Rowing: Great Cross-Training Exercise

What do you do when you want to work out but need a break from your usual cardio? Indoor rowing is an excellent alternative. If you're into power training, rowing is for you. This article covers the basics of starting to row.

Truly, the only indoor rowing machine worth using is the Concept 2 Rowing Ergometer ("erg" for short). Yes, other rowing machines exist, but no one who rows takes them seriously. The Concept 2 is the gold standard. The current models are the D and the E (slightly higher off the floor). The longest-standing model is the C, which was the one-and-only for many, many years. (I have one, love it, and wouldn't trade it for a D for anything!)

If you have access to an erg and are new to rowing, learn correct technique from the start. It's easier to learn it the right way than to unlearn the mistakes that people commonly make when trying to row on their own. If an instructor at your gym really knows rowing, that's ideal because you'll get good instruction and correction. Years of teaching rowing have shown me that correction is essential.

If you don't have either an erg or personal instruction, visit the Concept 2 website. A 5-minute video teaches rowing technique step by step and repeats the steps clearly and slowly.

There's also an "erg finder". Enter your location, the type of facility you want (e.g., health & fitness club), and the distance you're willing to travel. You'll get a list of clubs with addresses and the number of available ergs there. You might want to call to verify the info. (When I looked for ergs in my town, the club I taught at for years was listed as having only 1 erg; that was wrong. Farther down the list, though, the same club was listed again, accurately, with 17.)

Once you've learned to row, you can take advantage of the Workout of the Day. You can choose short (30 minutes), medium (40-45 minutes), or long (60+ minutes). It's available on the website daily - or can even be delivered to your inbox.

A few points to keep in mind:
• Rowing is not an upper-body activity. It's a full-body activity that centers on leg power. Sliding seats were added to rowing shells in the 1870s to optimize the superior power of the lower body. The best advice I've heard on this came from a rowing coach who rowed on the U.S. National team: "The arms are an afterthought."

• Rowing has a definite learning curve. In the beginning, it may feel frustrating not to have sufficient power in your stroke to reach a high heart rate. That will change with practice. Believe me, rowing heart rates can go very high, typically higher than in cycling.

• Because of the learning curve, novices often use a higher damper setting than necessary. The damper opens the drum to let in more air, increasing the resistance. Skilled rowers, however, use a moderate setting and create effort by accelerating quickly at the start of the stroke (the catch).

• The most common mistake is bending the knees too soon after you finish the stroke. (This will make sense once you've watched the video or gotten some instruction.) It's almost instinctive and can be difficult to correct. One effective correction is to stop rowing and hold for 2 seconds after you've extended the arms before letting your knees bend. Repeat with each stroke for a few minutes.

• Rowing should NOT be done with a straight back. Curving the shoulders slightly forward will engage your core and protect your back. A straight back is more likely to be injured.

Holding an even and consistent pace can take time to learn. My coach always said that rowing builds character: With every stroke, the computer tells you you're a failure [i.e., your pace is off], but you have to keep going.

Working on pace feels like moving meditation. Skilled rowers doing sustained efforts even look relaxed and meditative.

So here's to a character-building, meditative, yet exciting alternative to cycling or other cardio. I think you'll like it. You might even find yourself adding it to your training on a regular basis.

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High Strength Period Training Verses Endurance Training

Which one is really better? Before we answer that concern, let's specify each kind of training. High Strength Period Training (HIIT) is any exercise that rotates in between periods of intense exercise and durations of less extreme activity or even rest.

On the other hand, stamina training is much more of a sustained effort expanded over a longer period of time. Both can provide an improvement in physical fitness.

High Strength Period Training

For example, a great HIIT workout could be running as fast as you can for 1 minute then strolling along for a further 2 minutes. Keep up this three-minute routine for 15 minutes. In 15 minutes, this regular workout burns more calories than running on a treadmill for an hour! And that's a fact.

And it gets better; a 2011 study carried out by the American College of Sports Medicine discovered that only 2 weeks of HITT improves your aerobic capacity by as much as 6 to 8 weeks of stamina training.

In addition to enhancing your aerobic capacity, HITT also:
• burns more calories during your exercise than with stamina training
• keeps burning more calories approximately 1 Day after training
• establishes a resting better heart rate
• does not need any devices
• maintains muscle and burns fat instead

Given that the principle of HIIT is maximum effort for a short period of time, followed by a recuperation period and that this cycle is then repeated over a set duration, you can do it anywhere.

The drawback of HIIT is that you should refrain from doing it over 2 to 3 times each week as most people need a day or two in-between to totally recuperate.

Endurance Training

When it pertains to burning calories, you can get the very same benefit from stamina training as you do from HIIT - it just takes even more time to burn the same number of calories. For instance, a stamina version of the run/walk HIIT routine above would be to perform at a continuous speed for an hour or more; long and steady verses brief and extreme.

