Cardio Training | Buffing Up

Lose Fat Faster By Avoiding Foot Numbness On The Stair Machine

Jun 172010

Question:

I have recently begun using a stair machine for fat loss. I have found that the front half of both feet and all my toes fall asleep and go completely numb after about 15 minutes! The shoes are new, the toe box seems wide enough, and the shoes are flexible. Any ideas as to what the cause might be?

Answer:

While stair machine (and elliptical trainer) are both excellent for cardiovascular training and fat loss, numbness in the toes and feet is a very common problem with the stair machine and the elliptical trainer. It is a lack of circulation from the constant pressure put on the feet and has really nothing to do with your shoes.

You know how your arms falls asleep if you lean on it for too long? The same thing is happening in your feet and toes. I’ve encountered this situation myself before.

There are several good solutions to this problem.

1. Take a break every 10 minutes just to shake out your feet and get circulation moving again. Step off the machine to do this then jump right back on.

Most stair machines have pause programming built in so when you’re not on the machine, it’ll actually stop the program and let you jump back on and pick up right where you left off.

2. Lift your feet off the pedals every few minutes while you are using the stair machine. Taking a few steps off the stair machine pedals every few minutes or so should do the trick. To do this, when you’re pushing down with the left foot, lift the right foot off and move your foot around and vice versa.

This is an easy way to keep your foot circulation going while still keeping yourself going on the stair machine.

These two methods should help you avoid the numbness in your feet completely and allow you to persue your fat loss goals.

Just as an aside, if losing fat fast is your main goal, I highly recommend interval training to be your main method of cardio. It’s more intense than straight-through cardio and will actually help solve your numbness issues by breaking up the steady pressure on your feet.

Can Cardiovascular Training Affect Weight Gain?

Aerobics Cardio No Responses »

Apr 292010

Question:

I wanted to know if you think it’s a good idea to do aerobics on my off days. I want to gain weight so I don’t know if I should do that. If I do aerobic training, will that help me build muscle or hurt when the muscles need rest?

Answer:

Doing some light aerobic work such as walking or cycling is not going to hinder your muscle gain goals. Doing too much aerobic work or going too hard during your aerobic work will, in fact, hinder your muscle gain.

There are a few reasons for this. In order to gain muscle, you need to eat more calories than your body burns. If you do a lot of cardio work, you are burning a lot of calories that your body could be using to build muscle.

The other reason is that hard cardiovascular training can increase breakdown of the muscle tissue you already have without providing a reason for your body to build bigger muscles, as in weight training. By forcing your body to recover from hard cardiovascular training, you essentially decrease the available resources your body has for building extra muscle.

I would recommend doing 2 days a week of light aerobic work for about 20 to 30 minutes per session. Use this is as more of a cardio maintenance training rather than really trying to improve your fitness otherwise you may limit your muscle growth.

If you want to focus on improving your cardio, then you should focus most of your training on that goal. It is always easier to train towards just one goal rather than two goals.

And if increased cardiovascular capacity is a major goal, I highly recommend interval training as a very effective option. Instead of doing long, slow cardio training, you basically break it up into shorter, more intense bursts of activity.

This will also have the advantage of being more compatible with muscle-growth training. If you’ve seen the physique of a sprinter compared the physique of a long-distance runner, you’ll know what I’m talking about…the sprinter is much more muscular.

So bottom line, if your main goal is weight gain, minimize cardio activity.

The Advantages Of A Great Cardio Exercise Routine

Aerobics Cardio No Responses »

Oct 282009

The benefits of cardio exercise programs extend not only to weight loss but to overall health improvement as such. The cardiovascular or cardio name of certain training forms results from the intense heart stimulation that occurs during the activity in question. This means that with a more intense heart beat, more blood gets pumped towards the muscles and causes fat burn or energy consume. The entire body gets stimulated in a cardio exercise program, and here besides the muscles and the skeletal we also include the respiratory, nervous and circulatory systems as well. Plus, the metabolism increases in the effort of producing more energy necessary for the intense operations.Click through here for more information on bike basket.

As long as it stimulates the systems in the parameters mentioned above, any intense physical activity can turn into a cardio exercise. Experts in fact stress out the importance of sticking to one activity you like for better results and personal satisfaction. We could count cycling, swimming, aerobics, rowing, stair climbing, skiing and running among the most popular cardio exercise patterns. The important part is not the sport or the activity you engage in as such, but the method of practicing it. Smooth and healthy training should thus never overlook some important stages of any physical exercise. Bicycle riding is a truly excellent cardio workout activity – not only is it fun but also its very good for you. You can obtain more information on wicker bike basket here.

Practice a cardio exercise for thirty or sixty minutes at least three times a week. However, start gradually, with a ten-minute warm up for the heart rate to increase slowly towards the peak expected in full cardio workout. Then, some rest intervals should be left between the workouts, because this prevents over-training keeping you safe not to mention that you allow the muscles to relax and increase in mass even when you’re not working them.

Some of the sports that fall into the cardio exercise category are not at all easy to practice. They require time, determination and an ever better physical condition. Running for instance is definitely a challenge when you choose an up-hill route or when you start sprinting. The pressure put on the joints and muscles is incredible, but in thirty minutes of running you’ll be able to burn some 300 calories which equals a pound and a half in weight. This is definitely a dream come true for people eager to get slim, but the path to fitness is definitely not simple or easy.You can gain tons of valuable information about pet bike basket here.