchangeable with aerobics exercises, it is better to give you a view of what aerobics exercises really are.

Simply put, aerobics exercise is a series of rhythmic exercises that involve large muscle groups (much like with the definition we have for cardio training). The only difference thereof is that aerobics exercises are usually performed along with music in a class of exercisers. But for the majority of active participants, aerobics is much more than that. It is a lifestyle and a philosophy at the same time. On one hand, it is a modernized category of entire body exercise. On another, it is a form of exercise that is both motivating and fun.

Aerobics exercises are ways to improve coordination, mobility and muscle strength along with a number of other things such as psychological and physiological well-being. This form of exercise provide a large host of benefits such as improving your over-all fitness, burning of calories, lowering your susceptibility against developing cardiac arrests and other forms of heart problems. It also increases your mobility, muscle endurance, body postures, reduces stress and alleviate self-esteem by helping you manage your weight properly.

Because cardio training is extremely popular among exercisers, it now has developed numerous sets of styles and procedures that cater almost all the requirements if each individual. Yet, all these may be futile if the motivation of the person himself towards performing cardio training is lacking.

Ask just about anyone what is the best way to lose weight or burn body fat, and 99% will answer “Cardio!”.

Well, I hate to bust your bubble, but I’m here to tell you that cardio is downright worthless for weight loss.

That’s right, all these years you’ve been led to believe one of the biggest misconceptions in regards to an efficient weight loss workout plan.

Everyone seems to think that cardio / aerobics is the best way to quickly melt off fat from the body, and as a result, some even neglect or give cardio the preference over weight training.

All you have to do is go to the gym.

Guaranteed that you’ll see more people filling up the cardio machines and stepping classes than the hardcore weight equipment.

Take a good look at the aerobics instructors themselves.

Most of them are straight up overweight. No definition whatsoever to be found.

Yet, they step and dance away for sometimes hours a day, but there’s not an ab in site!

Why is this?

First, when I say that cardio is worthless, I’m referring to not being efficient for burning / losing body fat.

I’m not referring to strengthening the cardiovascular system or increasing endurance.

But keep in mind that there is a big difference between building endurance and burning fat.

Again, that’s why you see these overweight aerobics instructors that can probably do well in a triathlon (because of excellent endurance), but don’t lose any fat weight.

And even when it does come down to training to building cardiovascular endurance cardio still isn’t as good as intense weight training, which I have gone into detail in several articles I have written on this subject.

Here’s just one of the many reasons why cardio is worthless for burning body fat and losing weight:

Cardio uses very few muscular fibers, meaning it requires a much lower amount of calories to perform in comparison to weight training.

As a matter of fact, did you know that just 1 pound of body fat can give your body enough energy to perform up to 12 hours of cardio???!!!

Stating it another way…you have to do 12 hours of cardio to burn just 1 pound of fat.

So, all that time that you stepped away on the cardio machine or aerobics class for an hour, working up a good sweat, and feeling good about yourself, you didn’t even burn 1/4 of a pound.

As I’ve stated over and over in my articles, there’s 2 and only 2 decisive factors in truly burning body fat:

1) intense weight training

2) eating less calories than your body needs

If you do these 2 things correctly, you’ll blow away all of those poor souls stomping away on the treadmill.

Copyright (c) 2006 Jonathan Perez

Today there is no dearth of cardio routines to choose from and it has become much easier to choose one that suits you best.

There are two basic types of exercise — aerobic and anaerobic.

Aerobic literally means “in the presence of oxygen,” and has evolved to refer to endurance exercises in which your body first burns stored sugars (glycogen) before it burns fat stores for energy.

Aerobic exercises usually increase your heartbeat to 65% of its maximum rate for long stretches — averaging about 20 minutes or so. Examples of these are brisk walking, running, or bike riding from a medium to a quick pace.

Anaerobic activities, on the other hand, are done in short and quick bursts such as calisthenics, weightlifting, or sprinting. In these types of exercises, your body uses glycogens for as long as it can and improves muscle strength, tone, and agility.

