Cardio Training

So, you're about a month into your new year exercise....are you burning fat? That's the ultimate goal--shape your body leaner and healthier. You should have less body fat by now...get it checked today!


You want to have fun working out but I'm sure you want to look in the mirror and see your body changing. It feels great when the tape measures less inches on your butt, hips, legs, arms, chest and neck. This happens when your workouts are effective and your changed eating habits are working.

One of the best ways to change your body's composition is to add intensity to your workouts. Sixty minute cardio sessions won't lean out your body but they will waste away your muscles (and your muscle tone).

Research confirms that exercising at a fast or explosive pace (short bursts) will shape and sculpt your body better because these types of exercises activate your bulkier, shapely fast twitch muscle fibers (think butt, hips, thighs, etc.).

Some of you can break through your fat loss and weight loss plateau by varying your workouts. If you have been doing the same workout for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year or 5 years, your progress has probably stalled.

Your body has the amazing ability to adapt to your workouts and bring your fat loss and weight loss progress to a grinding halt. You MUST be willing to vary your workout routine every 2-3 weeks to keep your body guessing. Actually, you could vary your workout every workout session in different ways (like changing intensity).

Here are 8 top tips to burn more fat and shape your body:

1. Do different exercises to target the same muscle groups. This change is pretty simple. For example, do chest press on the ball instead of bench press.


2. Change up your weight training routine. This will require you to not talk to friends for 5 minutes between every set! Circuit training or superset training are good choices.

3. Shorten your long, boring cardio sessions. A 20-minute interval cardio session will give you more fat-burning and heart-health benefits than a slower 60-minute cardio session.

4. Add more plyometric exercises (jump training) to your workouts. Plyometric exercises are very intense and effective. Examples would be squat jumps and lateral cone hops. You should perfect jumping and landing techniques or you will injure yourself. And, if you have knee and low back problems, high-speed jump training is not for you.


5. Metabolic circuit training is an advanced form of high intensity exercise (strength circuits and interval cardio circuits). Metabolic circuit training is a popular and effective method for sports teams. If you play on a rec league basketball, soccer or flag football team, metabolic circuit training would be ideal. You would also lessen your chances of injury. Many weekend warriors get hurt because they aren't in condition to play a sport at full speed.

Many sports such as football, basketball and soccer require different levels of strength, speed and power. For example, soccer requires constant running---jogging, half-effort sprints and maximum effort sprints. Football requires short bursts of power, sprints, jogs back to the huddle and endurance. Football also requires relative strength, which is the strength level per unit of bodyweight. Basketball requires repeated sprints, jumps and sub-maximal effort runs and cuts during the game.

For example, you could time your workout intervals based on a quarter of the sport you will play.

6. Do more bodyweight cardio workouts. Choose 4 or 5 exercises such as lunges, pullups, pushups, inverted rows and squat jumps and get busy for 20 minutes! These workouts give you a dual strength and cardio benefit. Bodyweight workouts are great fat burners.


7. Do two separate workouts on the same day. For example, do a 25-minute workout in the morning and evening instead of a 1 hour workout. Research proves that doing a second workout during the day (even a short one) keeps growth hormone levels high throughout the day. This will give you even more body fat burning.

8. Jump rope for at least 10 minutes every day (if your knees and back allow). A 10 minute jump rope warm-up before your workout always gets the job done. Actually, a 20-minute interval jump roping session is one of the best fat-burners and body-sculptors available. Try it for cardio at least once a week.

Start shaping your body the way you want and need it to be!

Be sure and download your Free Bodyweight 500 Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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