Aerobics Cardio TNT

A lot of people lift weights so they can get bigger and stronger and they feel that any type of cardio training or conditioning work would be detrimental to them. They think that cardio work will cut into their recovery ability and also will hurt their ability to get bigger. Yes, running and other cardio fitness workouts do burn calories and you will have to eat more to balance out the fitness work but not as much as you would think. Thirty minutes of fairly vigorous cardio will burn about 500 calories. That is equivalent to about 2 protein bars.

If your goal is to get bigger and gain muscle then you need to balance your weight training and cardio training. One method is to lift three days a week and do cardio or conditioning work two days a week. You should keep your weight training workouts to around 45 minutes and your cardio work to 30 minutes. This will work for the average individual training to get in or stay in shape.

If you can only training three days a week then I would do my cardio work before my weight training. This will help get you warmed up, give you heart and lungs the work they need, and keep your metabolism going. This is not carved in stone, some people prefer doing their lifting first. I think either way is fine as long as you are doing some type of cardio along with your lifting.

Competitive bodybuilders and other athletes that are trying to maintain size and lose body fat may want to follow a different type of program. While training for a contest, your cardio workouts need to be brief and done at a moderate pace. This is because your lifting workouts will be very intense. As you get closer to the contest and are trying to rid body fat then you need to increase your fat burning or cardio activity. This could be riding a bike for 45 minutes twice a week and running three to five miles twice a week. You also want to perform your cardio workout at a relaxed pace. If you can’t carry on a conversation while biking or jogging, you are working out too intensely. Performing at a moderate pace can use up to 90 percent stored fat as fuel.

Not many people like to do conditioning work but it is very important for any athlete who wants to perform better or in fact for the average individual who may want to live a little longer. The obvious health benefits from cardio and other conditioning work make it a fair trade if you don’t want to give up lifting time. As mentioned earlier, there are many ways to balance this out.

When many people think of Medicine Balls, they think of black and white pictures of old boxers or weightlifters. Because of this, many people think that the med ball is antiquated and outdated. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Though not used as it once was, the med ball is still an outstanding piece of equipment and has a ton of uses – especially for cardio workouts. But before we get into cardio, let’s take a look at what medicine balls are arguably the most known for being use for – building a strong stomach.

Pretty much any abdominal exercise take on a whole new meaning when you add a medicine ball into the mix. Take a simple exercise like the basic situp, add a med ball, and now do you not only have a lot more intense exercise, but you also have a whole bunch of new variations you can do. The same goes with almost any simplistic trunk curling motion. Rotational movements such as twisting situps, russian twists, or chinnies, also become a lot more difficult.

But then you can take it up a notch with more dynamic movements like med ball slams, twisting or overhead throws, or even suplex-type throws.

Now, while these are all meant to be abominal, trunk, or “core” (to use a popular word) exercises, if you string them together into a complex of sorts (i.e. – perform a set of multiple exercises in a row without resting in between), you won’t believe the cardio workout you’ll get. Not only will you be building a strong and rugged midsection, but you’ll also be building a “ripped” one, too, because of all the work you’ll be doing!

However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what you can do with a medicine ball!

For starters, just like the movements for your midsection, you can take various exercises and add a whole new twist (and many times a real conditioning element) to them by doing them with a medicine ball.

Pushups can go from just a normal pushup, to a balance-oriented exercise by putting both hands on a med ball, or to an explosive exercise by putting one hand on a med ball and switching hands (pushing yourself over the med ball) with each rep.

Basic squats can be just as brutal. Try doing normal squats just holding a med ball in front of you. Or, if that’s too easy, try holding one at arm’s length out in front of you. If you’re really crazy, you can do them while holding the med ball overhead…

Next time, we’ll look more at complexes, more dynamic movements, and how to combine elements to accomplish as much as three different things with one exercise!

It is widely known that squats and weight training will make your butt bigger but there are also a number of cardio exercises for a bigger butt. Cardio exercises help you to lose fat and make your heart healthier. If you need cardio exercises to lose weight or for a generally healthier lifestyle but dont want to lose that precious junk in the trunk, these are the cardio exercises you can perform to increase your heartrate while giving your glutes a workout.

A Bigger Butt with Step Aerobics

These simple exercises can be done at home on your steps or in a gym step aerobics class. At home, position yourself in front of your steps and squeeze your glutes in tight as you step up with one foot. Step back down and switch to the other foot. Repeat this at least 15 times. As you advance, you can start to take two steps instead of one. In a step aerobics class, whole cardio routines are built around the step so you can get a full workout while targeting your butt and thighs.

If the gym isnt for you, you can buy one of the home aerobic steps and follow a step aerobics DVD workout like Kathy Smith: Great Buns and Thighs Step Workout.

Will the Elliptical Make my Butt Bigger?