Because with endurance training you are regularly in the aerobic zone so your cumulative energy expenditure is higher throughout long cardio sessions than it is during 10 to 20 minute interval high intensity training sessions. Consequently, if burning fat and reducing weight are your immediate main fitness objectives, then stamina training is better than high intensity interval training. However, HIIT will certainly help you keep the weight off better than endurance training.

Besides the fitness benefits over, due to an enhanced metabolism, stamina training likewise supply the following benefits:
• improves cardio wellness
• boosts joints
• boosts respiratory system efficiency
• boosts mental acuity
• enhances endurance

If time is a scare product in your lifestyle, stamina training might not be for you as it does require a big and frequent dedication of time, whereas HIIT requires a shorter and less frequent time dedication. Regardless, exercising under either venue is much better than remaining on the sofa consuming potato chips.

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The Importance Of Having The Best Personal Trainer

Most of us desire to stay fit and healthy. However the big question is whether or not, you can really attain it. Fitness isn't the easiest things because of the different obstacles that you will face. This is why a lot of us choose to have personal trainer as they can give you an insight into the right exercises that can help you get in the groove.

What Does a Personal Trainer Do?

If you are wondering as to what is the main job of a personal trainer, you need to know the following. Having a personal trainer will ensure that he/she will understand the details of how your body operates. With this knowledge and understanding, they will help you spot the best exercises that can truly work upon your body muscles and flex it in the right manner.

Sometimes, even after putting in hours and hours of exercising, you may fail to get the right results and this is when you will need a trainer who can look into the matters or you. If your way of carrying out the exercises is not up to the mark, it is not going to assist you and this is why you will need someone who is skilled and expert enough to handle the matters for you.

You can check out the fitness boot camp programs too. These boot camps are so programmed that your tensile strength of the body is going to improve a great deal too. When you are opting for a bootcamp, you should ideally check out the different ways by which you can improve your performance.

A bootcamp is going to cover a lot of different aspects and you should dig all these details thoroughly. When you have explored these points in advance, it will give you some of the key insight into the things you will learn and the ways by which you will be able to improve your performance.

With the right type of fitness bootcamp, you can bring about a change in your energy levels and train your body vigorously. When you are opting for such boot camps, you will be able to derive the right benefits.

You can always ask your personal trainer for the right kind of opinion regarding the best boot camps which you should participate in. You have to be sure that you are enrolling in such camps and you should take the lessons seriously. If you are unaware of the key aspects, put in the right kind of effort. With the finest insight in the best ways by which you can train your body, you will be able to improve the way you work.

When your body has been toned in the right manner, it is going to help you enjoy the best benefits of health. The perks of a healthy body are too many and with the best trainer to help you improve your fitness, you can have the perfect body and this is definitely going to improve the way you feel about yourself.


 

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Tips For Getting Started in the World of Cardio Exercise

 Aerobic exercise (sometimes called just "Cardio") is any exercise that condition your cardiovascular system (heart and lungs) for a better performance.

So, anything that makes your heart pump and your breath pant is aerobic exercise.

It means that if you go running right now and you start panting after few meters you need to train with aerobic exercise.

Aerobic exercise is VERY important. You can't actually think you can avoid it. You must make time for it as an important part of your life.

Let me give you an example to let you understand the importance of this kind of workout.

If your heart was the engine of a car, you know that if you never change the oil, or the filter, or you don't do the proper maintenance, that engine will break down and your car will be unusable.

Aerobic exercise is the maintenance your heart needs in order to keep the blood and your body clean for the best performance.

So, what aerobic exercises are out there? Well... many! Many ways in different forms and likes, what ever you feel comfortable with, it's your exercise. Just go for it.

I will name a few of the most popular in a moment but before you get in to hyper fitness Rambo mode you should consider how hard should you train at your age for your heart using your Target Heart Rate (THR).

Cycling

Cycling is an excellent form of aerobic exercise. If you like biking this is your treat.

You can use your bicycle or a bicycle machine you can find in your gym (or maybe you have if at home)

Cycling burn up to 900 calories per hour when done properly. Works on legs and cardiovascular system and is relatively safe because does not impose much stress on the joints of your body.

Of course if you have a bicycle to ride outdoor you will enjoy the freedom of space and the awesome view you may have around.

However if you live in the city you will not be able to enjoy much of fresh air in the middle of the traffic. If you count also the possibility of any accident you should consider very clearly if is more convenient for you to train indoor or outdoors (not considering the weather of course).

An important point I would like to make sure you understand is the adjustability of the seat. The bicycle or the machine you are going to use for your training should have adjustable seat to allow your leg to be slightly bent when extended.

The position of your body when working out is not much important as you will change it anyway during your training, but the most important point is that you reach your THR.

Running

Like Cycling, Running can be performed outside in the fresh air or indoor on a treadmill. Even if I would always prefer training outdoor sometimes the treadmill can offer some pretty good reasons to workout indoor.

Running is very popular and is difficult to see a gym without a proper set of treadmills for its customers.