If you are a novice, trainers would normally suggest that you emphasize the former type to promote overall fitness and maintain your heart’s health.

However, to refine your aerobic skills, anaerobic activity is recommended. For instance, a runner who can constantly do 5-6 miles at the same pace each day has clearly demonstrated above-average endurance. Thus, she could take her workout to the next level and do strength training or sprints to shock her muscles and complement her cardio targets.

And then there’s flexibility training, which many of us often forget. You need to work in exercises that would constantly stretch the same muscles you’re working on during aerobic and anaerobic workouts.

Now that you know the types of exercises, you need to first get professional advice on the state of your health. Although cardio is for people of all ages, women over 40 generally need to consult their doctors’ advice first before joining a group of women in their prime, especially if they have been sedentary for quite a long time.

In the same vein, if your family has a history of coronary artery disease, your cardio would be limited in intensity, frequency, and duration. Moreover, if you have no idea about what your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels are, the more reason for you to first check with your doctor if your planned exercise regimen is manageable.

Lastly, don’t instantly jump into a routine if you have experienced any of the following in the past: chest pains; dizziness; pain while walking; joint or bone problems; very slow or fast; irregular heartbeats; wounds or cuts on the feet that don’t heal; and unexplained rapid weight loss.

Once you’re given the go signal, you can then choose which cardio can both increase your heart rate (within safe limits, of course) and is enjoyable for you at the same time. As you engage in regular cardio, your lungs, heart, and muscles all increase their efficiency in their use of oxygen.

The capacity of your lungs increases, your heart pumps more blood for every stroke, and your muscle fibers extract oxygen from the blood more efficiently.

This is quite obvious when you compare a well-trained athlete with a sedentary individual. The former will have a lower resting heart rate — perhaps even 50 beats per minute (bpm) — while the person who has rarely moved away from her desk may have a resting rate of 80 bpm.

As you begin your cardio sessions, you will find that your heart rate increases rapidly during the duration of the session. However, the longer you are into the program, your heart rate won’t rise nearly as much.

Once you’ve chosen the program (or “programs” — it’s a good idea to cross-train to keep from feeling bored) that you feel you’re going to enjoy for quite some time, always keep in mind that you can’t immediately see results!

Practice gradual progression to avoid the risk of injuries.

The instant effect you’ll experience, though, comes by way of a reduction of “stress hormones” such as cortisol and an increase in the production of endorphins, or the so-called “feel-good hormones”. Now, who doesn’t want that?

Certainly there are many people who only do weights and no cardio and probably just as many, maybe more that do cardio and no weight training.

It’s true that lots of people hate cardio exercise but not everyone does. Lots of people absolutely love it – even really high intensity cardio. To say everyone loves weight training is just as incorrect.

Not everyone enjoys weight training; otherwise nearly everyone would be doing it. They might enjoy going through the motions of weight training and using light weights but that’s not real muscle building weight training. Don’t get me wrong, it’s better that people at least did light resistance training than none at all, but weight training that builds strength and muscle requires that the muscles be progressively overloaded. That means heavier weight or more reps or slower reps to increase the intensity of the weight training exercise.

Likewise, when it comes to cardio exercise, the cardio exercise that produces the results is the type that gets you breathing hard, your heart pumping and your endurance muscles tiring. This is the level of cardio referred to when people say they hate cardio.

Anything less is generally what you see all those fat people in the gym doing while they’re pedalling away on the exercise bikes.

As for cardio making you hungry, well so does weight training.

Now it is true that you can lose weight without cardio. You can also lose weight without resistance exercise. You can also lose weight without fancy fad diets. All you really need is a calorie deficit. In other words, expend more calories than you eat. Everyone knows the easiest way to achieve that is by cutting the food intake. This of course has the danger of the body slipping into starvation mode and the lowering of the metabolism, thus making weight loss even harder and future weight gain more likely.

To counter this of course, weight training can be used to stimulate the metabolism and preserve, maybe even build the lean muscle tissue.

