Workout Intensity: How Hard Should I Be Working Out?

A good effective way to avoid hitting a plateau during your fitness goals is to make sure you're always working out in your target heart rate for your age. When your body speed increases, naturally so will your heart rate to match the intensity that you're asking your body to reach. To high too fast if you're an individual that hasn't worked out consistently, isn't the smartest thing you should do to your body. You should start off with a lower exercise heart rate, until you can consistently stay in your range for 30 minutes consistently. You will find your target heart rate by following this simple formula: 226-your age if you're a woman, and 220-your age if you're a man. The number you receive will be represented as your maximum heart rate. A person won't need to reach their maximum heart rate intensity in order to achieve the results that they want, but the higher the beats per minute you can achieve, the more calories you'll burn off. If you divide heart rate target zones by percentage of the person's maximum heart rate, it breaks out into five zones. Each zone has different benefits, and in my opinion all the zones will help an individual become healthier!

The first fitness zone is called the Healthy Heart Zone. In this fitness zone, a person will still be able to carry on a conversation with the person next to them on a nearby treadmill or elliptical machine. This zone is very comfortable no matter the age of the person exercising. You will more than likely be walking if you find yourself in this zone, and if you're a senior citizen age person, I'd advise you start in this zone until you can achieve your target heart rate zone for at least 30 minutes consecutively. Your workout in this zone won't give you the most cardiovascular benefits, but it will help decrease body fat, blood pressure, and cholesterol. The Healthy Heart Zone is 50-60% of your maximum beats per minute.

The 2nd fitness zone is called the Fitness Zone. In this fitness zone, you will burn more calories per minute than in the healthy heart zone because the exercise level is a little more intense. Since you will be going faster and covering more distance, you'll burn off more calories. The calories burned off will depend on the distance you cover and your weight more than any other factors. A person will get the same benefits as the Healthy Heart Zone, but obviously with the higher intensity, you'll burn off more calories. This zone is 60-70% of your maximum heart rate.

The 3rd fitness zone is called the Aerobic fitness zone. This is the zone where people will experience benefits like endurance, stamina, building new blood vessels, and increasing your heart and lung capacity. With the increase in your workout intensity, you will burn more calories in the same amount of time, because you're covering more distance in the same time. Calories burned depend most on distance and your weight. You will not be able to achieve this intensity by walking, you may have to switch to jogging to get into this heart rate zone. This fitness zone is 70-80% of a person's maximum heart rate.

The 4th fitness zone is called the Anaerobic training zone. This intense exercise will improve the amount of oxygen you can consume, which is also referred to as your VO2 maximum/volume. This heart rate level is when your body begins to produce lactic acid. You burn more calories with the lower heart rate training zones, because you're covering more distance per minute. You will not be able to achieve this heart rate by walking, you'll need to switch to jogging or running. This zone is 80-90% of your maximum heart rate, and very well could be the last zone you'll need to reach fantastic fitness results.

The 5th and last training zone is called the maximum threshold or red-line training zone. In this zone, You can't go anymore intense, and most people can't stay in this zone for more than a few minutes. This zone should only be used for short bursts, where you work intensely for a minute and then drop back down to a lower intensity for several minutes, and then repeat again. You should consult with your doctor to make sure you can work out at such a high heart rate safely. I've heard of long distance runners, or Olympic sprinters training in this zone, but not average people. You'll burn lots of calories per minute in this zone, but it's just not as practical or safe for most average individuals who want to achieve fitness results.

If you're an individual who hasn't been working out in months, and know that you're not where you need to be concerning cardiovascular fitness, it's never wrong to start out at a very conservative heart rate. If you can easily stay in a zone for 30-45 minutes consecutively, then it might be the time to search for a higher training zone.

Now that you know your target heart rate, check your pulse regularly as you exercise. An easy way to do this is to count your pulse for 6 seconds using your watch or a clock, and then multiply this number by 10 to get your beats per minute. You can feel your pulse in several ways, such as by placing your fingers firmly over the inside of your wrist or on your neck just below the angle of your jaw. You can also place your palm over your heart and count the number of beats that you feel. Most workout facilities have treadmills, and elliptical machines that have heart rate monitors built-in with the machinery. If it's in your budget, you can never go wrong with buying a heart rate monitor that you can wear at all times during exercise.

In conclusion, nobody ever wants to experience a fitness plateau. To avoid plateaus, simply change up your workout routine, by either increasing your intensity, or adding weight resistance to your cardio workouts. Always make sure that you have someway to monitor your target heart rate zone, because your heart rate controls ultimately how many and what type of calories your body is burning off.

