I think all of us know that to attain toned body, weight training must be involved. But due to lack of knowledge and bombardment of advertising, most people think that weight training equal to expensive gym membership, fitness machines, supplements, and trainer; in addition, they also think of it as countless hours of nonstop workout.

Well, not only all of that will blow your motivation away, it will also emptying your wallet and less likely to give you any significant result other than total exhaustion. If you’ve tried some of them, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that they’re not the answer which you’re looking for.

It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, the real way to attain toned and muscular body are healthy eating, interval training, and strength training. You can do all of those at your home and it will only takes three days per week.

You see, I know that the strength training may scare some of the women out there. They’re afraid of become bulky and develop more muscle than they want to. The fact is women don’t posses enough testosterone to get bulky, especially just from simple weight training without any supplements. Basically, it is just a myth and no one should worry about that.

Another mistake that I often found here is people like to train specific area on their body to gain fast result, namely abs, chest, or arm. You won’t get any result that way; read on how to do it right at get rid of arm fat.

Check out this exercise menu for one day. The rule is to do it three times in a week and add interval training afterwards.

Warm Up

  1. 12 reps of Prisoner Squat
  2. 8 reps of Close-grip Pushup
  3. 12 reps of Stability Ball Leg Curl
  4. Rest 30 seconds
  5. Do step 1-4 twice

Strength Training

Warm-up Superset:

  1. 8 reps of Dumbbell Split Squat using 75% of your usuall weight
  2. 8 reps of Dumbbell Incline Press using 75% of your usuall weight
  3. Rest 1 minute

1st Superset:

  1. 8 reps per side of Dumbbell Split Squat
  2. 8 reps of Dumbbell Incline Press
  3. Rest 1 minute
  4. Repeat step 1-3 two more times

2nd Superset:

  1. 15 reps of Stability Ball Leg Curl
  2. 15 reps of Pushups
  3. Rest 1 minute
  4. Repeat step 1-3 two more times

3rd Superset:

  1. 10 reps of Stability Ball Jackknife
  2. 10 reps of Dumbbell Rear-Deltoid Raise
  3. Rest 1 minute
  4. Repeat step 1-3 two more times

Interval Training

This type of training will have better result than standard low intensity cardio where your body will keep up/adjust itself and you’ll have to keep adding the duration. Interval training is something that cannot be ‘read’ by your body; thus it can’t adjust itself to your exercise and this will lead to faster fat burning. Here’s how to do it:

  • Pick an exercise and warm up for 5 minutes, progressing from light to more intense exercise. Example: if you choose running, jog lightly to sprint.
  • Exercise at hard pace for one minute (at a subjective 7/10 level of effort).
  • Exercise at slow pace for two minutes (at a subjective 3/10 level of effort); this is called ‘active rest’.
  • Keep exchanging one minute hard pace and two minutes slow pace four times.
  • End the session with slow pace exercise for five minutes.

The Rules

  • Do the strength training three days per week.
  • Do the interval three days per week. You can do it after the strength training or pick another day. Just make sure you have a day of full rest.
  • Learn and apply healthy eating behavior is a must; use a proper nutrition guidelines so you know what you’re doing.
  • If you are over 30, have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, or other limitation, consult your doctor before starting any exercise or nutrition program.

The exercise menu above is a part of Turbulence Training, a program that designed for both male and female who aim to gain their top body shape with the right exercise and nutrition intake. I really recommend that you find out more about this program and how it can help you attain a toned body at a review of Turbulence Training.

Note that this program may not suitable for middle aged people; if you are at that age and interested in attain toned and muscular body, check how to make it possible at Fit Over 40 review.

 

People always seek the fastest way to burn fat and they are willing to try various methods to achieve it. Undoubtedly, you can easily attain fast weight loss with fasting-detox program, but it just shed water from your body instead of burn fat. If getting rid of the excess fat is your aim, don’t rely on any promise of “instant result” or “quick fix” because most of them will merely make you lose weight and regain it again. Throw away the “instant solution” mindset and start put your effort on something that have proven to generate real result: well designed diet and exercise.

Diet aside, people always complaining about how they don’t have time for exercising. Well, we’re living in a busy world, especially if you’ve married, with kids and job to take care of; so here are a couple of things that you can do to cut your exercise time without reducing its effectiveness:

1. Cardio exercise is the fastest way to burn fat, but you won’t gain anything significant if you stick to slow pace cardio such as steady slow jog or walk. Instead, focus on interval training where you keep switching between high intensity and low intensity training.