It should be abundantly clear by now that starvation diets are definitely NOT the best way to lose weight healthily and permanently.

The best approach to achieving the required calorie deficit is to increase activity to burn more energy. Any increase in activity whether by cardio exercise of weight training exercise will result in you wanting to eat more.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Eating more requires that more energy be expended to digest the food. If you follow the rule of eating your food over 4-6 smaller but more frequent meals, you will be increasing your metabolic rate, which of course increases the fat burning even when not exercising.

Eating proteins and complex carbohydrates which take more energy to digest helps as well. Plenty of water is important for fat metabolism as well so there are many factors which come into play.

Basically though if you exercise more you eat more, you gain more muscle, burn more fat and get healthier more efficiently.

There will always be a procession of so called ‘experts’ who make some sensational claim like build great abs in 5 minutes a day or lose weight without cardio or by drinking some special formula. Their sensational claims are designed to suck in the confused, misinformed and desperate dieters who want everything the easiest way possible.

In answer to the question, ’should we forget about cardio?’ the answer is a resounding NO.

Any cardio helps create the caloric deficit by burning off energy. High intensity cardio burns even more and also helps raise the metabolism. Also, how can we ignore the other health benefits derived from cardio exercise?

The human body is designed for work. That means strength workouts with weights and cardio-vascular workouts that strengthen the heart and lungs. Such work means greater health and longevity.

Weights rule – but cardio exercise is a winning partner. Hand in hand they take the podium together.

There are hundreds of different machines out there all claiming to be ‘the best cardio workout’. The only thing I have to say about that is it’s hogwash! There is no single machine that creates the best cardio workout. Many different things need to be taken in to account when choosing a cardio machine or workout for your self. It is best to gain knowledge in these areas before buying that latest and greatest new product. I will go over some of the things that should be looked at before getting involved.

The type of person you are has a lot to do with what kind of cardio you should choose. What I mean by this is, if you are very athletic and been involved in sports all your life you are going to have different needs then someone who comes from a background of no sports or activity. The best cardio workout for person one may be run at a high pace for 2 hours, where as the best for person two may be walking around the block twice.

A persons’ prior fitness experience also should be taken in to account when looking for their best cardio workout. You can find cardio machines or activities that are complex and have many different uses. You can also find a simple, less complex activity or machine. If you are someone that is just getting into the fitness and cardio then there is no need to go out and purchase or learn anything complicated or advanced because it will just make learning more stressful. And for somebody that is more advanced and been around the different machines and cardio activities then you may want a more deluxe or complicated workout to achieve your best cardio workout.

The biggest thing to look at when trying to attain great cardio, is knowing what you want to get out of the cardio. Are you going to be training to run an iron man race or are you just looking to get in to better shape? There is no need to try complex workouts and buy expensive machinery when all you want to do is lose an extra couple of pounds, in this case your best cardio workout would probably be as simple as a brisk walk around your block. People always try and look too deep in to needing the ‘best’ machine out there. Many don’t realize that a monthly gym membership, where you can spend 20 minutes 3 times a week on a stationary bike, can produce amazing results.

Whatever you do, don’t start out doing cardio at 100% effort. Too many people will hop on a treadmill after 2 years of nothing and expect that they can still run for 60 minutes straight without a break. Not going to happen! Please ease into whatever you start. Gradually work your way into more work. You will notice that it won’t take long and you’ll be back to that 60 minute run in no time.

The point of all of this is to show you that each person is different, which means that the best cardio workout for one person may not work for you. I suggest trying a few different things out at your local gym and see what you like best and what works for you. Whatever it is that you choose, please enjoy it. Make getting your best cardio workout fun, not a chore!

The HRM is a precision instrument meant to read your heart rate during training and other exercises by means of counting the pulse rate on the wrist. This system is one of the best and most useful devices ever brought out by the modern science. The HRM helps in keeping a second to second tab on your movements and gives you alarms if the rate, intensity, speed or distance falls short or goes beyond the required levels of exercise.

You will find the HRM comes in two pieces, i.e. one is a wrist watch type of a gadget and another is a small device that you need to strap along your chest. The part resembling the wrist watch is in fact a receiver, which is tuned to the transmitter wrapped around the chest. Now, this system can be programmed to whatever level you need to maintain in order to loose weight, train correctly or just being in touch with what is happening with your body.

In this manner you could know your heart rate at any given time, while you are doing any type of physical exercise, such as walking, swimming, running and even skiing. This HRM would be able to measure your optimum output automatically by calculating your maximum and minimum heart beat rates and then cross referring these to the exercise you would be doing at any given time.

While you are exercising, the heart rate is the best way to measure the intensity of the exercise you are doing. Of course, there are other indicators, such as muscle tightness, scorched lungs, fatigue, etc. However, it is difficult to measure accurately when the level crosses the ‘too much’ zone. Not with the GPS system though. You will be able to know exactly when you are doing great and when you are going overboard or becoming lax because this Heart Rate Monitor is gong to tell you as accurately as it can be exactly what your performance at any give time is.

The Advantages Of Using A Heart Rate Monitors

If you are still not convinced that the above gadget is a boon for you, jus read the advantages that it offers:

1. It offer you automatic HRM settings
2. You can have it record your own personal heart rate limit zones, or let it read these data automatically.
3. It is one hundred percent accurate and hence it can be the perfect guide for any exercise
4. It would be send you an alarm when you would go above or below your optimal intensity of training, and hence maintain the best rate for the highest calorie bur out and/or best training
5. You can program is to keep track not only on the intensity of the exercise, but also on the distance covered, speed, etc.
6. It also has a calorie counter so you could enjoy reading about the results of your work whenever you wish to check on it
7. The heart rate zone is given both audible and visually so you could keep a track on it easily

Elliptical trainers have in recent years been considered the best way to get a complete full body cardio workout. They really shine when comes to burning calories. Many exercise physiologist and physical therapist consider elliptical exercise machines to be the best tool to exercise your entire body. Primarily because they require very low impact and stress to your joints, bones and muscles. If you are lucky enough to have one in your home or apartment then you can use it no matter what the outdoor weather conditions. No excuses for not toning up and slimming down.

There are many options available to you when selecting an in home elliptical trainer. Your level of fitness and your overall fitness goals and how much you can afford to pay will effect your decision. Purchasing a machine that will still meet your exercise needs 6 months or a year from now when your body has begun change is an important consideration. The best way to find out what fits you is to test ride the models of elliptical trainers that you are interested in. This can be done at the dealer’s showroom or local fitness center. Plan to spend at least thirty minutes of riding on each model. Each model is different and one size does not fit everyone. Remember if the machine is not comfortable to use then it is likely you will not use it as much as you should to achieve your fitness goals.

Stride length is very important. Experts suggest that the stride length should be between 18-21 inches. The elliptical motion should be stable, smooth and steady. The Key to the elliptical trainers’ is there ability to burn calories as they allow you to exercise longer without strain. The elliptical trainer should feel steady with no wobbling or jerky movements. The feeling is described as running on air when an elliptical trainer is in tune with its rider. The design of the handles should allow a firm grip while allowing the arms to complete the upper body workout. Pedals are important and should allow you to have enough room to adjust to our foot body style. They also should be sturdy and well built and designed to keep your feet securely on them. Listen for noise especially rattles and rubbing all of which are an indication of poor quality. The console should be easy to read and have the features that you are interested in. Resistance levels should change flawlessly.

Elliptical trainers are not cheap at least the good ones are not. It is recommended that you be willing to spend at least $1000 or more for a quality elliptical machine. Most experts agree that the more expensive elliptical trainers have a better track record when it comes to reliability, comfort and features. Make sure you check out and read the customer reviews of the each model and manufacture you are considering. Spend time at your local fitness center or YMCA asking questions as to what machines are having problems and which ones are more durable. Ask about customer service problems. This is time well spent. If you happen to see a technician working on your gyms fitness equipment ask them what machines they would recommend. Who would know better about elliptical trainer reliability than the people who fix them? We suggest that you always consider an extended warranty when purchasing any piece of fitness equipment.

Elliptical trainers do provide a very good whole body workout. Most quality trainers will calculate how many calories you are burning when you enter your weight into the machine. Research has shown that about 650 calories are burned per hour using an elliptical trainer. You can see why so many people consider an elliptical trainer the best way to slim down and tone up.

Parks filled with rowdy kids? Gym too far from your home or office? Then perhaps it’s time to look at stadiums and tall buildings.

You’ve got it right — staircases. They’re the cheap alternatives to steppers (in fact, they don’t cost anything), and the best thing about them is you can do your cardio any time of the day.

Athletes have been performing stadium bleacher runs since time immemorial. It improves their cardiovascular stamina and promotes their muscular endurance — two things that are necessary for competitive games that last for hours.

For your part, stair climbing gives nearly the same benefits, but on a scale that’s just right for you.

The Benefits Of Stair Climbing

This activity is low-impact and safe for as long as you strictly observe the safety rules outlined below. It uses the muscles of the buttocks and the quadriceps (front of the thigh) muscles. It also gives your heart a super workout because you’re literally carrying your weight as you work against gravity.

Stair climbing is time efficient as it burns an unbelievable 300 calories in 30 minutes, depending on your pace and body weight.

This could be just the answer to our many alibis to keep from doing routines, such as “dogs chase me at the park,” or “the smog outside is just terrible”!

When Is The Best Time To Stair Climb?

If you’re using your office stairs, it’s better to do this activity after work as you’ll be all sweaty and exhausted. However, if you’re utilizing your apartment building staircase, early in the morning would be great!

Warming Up And Cooling Down

Walk around your apartment or office for about five minutes prior to tackling the stairs. You should also stretch your calves, quads, and hamstrings to avoid tearing.

On the first week, do the following for 10-15 minutes: Climb 2 flights and then march in place or walk around the entire floor for a couple of minutes to avoid “burning” thigh muscles or shortness of breath. Add five minutes every week to this routine until you’re finally able to climb the entire flight without needing to march in place or walk around the floor to catch your breath.

Safety Precautions For Stair Climbing

* Wear shoes with good support — the best ones are aerobic or cross-training shoes. Running shoes are not recommended because they don’t give enough lateral support.

* Make sure that the stairwell is well-lit and well-ventilated.

* Drink enough water before, during, and after the workout.

* Discontinue the session as soon as you feel any of the following: nausea, dizziness, heart palpitation, and disorientation, among others.

* Alternate this activity with other forms of cardio so as to prevent overuse injury (caused by impacting the same bones and muscles over and over again).

* Contrary to popular belief, your knees are more stressed coming down than they are going up because of your reflex of “putting on the brakes,” just as the downhill part of mountain climbing is more dangerous. You may want to take the elevator on the way back if you’re just beginning.

* Assume the proper stance: Lean forward a bit from the hips and keep your back straight. Never slouch while stair climbing.

* Don’t climb with heels hanging off the edge of the step as you’ll risk injuring your Achilles tendon. Instead, place your entire foot on each step.

* Never climb a totally desolate area of the building! In the unlikely event of an accident, make sure that you can be heard if you cry out for help.

According to the New Zealand government website, www.nhc.govt.nz, stair climbing as an exercise can hold its own against the more established routines such as running and bicycling. A study has concluded that stair climbing is better than these two when considering “the most vigorous exercise in the shortest period possible”.

The term “belly dance” is the brain child of Orientalism. The term has its roots in the Middle Eastern. Belly Dance is a Middle Eastern dance in which the dancer makes sensuous movements of the hips and abdomen.

Actually, ‘belly dance’ is the western name for an Arabic style of dance developed in the Middle East. It is sometimes also termed as belly dancing in the West. Belly Dance is called Raqs Sharqi or sometimes Raqs Baladi (national or folk dance) in Arabic language.

Belly Dance is sometimes called oriental dance in Europe. The dance is referred to as Oryantal Dansi (Dance of the East) in Turkish. It is called ‘Danse du ventre’ in French. The Americans simply refer to the dance as belly dance or “Middle Eastern Dance.”

In the Middle East, Raqs Baladi (belly dance) is a social dance that is performed on all festive occasions such as weddings and other social gatherings for fun and celebration. The dance is performed by people of all ages and both sexes. Raqs Sharqi, the dramatized version of Raqs Baladi, is performed by professional dancers. It is the traditional dance of the Arabs who learn the dance from an early age.

In belly dance, a dancer uses movements in every muscle group of his/her body. A dancer visually communicates the emotion and rhythm of the music to the audience. Belly Dance is the solo dance with its own unique dance vocabulary that is fluidly integrated with the music’s rhythm.

Though the dance is performed by men also, belly dance is mainly viewed as a woman’s dance. Belly dance is appreciated more when it is performed by a mature voluptuous woman. It is actually the dance celebrating the feminine sensuality.

Belly Dance is one of the most popular dances in the Australia, Europe, United Kingdom, and United States. Belly Dance is highly popular in Australia. Australia hosts the annual Sydney Middle Eastern Dance Festival.

There are several dance schools in the Europe, and the United States offering belly dance classes. Belly dance classes are flourishing Greece, France, UK, etc. The UK will host the first Annual International Bellydance Congress in September 2007. As belly dance require a lot of muscle power, most of the western women approach belly dance for exercising, strengthening body-mind-soul, building fine figures, etc.

Belly Dance is extremely popular in the U.S. It is very popular dance at a number of ethnic nightclubs owned by operated and patronized by members of the ethnic communities of Mediterranean countries like Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. The American celebrities, such as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira have featured belly dance in their videos. The dance has been filmed in a number of popular Hollywood movies.

Bouncing up and down on a trampoline is fun, but if you have children who are the least bit adventurous, they’ll soon be trying to do quite a bit more than that and learn some tricks for the trampoline. However, while doing simple tricks properly can be fairly safe, fooling around and trying to push the envelope can be a bit dangerous. Be sure your children know the proper way to do tricks and know how to be safe while they bounce before you allow them to do any tricks on your new trampoline.

First, make sure anyone using the trampoline knows how to jump up and down and land back near the center each time. This practice time won’t be wasted. Jumping on trampolines is one of the best ways to strengthen muscles and organs, especially the cardio-vascular system. The additional flexibility, balance and coordination will help your children perform any of these simple trampoline tricks more easily and safely.

The first trick you should teach your little jumping beans is to land on their backs. Have them stand on the trampoline without moving. Their arms should remain at their sides. Then, they will need to fall straight backwards onto the trampoline bed, keeping their heads up. As their backs connect with the trampoline, they should be sure they don’t jerk their heads around, since they could pull some muscles if they do. They should allow their heads to meet the mat naturally instead. After their backs meet the trampoline bed, they will rebound back to their feet. Make sure they practice several times before they try to move on to the next trick. If they seem bored by the trick and want to try something else, suggest that they try to bounce a bit higher.

Once everyone has mastered the back flop, it is time to try landing on your knees instead of your feet. You should start the trick the same way, remembering to be careful not to jerk your neck around as you fall back onto the trampoline bed. As you bounce back up, land on your knees and then rock back down. You can keep rocking up and back almost indefinately.

There are many other tricks you can try, but they are more risky and should only be done if you are very experienced with using the trampoline to bounce and you have mastered the simpler tricks. One of the more complicated tricks you can try is a somersault or flip. You can do these tricks backwards and forwards, but be sure you stay safe. Practice all of the same precautions you would observe if you were on the ground, such as tucking your head and protecting your neck properly.

Finally, remember that any trick is less safe than simply bouncing. Before you begin a trick, make sure you are not too close to anyone else and that there is plenty of room for you to bounce where you didn’t plan to land. Also, be sure you don’t hold your neck stiffly or jerk your head abruptly as you do tricks. The best trick is always one that ends safely.