My name is Pierce Calloway, and I'm currently a personal trainer at the YMCA in Albany, OR. My online store can be found out at http://www.thebosuball.com/, where I sell fitness products that anyone can use! My goal in life and fitness is to share the love of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. God has created our bodies to do amazing things, and to reach people for him in many different ways in life. We need to instill the discipline and overall effort to make sure we're committing ourselves to the daily routines that will make us the most successful! Whether it's ministry or fitness, there are daily requirements of our bodies. When you decide to workout, please make sure it's at the correct intensity to make a difference. I tell people all the time that "something is better than nothing", but maybe I need to stop saying that to people. You really are selling yourself short when you are somehow receiving huge amounts of energy after your personal workouts. If we're burning calories and energy during a workout, then why should that equal bursts of energy for several hours??? Our bodies are telling ourselves, that we had a lot more to give! Please make sure you're working out at your prescribed heart rate for at least 30 mins. per workout, and if you need assistance with finding your target heart rate, please consult a trainer or doctor for help.

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Swimming To Lose Weight - A Few Facts You Should Know

If you're wondering whether swimming is the right cardio workout for you to do in order to lose weight, this article is perfect for you. There are a few studies regarding the effectiveness of swimming for weight loss and how it compares to other cardiovascular workouts for the purposes of weight loss.

Let me start by saying that swimming is a wonderful sport. It works your entire body and combines cardiovascular stimulation with a strength one. There's no doubt that you can build a great looking body by swimming regularly. You only need to look at the stunning body of competitive swimmers to see how effective this workout can be.

If you like swimming then I highly recommend that you do it. I always favor doing workouts that you enjoy. It's more likely that you'll do more powerful and consistent workouts that way.

However, if you're not particularly partial to swimming and you just want to know which cardio workout is most effective for weight loss, you should know that there are a number of studies which show that swimming may not be the best choice for losing weight.

The reasons why swimming may be less effective for weight loss than walking or running is unclear. There are some theories but none has been proven. One likely reason may have little to do with the workout itself and a lot to do with what goes on afterward.

It seem that people who swim tend to eat more after their workout is completed than those who perform other sorts of cardiovascular workouts. This is something which is called post workout compensation and it refers to the fact that you can undo much of the effects of a workout by consuming too many calories afterward. Basically, if a particular workout tends to make you hungrier than others and if you burn a similar number of calories in each, then this is not the best workout for weight loss.

This tendency to overcompensate seems to be connected to the temperature of the water in which you swim. Swimming in cold water tends to make people hungrier than swimming in warm water does.

Does this mean that you shouldn't swim at all if you want to lose weight?

Not at all. As I said, is swimming is your thing then do it. You can lose weight with it. However, you may see faster results with other forms of cardio workouts.

To learn more about this issue visit Swimming For Weight Loss Research.

To learn more about how to not "undo" your workouts visit Post Workout Compensation Tips.

Jonathan Dunsky writes about health and fitness issues.

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Should I Do Cardio Everyday?

One of the main questions which you may have regarding cardio workouts is how often you should be doing them. What is the best frequency? Is it alright to do cardio every day?

This is not such an easy question to answer. There is no definite answer. It depends on your goals and the way you do your cardio workouts.

Let's take walking, for example. A lot of people make it a habit to take an evening walk of 30 minutes or so. This is an excellent habit with many potential health benefits. There is nothing wrong with being active on a daily basis. In fact, it's one of the weight loss tips I recommend the most.

You should note that the reason why you're able to perform such an activity day after day is that walking is usually a low intensity, low impact sport. It can help you burn extra calories and lose weight faster but it doesn't place a lot of stress on your muscles, joints or tendons.

It's a different matter when you do more intense workouts. For instance, let's say that you like running for 8 miles or more. Doing so every day is possible and there are people who do so, athletes definitely do, but it may be too much for you. Unless you have a particular cardio goal that you want to achieve, you may be placing too much strain on your body if you perform such a rigorous workout every day, and it's not really necessary either to lose weight or maintain proper health.

Another example may be if you do high intensity interval training workouts. Some may say that if you're able to perform such a workout every day it means that you're not pushing yourself as hard as you can during each of those workouts. Otherwise, you would have required a longer resting period.

So, in the case of more intense workouts, you may do better if your workout frequency was lower.

However, this doesn't mean that if you do engage in intense workouts that you can't do any cardio every day. You may still be able to do an intense workout on Sunday and take a leisurely walk on Monday. This is something you should consult your doctor about. You should also see how your routine makes you feel. If you find that it's too much for you, do less intense workouts or reduce the frequency of them.

To learn more about cardio visit Cardio Workouts To Burn Fat. For the best time to do cardio visit Do Cardio In The Morning.
John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life.

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What Are The Different Types Of High Intensity Exercise And Should I Be Doing It?

There are so many benefits to high intensity exercise, but is it the right type of training for you? In this report I am going to give a brief outline behind high intensity exercise as well as the benefits and I will also give a few examples of some programs you can follow.

