Blast the Fat With a New Cardio Routine

When It Comes to Fat-Loss Workouts, the Game Has Changed.

If you’re looking to lose weight through a cardio routine, the rules have changed. Before it was all about consistency – doing the same mind-numbing routine day in and day out on the same piece of equipment with the same intensity. Unfortunately, your body was also consistent – consistent in never changing. The new rules for cardio keep your body guessing. You’ll be rapidly varying intensity, using alternate places of motion and take on new approaches to warming up and cooling down. And the biggest benefit, you’ll also be able to rapidly lose the extra weight you’ve been wanting to shed.

Rule 1. Keep It Short.

We used to think training longer was better when it came to helping you lose weight. Luckily, new research debunks that theory. In a 2007 study, when subjects performed one hour of cardio a day, six days a week for one year their average weight loss was only a measly 3.5 pounds. Additionally, a more recent study by the International Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that subjects who ran an entire marathon (26.2 miles) per day only lost 6.1% of their body weight and 80% of that came from muscle, not fat. Two reasons to keep it short – it’s not as effective for weight loss, plus you end up burning more muscle which makes getting leaner even harder as it slows down the metabolism.

Rule 2. Hit It Hard.

Now don’t think because you shorten your cardio sessions it will be some leisurely stroll in the park. Get ready to sweat. If you can read a book or easily watch TV, you’re not working hard enough. Since your body adapts to a moderate pace quickly, you have to keep your body guessing. What you need then is interval training. For 1-2 minutes you’ll hit it hard at a pace that you can only maintain for that time duration. Then you recover at an easier pace for 1-2 minutes before ramping back up the intensity. To get maximum weight loss results, cycle through these intervals 10-15 times.

Rule 3. Switch It Up.

Don’t be a slave to your favorite machine. To get the best weight loss results, you’ve got to switch up your routine. Use the stair stepper, treadmill, elliptical and any other cardio machines your gym offers. Don’t belong to a gym? Don’t worry, you have options. Living in Orlando certainly has it’s perks. We have year-round wonderful weather that is perfect for bike riding, hiking, running and a multitude of other fantastic outdoor cardio activities. Just make sure you get off your butt. You’ll burn more calories, engage your core and get a more effective workout.

Some other tips to keep in mind to vamp up your fat-burning cardio efforts. Utilize multiple planes of motion. Don’t just mindless stare ahead at the TV monitor while you jog on the treadmill. Work all 3 planes of motion – frontal plane, sagittal plane, and transverse plane. Do this by utilizing forward and backward movements, side to side movements, and movements that encompass rotational elements such as lunges with a twist. When warming up, focus on exercises that increase your range of motion at each joint. You want your body moving in more than one plane. Get that blood flowing to the body parts you’ll be training.

Stop slaving away for hours upon hours trying to get rid of your unwanted fat with a boring cardio routine. Spice up your cardio routine with short interval workouts to get the most effective workout and to really help you lose your weight. Just think of what you can do with all that extra time you’ll be saving.

Summer is just around the corner for us here in Orlando, so start utilizing interval training now to get your body in amazing bathing suit shape. Coupled with a healthy diet program, you’ll be looking and feeling great in no time.