Example: if you are jogging, try alternating between short time sprint and steady pace jog. Staircase workout is also a good way to do interval training; run upstairs for high intensity and downstairs for low intensity training.

You’ll notice that you can’t do this for long period because it’s very tiring, but you gain a lot more benefits than longer slow cardio session.

2. Keep training specific part of your body is a bad idea and that kind of exercise won’t burn fat quickly. This means instead of keep training your abs, you should train your whole body. Usually, people make this mistake because they are in a hurry to get rid of their belly fat; check a few examples at top workout to get rid of stomach fat. The right thing to do here is picking various exercises that train different part of your body such as squats, push ups, raise legs, rows, etc.

3. Avoid wasting your entire warm up time on a treadmill. Instead, use bodyweight exercises circuit with fewer repetitions. Some good examples are push ups, squats, and planks.

4. Select two exercises that focus on different muscle groups like push ups and inverted row, then do eight repetitions for each of them with no rest. After that, rest for 30 seconds and repeat the whole “superset” two more times. By selecting two different exercises, one muscle group can rest while the other is working. Check a great superset example at toned body – how to get it.

The fastest way to burn fat is not by using some fancy gadgets or pills; instead, have meal plans that consist of nutrient-dense foods and do time-effective fat burning exercises on regular basis. By implementing 4 methods that stated above, you can cut your exercise time significantly and have more free time to live your life. Read the details about a program that utilizing these methods to create time-efficient exercise program at another look at Turbulence Training.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Treadmills are ubiquitous with the idea of working out and getting into shape, and it’s not because of coincidence. They are very popular for many good reasons, the most important of which is that you’ll get a great workout to meet your individual needs, and you can burn a lot of calories. You can enjoy slow, long walks or intense interval training, or anything else in between. Plus, they are very convenient to use and it’s great to have one around the home to take care of all of your fitness needs quickly and easily. For all of these reasons and more treadmills are extremely popular for home workouts.

There are many different ways to judge a treadmill. Some basic places to start include the types of preset programs there are and whether you will be able to create your own programs for repeated use. Some machines can monitor the user’s heart rate and adjust speed and incline to keep heart rate within a specified range. Take a look below at some of the key features and specifications to keep in mind and you’ll be able to pick out a fantastic treadmill for your own needs.

Durability is important of course because you want your investment to last a long time and be worth the price you paid. It’s tested by manufacturers by using a robotic machine to run 500 miles on the treadmill, and then inspecting for damage, wear and tear and more. More durable machines will of course cost a bit more, but also represent higher quality and more longevity.

Ergonomics (how the treadmill fits the user) and the machine’s ease of use are also important. You want a treadmill that’s comfortable and seems natural as you progress through your workout so you don’t unnecessarily strain or injure your body.

The Thickness of the Deck, the platform on which you’ll run or walk, is also important. A deck that’s at least three-quarters of an inch thick will stand up best to the impact of running. If you’re short of space, look for a deck that folds up. Make sure you can lift the deck easily and that the latch holds it securely in place.

Other deck features to pay attention to include wide foot rails and a large deck size. Wide foot rails will enable you to stand on the sides of the deck comfortably while getting started or adjusting your program. You want a deck that’s at least 4 feet or 48 inches in length, while many are longer as well. Width should be at least 17 inches for comfort and usability.

Also pay attention to the handrails. They should be close enough to reach but they should not get in the way of your swinging arms. Motor location can be important because you don’t want the motor to get in your way either.

All of the controls should be easy to find, and easy to use, even while you’re in the middle of jogging or running. You also want to be able to take advantage of lots of preset programs, and having the ability to store your own presets is a plus as well. You also want convenient displays so you can keep track of your progress and your vitals.

Minimum incline should be near zero. Models that don’t level off below 2 percent can make the workout more strenuous than you want. The machine should be stable and should not wobble or move as you run or jog. Finally, some other extras to consider include features such as cup holders or trays to hold things, a towel holder and more.

If you consider all of these different factors, you’ll find a perfect treadmill to improve your fitness for years to come. One of the top models to consider today is the Nautilus T514 treadmill, a Nautilus treadmill that is built to last and will meet all of your requirements and needs.


Related Blogs

Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes
© 2012 Buffing Up Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha