|
Problem # 2
Ok, this should help with the problem of the muscles being too small or too
smooth to show through. Now this leaves the problem of that pesky fat. Now I
don't know about you, but I hate cardio with a passion, but, until that magic
pill comes out, we're stuck doing it. You just can't avoid it. What we can do is
reduce it. Do as little as possible. This is one of the first steps.
Do your cardio first thing in the morning, BEFORE you eat. This by far is the
most important and most effective technique for losing that unwanted fat. By
doing cardio first thing in the morning you are burning up to 300% more fat than
doing it at any other time throughout the day. Think about it, when you wake up
in the morning you have no energy right? That's because you haven't had any
carbohydrates in at least 8 hours. So by doing a cardiovascular workout your
body is forced to get energy from what is stored on you, and fat is stored
energy. I like to do at least 35 minutes on the treadmill or stepper. The key is
to get into a good fat burning mode. You can figure out if you are in an optimum
fat burning mode by monitoring your heart rate.
A good general rule of thumb is
to go 60 to 80% of your maximum heart rate (m.h.r.) Now, to get your m.r.h.,
provided you're an average healthy person, take 220 and subtract your age, then
to figure your fat burning range, take 60 to 80% of that. So, for example, I am
19 years old, so my maximum heart rate is 201 bpm (beats per minute). My fat
burning range is 120 bpm to 160 bpm (60-80% of 201) To get my heart rate; I
count the beats per 10 seconds and times this by 6 to get bpm. Now as far as
cardio later in the day, I like to do my cardio after my strength training. The
reason for this is I have already burned up a lot of energy during my weight
training, and therefore my body has one less energy system to burn before
getting to fat. I have had a lot of questions about which type of cardio is
best. For me I personally enjoy the Stairmaster, because where I train I can
monitor my heart rate constantly and I simply set it to 70% of my maximum and it
speeds up, or slows down accordingly. As long as you are keeping your heart rate
in this training zone it's really a personal preference. One of the most
important things is motivation. Mixing up your types of cardio can help avoid
boredom.
As I've mentioned mixing up your cardio is a great way to avoid boredom. I like
running outside instead of a treadmill session. Also, something as simple as
using a different program on the machine (i.e.: manual, hill climb, interval,
etc). My absolute favorite motivation tool is by far music. I always have my mp3
player on me. Music can make the difference between a 25 min cardio session, and
a 45 min cardio session.
For me, the mirror is both my worst enemy, and my best friend. One mirror may
have terrible lighting, and I can feel horrible when looking at myself, however,
another mirror, with good lighting can make me feel like a million dollars. It's
a good idea to set up a mirror somewhere with good lighting. When you're feeling
unmotivated, just ten minutes of posing in this mirror can motivate you.
Whatever gets you in to the gym. Everyone is different though, and these are
just some ideas.
As always keep your protein intake high, and some fat burners won't hurt at
all.
Best of luck!
Ryan Swann
BACK
<<<
|