When I talk about high intensity exercise I am talking about exercise where your heart rate is at, or above 80%. To work out your maximum heart rate (MHR) you minus your age from 220. Then multiply that number by.80 and you get your 80% figure.

For example 220-21= 199
199 X.80 = 159

Therefore a MHR for a 21 year old is 199 beats per minute (bpm). The 80% figure (which is what we need to be higher than for high intensity exercise) is 159 beats per minute.

Here is a list of benefits associated with high intensity exercise;
o Increase in maximum heart rate (resulting in a lower resting heart rate)
o Increase fitness
o Increase in metabolism (after exercise)
o Increase fat burn (while maintaining muscle mass)
o Increase cardio output (lung capacity)
o Delay the onset of Lactic Acid
o Increase in bone density (especially when doing plyometrics)
o Increase in muscle tone
o Increase co-ordination, re action time and awareness.

There are many different programs you can do for high intensity exercise. You can do:
- Circuits
- Interval training
- Sprints (down hill or up hill)
One great aspect of high intensity exercise is because it is so intense you don't need to do any more than 30 minutes of exercise due to the fact that you are pushing your body so hard for a short period of time.

Circuits
If you are going to do high intensity circuits you can use body weight exercises as well as dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, sandbags etc. Just remember that you cannot keep up 100% intensity for one whole hour so you must work out a work to rest ratio. For example do a 5-minute circuit then have a 3-minute break and repeat 5 times. This way you are fully recovered in between circuits and can really push yourself.

For some really good circuits try combining body-weight exercise, compound weight movements and a cardiovascular machine (rowers are great.)

Just remember when choosing weights exercises try to choose compound movements and limit the amount of isolation exercises. This is because full body exercises are going to tire you a lot more than isolation exercises.

Interval training
Interval training is one of my most favorite ways to get fit on any piece of cardio machine. Just choose the interval program, and get going. Interval training can be done anywhere and usually follows the following format.

- One minute of intense effort followed by a one to two minute recovery (depending on where you are in your training cycle). Do this fifteen times and you will definitely be getting tired.

The great thing with interval training on a cardio machine it is really easy to monitor your heart rate and calories burned as well as distance traveled. A great way to keep up intensity is to stay above a certain row per minute (RPM) for the full minute.

Sprints
Sprints are just another way to do interval training. The great thing about running is that you don't have to go to the gym to do it. The local park has everything you need for high intensity sprinting session.

You may like to challenge yourself (and build the leg muscles) by completing sprints uphill, or try pulling a sled or tire along for added resistance. Piggy backing a partner is another great way for you to do sprints up a hill.

Here is an example of a hill sprint workout.

- ten hill sprints with walk back recovery.
- Five piggyback or sled pulls with walk back recovery

This sort of program will really have your heart rate increased and lactic acid all through the legs. If you are going to be doing a lot of hill sprints it may be wise to read up on recovery.

If you are not keen on hill sprints then you can just do flat sprints. A good program would be:

80m, 90m 100m, 120m, 100m, 90m, 80m, Followed by 5 repetitions of 40m sprints.

Who is this training catered for?

This training is awesome for athletes and experienced trainers. High intensity, short duration exercise is great because you can really push your body to the limit for a short amount of time, which gives you such fantastic results.

High intensity exercise is not good for the elderly, inexperienced trainers or trainers who are just getting into training, for the simple fact that their body is not conditioned to hard exercise and they may injure themselves.

It is important that you are an experienced trainer (or have an experienced person eg a Personal trainer) nearby to help out if need be.

What sports is this type of training good for?

High intensity exercise is great for sports where you have an intense couple of minutes and then the intensity dies down again, for example sports such as rugby, soccer, hockey as well as boxing, wrestling, judo and karate. Due to the short duration of this type of exercise it is not suited for endurance sports like marathon, triathlon, swimming, running etc. In saying that though endurance athletes still perform interval training but it is different to the short duration sports.

Author: Matt D'Aquino
http://www.workoutsforjudo.com/

Matt is the founder of Beyond Grappling fitness and conditioning. He is a 2008 Beijing Judo Olympian as well as nationally ranked freestyle wrestler and National Champion in Brazilian Jujitsu. Matt has a passion for teaching all aspects of grappling especially the fitness and conditioning aspect. Recently he has been traveling the world aiming to qualify for his second Olympic Games.

To learn more about Matt and his fitness and conditioning training visit http://www.workoutsforjudo.com/

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Health Benefits of Aerobics - Key Facts You Should Definitely Know

Aerobic exercises are workouts done with the utilization of oxygen to improve the conditions of the heart, lungs and blood vessels. It usually involves the large muscles of the legs, back and chest and is done at moderate intensity for a longer period of time so that carbohydrate is turned into energy. When the carbohydrate stores in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles have become depleted, the body will metabolize fat to fuel the activity. Since this is a slow process, the individual exercising will feel fatigue and energy loss unless the person gets a little rest or guzzles up energy drinks to maintain the energy levels.