If you work out on an elliptical machine, your legs and butt muscles will get bigger. Not only are you getting an amazing cardio workout but you are giving your glutes and hamstrings a super workout too. Working out several times a week on an elliptical machine will burn fat, keep your heart rate healthy and give you an amazing behind.
Run Hills for Your Glutes

If youre a runner, incorporating hills into your running program will burn more calories at the same time as targeting muscles in your butt and thighs. Remember that the butt is mostly muscle so dont be worried about losing your favourite asset as youll be building muscle. If you prefer to run on the treadmill, set it to an incline of 5-12% for the same effect. Interval training is most effective so be sure to alternate running on an incline with running on a flat during your workout. Even if youre not a runner, walking on an incline can also give great results.

Kickboxing

Kickboxing workouts focus on strengthening your core muscles but also your glutes and thighs.

With all the different types of kicks high kicks, round house kicks, side kicks, back kicks every part of your butt will get a good workout. Combined with complex punch combinations, your arms and abs will not feel left out. Join a local kickboxing class and youll soon find yourself with rock-hard abs and a nice, perky butt to match.

You dont have to take part in sparring if that is not for you, a cardio kickboxing class is enough to reap all the fitness benefits without breaking any bones! And if a gym kickboxing session is not your style, there are several kickboxing workout DVDs you can buy to follow in the comfort of your own home such as The Kung Fu Kickboxing Workout DVD.

Usually when men exercise they are aiming to work certain muscles so there should be no reason to ignore the most important muscle in the body, the heart. A cardio workout is good for the heart and like all muscles it improves and receives great benefits from exercise. Cardio workouts benefit the entire cardiovascular system while also burning calories too. When men engage in a cardio workout as their activity level increases, so does the heart rate. When men are just starting to get familiar with cardio workouts it is best if they allow their body to tell them what it can handle. If you’re not breaking a sweat, you’re not working hard enough, so pick up the pace.

A good cardio workout can come from any steady level of exertion such as calisthenics, jogging, hiking, or by running. Look for anything that gets the heart pumping. Men should ideally work towards being able to graduate to a higher level of exercise that can be engaged in for a minimum of 20 minutes, three times per week at a minimum. The key is persistency. In the beginning, men should be working on conditioning and endurance; it’s too soon to be thinking about distance or speed. Each and every male has different cardio needs.

To get to a healthy physical level consistency is very important. Burning fat and losing weight depend upon the intensity of workouts. Consistent and intense cardio workouts will help a man lose a good amount of weight and fat. There are several ways to consistently attain a good cardio workout. Try a treadmill or an elliptical exercise. Treadmills provide one of the best cardio workouts available. There are many kinds of treadmills available. Doctors and trainers consider treadmills to be a great cardio workout.

Elliptical exercises provide cardio workout benefits at a lower intensity. This can be very beneficial for the man that can’t do any other kind of exercise because his joints simply won’t allow it. So, there are many ways to work that heart and get it pumping. A good strong heart is needed for a long and healthy life. Cardio workouts dont have to be vigorous struggles in order to be effective. Men can pick a routine that they enjoy and keep pumping it up a bit until they are comfortable with their exercise and while still advancing to a higher level.

In most fitness circles, there are two main “types” of cardio that tends to get discussed. The first is LSD (Long Slow Distance) – an example of which would be jogging. The next is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) – an example of which would be sprinting.

For various reasons, HIIT is generally considered a better form of cardio than LSD. This is because it doesn’t take as long to perform as LSD, is more power-based, is generally easier on the body physically, contributes to both aerobic and anaerobic increases, and keeps the metabolism “jacked up” for several hours after your workout is over. However, if you short-change your HIIT, and don’t work hard, you’re getting the least productive cardio workout of all.

And while there is nothing “wrong” with LSD, it does take a long time to perform, can be very tough on the body physically due to sustained shock and “pounding” it has to go through, and while it’s great for aerobic endurance, it does virtually nothing for anaerobic capacity.

There are two alternative types of cardio workouts that I like to use. One is Density Conditioning. Simply put, choose a short distance (30-100 yards) and do as many reps as you can in a given timeframe. Sprint one way, walk or jog back, and repeat – rest only if it’s absolutely necessary. The goal is to get more reps in each workout. These aren’t going to be sprints per se, but hard runs – kind of like that 8 (or 9) intensity level, but you’ll be doing a lot more overall distance.

The other cardio workout is MFD – Medium Fast Distance. This is where you choose more of a medium distance compared to your LSD. For example, if LSD runs are 5-6 miles, choose 2.5-3.5 miles. Run the entire distance without stopping (just like LSD), but do at a fairly fast-paced clip. The best way would be to set a mile time that is pretty quick for you, and try to keep that pace the entire run.

Density Conditioning and MFD cardio workouts both combine elements of LSD and HIIT. Where LSD is long, yet slow, and HIIT is short, yet very hard, Density Conditioning and MFD are both medium-long, yet hard (as opposed to very hard with HIIT).

Either Density Conditioning or MFD can be good ways of keeping your conditioning good, without having to spend hours doing it, or worrying about burning out your nervous system.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.