AlchemyFit.com » Cardio

Interval training to burn fat

thealchemist — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 06:11:12 +0000

Interval training has become one of the latest training methods to gain popularity in the fitness world. If your not familiar with interval training, it is a form of cardiovascular exercise that alternates periods of high intensity with periods of lower intensity. The most common method of interval training is sprinting. After a five minute warm-up you would sprint for a minute then jog lightly for a minute and repeat that cycle 5-8 times (don’t forget a five minute cool down). The sprint would be considered the high intensity and the light jog would be the low intensity.

How do you know when you are working at a higher intensity? We have a built in mechanism that gauges that for us. It is called our heart rate. Many experienced athletes and fitness enthusiasts can tell when they are pushing themselves intuitively but others should acquire a heart rate monitor. At the end of the article I have listed the top rated monitors available at Amazon.com. The constant change in heart rate is very beneficial for our bodies because of the indirect effect that it has on our EPOC levels. EPOC stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. EPOC occurs when the body’s metabolism is elevated for an extended period after exercise.

The intensity of the exercise is directly correlated with EPOC levels. Here’s a good motto to live by in regards to interval training; work harder don’t work longer. When you push your body for those brief but intense spurts it will continue to burn calories after the training session in order to replenish energy supplies. During training, you will have likely depleted all of your muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrates) and your muscles will need energy. The muscles begin to breakdown fat to restore their energy in a process called fat oxidation. We will go into more detail about fat oxidation later next week.

Five of the most popular heart rate monitors and a body fat analyzer to track your results:

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Stand and Sit Up Straight

thealchemist — Fri, 13 May 2011 01:41:58 +0000

Fitness Tip: Stand and Sit Up Straight - No slouching on the cardio equipment please! Stand up straight, hold your head up high, and get more out of your cardio workouts! Standing upright and supporting your own bodyweight uses the stabilizing muscles of the torso. The more muscles you use during any exercise, the more fat burning your body can do!

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Heart Smart Training

thealchemist — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:30:02 +0000

Fitness Tip: Heart Smart Training - Like the ever-mounting hits on tobacco, on the flip side, its nemesis, exercise, continues to attract a growing crowd. Reports by the American Heart Association and others in Club Business International suggest that heart attack patients who exercise regularly had a 40 percent lower risk of death as well as a 50 percent reduction in succumbing to cardiovascular disease after five years as compared to those who didn’t exercise.

Exercise of the day: Ball Band Thigh Blaster - The Ball Band Thigh Blaster is the ultimate quad workout with the use of your fitness bands and exercise ball.

Click Here to see it in action!

Click here to Get Your GoFit Exercise Ball or GoFit ProGym to Build a New Body Today!

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Stand and Sit up Straight

thealchemist — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:06:38 +0000

Fitness Tip: Stand and Sit up Straight – No slouching on the cardio equipment please! Stand up straight, hold your head up high and get more out of your cardio workouts! Standing upright and supporting your own bodyweight uses the stabilizing muscles of the torso. The more muscles you use during any exercise… the more fat burning your body can do!

Exercise of the day: Ball Shoulder Stretch – The Ball Shoulder Stretch provides a great way to both stretch and build your shoulder muscles with using a fitness ball and exercise bands.
Click Here to see it in action!

Click here to Get Your GoFit Exercise Ball to Build a New Body Today!

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Don’t get stuck in a cardio rut

thealchemist — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:09:20 +0000

Fitness Tip: Don’t get stuck in a cardio rut - Try something new! Besides being a great cardio workout, a rowing machine uses many different muscle groups including abs, back, chest, arms, hips, glutes and legs. Remember to start slow, strap in your feet, draw in your abdomen, and maintain good posture throughout the movement.

Exercise of the day: Ball Spine Stretch - The Ball Spine Stretch will work and stretch your entire back region with the help of your stability ball for support.
Click Here to see it in action!
Click here to Get Your GoFit Exercise Ball to Build a New Body Today!
Fitness Gear: Wrist Straps – Leather

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