Because this kind of workout improves the oxygen-carrying capacity of your heart and lungs, it is highly beneficial for health. However, for aerobic exercises to achieve their desired effects, they must be performed for at least twenty minutes a day for a minimum of three times a week. Examples of workouts that develop your cardiovascular system are swimming, bicycling, running, dancing, jogging, power walking and climbing the stairs.

One of the best health benefits that can be derived from adhering to an aerobic regimen is reducing your risk of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease. As air is taken in and expended out of the lungs, the muscles involved in respiration are strengthened and developed. Together with this, the heart muscle is also enlarged and fortified, improving its efficiency in pumping blood in and out of the system. When the heart and lungs are enhanced and circulation is improved, blood pressure gets reduced and more red blood cells in the body facilitate the transport of oxygen throughout the tissues.

Aerobic programs like the P90X workout do not only have beneficial effects to the lungs and heart. All the muscles in the body are made stronger as well with a regular aerobic regimen. High-impact aerobic activities like jogging also stimulate bone growth, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. With regular activity and a healthy diet, the risk of developing diabetes is also greatly lowered.

For athletes in training and even those who seek to amplify their workout sessions, aerobic exercises also augment the storage capacity of energy molecules, increasing stamina and endurance. Those seeking to lose weight will also find aerobic training beneficial since it improves the ability of muscles to utilize fats during exercise which results in the shedding of excess pounds. Because a greater portion of energy for vigorous intensities are generated aerobically, metabolism is also increased which also aids your weight loss efforts. When done regularly, aerobic workouts also enable the muscles to recover faster, allowing the body to do more exercises for more health benefits. Finally, aerobic exercises also encourage the body to release "feel good" hormones that reduce stress, lower incidence of depression and improve a person's overall mental health.

So if you want improved heart and lung function, hastened weight loss, increased stamina and endurance, reduced stress and overall better health, then make aerobic workouts a part of your daily fitness routine. Strive for moderate-intensity exercises on most days of the week to get the best results.

Last but not least, don't forget to read this review of the P90X workout and also this writeup of the Shakeology meal replacement shake.

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What Type of Footwear Should I Put on For A Mini Trampoline?

The advantage of a mini trampoline is it can be utilized both outside and inside. This begs the particular question then: what type of footwear will be best suited? Will particular footwear wear down the trampoline pad? Would it be safe to jump with your bare feet? How about socks?

We're here to reply to these kinds of questions once and for all so that you could increase your comfort as well as being safe.

Let's begin by covering the shoes we recommend you DO use for your small trampoline. Certainly, you should first check with any paperwork that came with your rebounder regarding certain guidelines from the maker.

A set of tennis, running, or cross training shoes are ideal for working out on a small trampoline. They have enough traction on the soles to make sure you do not slide, yet they're still gentle enough to not cause damage to the trampoline top layer over time. Additionally, these types of shoes provide great support for individuals that have poor arches or perhaps if you find your feet hurt after a round on the small trampoline. These types of shoes were created for bouncing, which will let you stay firm while jumping your way to your fitness goals.

Much better compared to tennis shoes are no shoes. Your own bare feet come with a natural non-slip sole. Additionally, you will be able to experience the subtle adjustments in the surface of the mini trampoline which will let you get used to changes in your jumping sequence. Also, bouncing on your naked feet can help improve your foot muscles that would otherwise not be used while using shoes. It truly is dependant on comfort and choice whether you choose to don tennis shoes or leave your feet bare.

An ideal compromise in between bare feet and footwear come in the form of Vibram FiveFinger shoes. They might look strange, but they definitely do provide you with the non-slip grip of a shoe with all the overall flexibility and subtle motions that are included with barefoot rebounding!

Regarding safety sake, our recommendation is that you don't use the following when using a little trampoline. You'll also extend the life span of your trampoline by following these suggestions.

Though it may be inviting to jump with your socks, especially when doing exercises at home, it's a bad idea. Your socks give the bottom of your feet with no proper grip in any way. The top of the trampoline is sleek also. Add to that the proven fact that you'll be jumping and twisting on the trampoline and it's a recipe for disaster.

If we have not previously mentioned it in this posting, then it's probably not smart to wear on a mini trampoline. We're discussing stuff like flip-flops, sandals, cleats, boots, dress shoes, high heel pumps, slip-ons, the list can go much more. Use common sense and stick to bare feet or athletic shoes having soft soles while rebounding. It is going to make sure that you as well as your trampoline last for years in the future.

For more information on how to get the most out of your mini trampoline, including workout videos, reviews, and information, visit Mini Trampoline Headquarters online.

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