Cardio Training

If you want to burn fat faster and shape your body faster (and better), don't overlook power exercises during your workouts.



Power is the ability to exert maximum muscle force in the shortest amount of time (rate-of-force production). Because power exercises are so intense and done full speed, they are great for burning body fat.

1. Among other benefits, power exercises recruit more muscle fibers (mainly fast-twitch fibers) more frequently which helps the fat-burning process. Recruiting your fast-twitch muscle fibers during your workouts will give you a more lean, toned looking body.

A good power exercise is squat jumps (with or without dumbbells). Before doing an exercise like this at full speed, you need to learn correct jumping and landing techniques! If you don't master these mechanics, injuries are coming your way sooner rather than later!

Another not-so-obvious benefit of power exercises: you will never get bored doing them! They happen so fast that you don't have a chance to get bored.

2. For those of you who like to combine your weight training and cardio workouts, the use of power exercises would work well. Its pretty simple, but a very tough way to do your workout.

Remember that cardio exercise doesn't have to be aerobic. Aerobic exercise is an activity that is done continuously for more than 2 straight minutes (like running on a treadmill). Research has proven that the heart health and fat burning benefits of anaerobic exercise (short bursts like jumps or sprinting) is superior to aerobic exercise.

Between each weight training exercise set, do 30-45 seconds of jump rope, mountain climbers or squat jumps full speed. It's just that simple and that tough!

Try to do the whole 30 minute workout without any rest between exercises. Rest 2-3 minutes after completing the circuit and repeat the circuit 1 or 2 more times. This is an advanced workout technique and is guaranteed to give you maximum fat burn and heart health.

3. A common problem that exercisers run into all the time is---"I have hit a wall (plateau)!" All of the early success associated with starting an exercise program can send you into a tailspin when you reach a plateau. You become frustrated and wonder "what am I doing wrong?" You probably just need to change up your exercise routine and you'll be okay.

There are many ways to change up an exercise routine----do new exercises, adjust the intensity, adjust the amount of weight, adjust the repetitions/sets, etc.

One of the best ways to get you "out of your exercise funk" is to add some power exercises to your workout routine! Shorter, more intense workouts (weight training or cardio) will give you more fat loss gains.

Here's an example: instead of doing cardio on the elliptical machine, do your cardio with a pair of power exercises. It can go something like this:

--Full speed medicine ball chops, 1 minute
--Slow jog for 2 minutes
--Full speed butt kickers, 1 minute
--Slow jog for 2 minutes

Just do this rotation for 20 minutes and you have a very intense cardio workout. And, on your weight training days, you could mix in some power exercises. Before you know it, you will have broken through your plateau! Try it! From personal experience, I know it works.

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"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

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