On a treadmill you can set a constant speed and an inclination to have a steady intensity of your workout and it's easy to monitor different information about your body and your performance on the display (Heart rate, speed, averages, distance... ) and record your progresses.

Beside the fact that you are running on an even surface you can also benefit of a clean air and no weather problems, avoiding any excuse to workout.

Compared to other forms of exercise, running have a certain amount of orthopedic stress and the trauma to your joint can range between 1.5 to 3 times your body weight each foot step.

I highly suggest running as your aerobic workout only if your knees and joints are in good health.

Stair Climbing Machine

In the last ten years became the most popular in most gym.

The stair climbing machines have 3 main characteristics: Safe, Time efficient, Functional

These machines come in 2 forms:

    Independent stepping action: Each step operates independently from the other step
    Dependent stepping action: They are non-functional by design and they can cause orthopedic trauma to your knees, hips and low back.

Of course you should go only with the first one. Independent stepping action machines are the most used in therapeutic medical facilities.

It doesn't really matter where you put your hands while working out on these machines, but I suggest you to try to keep them down straight like in a walking motion. In this way you will also train your core (abs and back) improving your balance at each step.

Rowing

Rowing is my favorite aerobic exercise (just because I like it) and it burns calories like any other exercise.

It's another excellent choice for develop aerobic fitness and it does a fantastic workout.

It conditions heart and lungs without any orthopedic trauma like jogging or stair climbing machine and it's a good workout for the muscular system too.

When properly performed this exercise involves most of the major muscular groups of your body. Around 70% legs and 30% arms are engaged at every row strike.

If you are looking to develop your upper body this workout will place a considerable demand on your back muscles (lats, posterior deltoids, rhomboids) and simultaneously improve your aerobic fitness.

However I have to say that you should take your time to learn the correct position and technique to properly perform this exercise. Make sure you check with a fitness professional about the correct movement and different kinds of machines available.

Cross Training

Cross training is not one exercise or "one machine'.

Cross training is the mix of different exercises during your workout session.

It's good to mix up exercises in order to train different muscles to perform different movement.

While your heart and lungs will be well trained if you switch between one exercise to another (let's say from cycling to running for example) your muscles may not be able to perform their best on running because they were trained for cycling.

Alternating exercises will develop all muscles involved in any activity and help to avoid injury during training while giving a more complete workout.

Considering that the aerobic workout should be performed minimum 20 minutes per session 3 times a week, you can easily come up with your own program as follow:

Monday: 10 minutes running + 10 minutes stair climbing

Wednesday: 10 minutes rowing + 10 minutes cycling

Friday: 10 minutes stair climbing + 10 minutes rowing

I would recommend of course to start with what you like the most. Follow the guidelines on how hard should you train at your age for your heart using your Target Heart Rate (THR) for the best results.

Remember that it's only up to you to make your change. Now you have few more suggestions on how to get started.


 

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Secret Cardio for Ultra Fast Fat Loss

OK so we all know about cardio and the different types that are out there, such as high intensity interval training (HIIT), Slow state cardio, medium state cardio and so on. However which is best and how much should we do to optimise fat loss?

Well that's where my secret cardio type comes into play. That's right after trying multiple different types of cardio I have found this one is the best for optimising fat loss.

So what is it you ask?

Well I call it Samurai cardio.

Why?

Because Samurai are bad ass, enough said!

Al right enough playing around, let's get down to business. What is Samurai cardio? And why is it so good for fat loss?

Samurai cardio is a mixture of both HIIT and slow state cardio, and here is how you do it.

First you start with a 5 min warm up, this can be done on any type of cardio equipment or outside it's up to you (this will help prevent injury in the high intensity part).

Next you will perform 15 mins of HIIT where you will go all out as hard as you can for 20 seconds followed by a slow jog for 40 seconds and repeat it 15 times. (Again you can do this on and any cardio equipment you like. I find outdoor sprints on a field or cycle sprint to be the best.)

Now comes the important part. After you have completed the HIIT give yourself a few mins to recover and stretch out your muscle. Then go into 15 mins of slow state cardio (again any form you like)

Now rest you done!!!

AND that's it folks, that's SAMURAI cardio!

So why is this so effective? Well I'll give you a little bit of the science behind this method.

OK well HIIT is a form of anaerobic cardio, meaning it's without oxygen and will tend to use more carbohydrates as a full source rather than fat. Now you might be thinking how is that a good thing for fat loss? Well the other effect of doing HIIT is it will release Free Fatty acids (FAT) into your blood stream and this becomes very important and is where the use of slow state cardio comes in. Usually it would take a lot longer for slow state cardio to access your fat stores to start burning fat, but by doing HIIT first the free fatty acids are already in the blood stream ready to be burnt off for energy and so you will burn a lot more fat overall. Also HIIT creates a much larger after burn effect meaning you will continue burning more calories for up to 48 hours after the Samurai cardio. This after burn effect is not present in low intensity cardio.

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