[Video] 10-Minute Fat Burning Bodyweight Workout

As we discussed on Tuesday, there is a clear difference between weight loss and fat loss. What we're all really looking to do is lose fat, and this quick workout will help you do just that. It's short, simple, and requires no equipment, so you can do it anywhere, and fit it into your busy schedule - even if you're traveling.

This simple workout consists of just 5 exercises which will strengthen and tone your entire body, while also providing cardio to help burn off that stubborn fat. Each exercise is done for 30 seconds, with at least 30 seconds of rest between sets. You will do 3 rounds of the exercises, so go ahead and follow along slowly with the demo the first time, to make sure you are doing the exercises properly, then pick up the pace and follow along for this quick fat-burning workout.

5 Reasons Women Should Lift Weights

There used to be a belief that women should not lift weights. The thought was women would lose the feminine look when they got "muscled up" and bulky. And yes, if you are a female bodybuilder on supplements and steroids, you won't look much different from the men who practice the same weightlifting ideals. But for most women, you are really not likely to get very bulky from lifting weights, as you don't have the same amount of testosterone as men do.

In fact, you really should be lifting weights as a woman, and here are 5 really good reasons why.

1. You'll Burn More Fat

A Penn State study showed what several
other research papers and number crunching fitness experts have revealed. Weight training burns 30% to 40% more fat than diet or aerobic exercise. The Penn State researchers formed 3 groups of dieters:

• Those who did not exercise at all

• Dieters who exercised aerobically

• Those dieters that lifted weights as well as doing aerobic exercise

Across-the-board, an average of 21 pounds was lost by all of the dieters. However, the weightlifting women lost almost pure fat! The dieters who did not exercise, and those that only enjoyed aerobic exercise, saw 25% of their weight loss coming from muscle. Not good.

2. You Will Build Stronger Bones

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Weight resistance training for 12 to 18 weeks delivers bone growth of 15% to 20%. Strength training with weights over time on a consistent basis makes your bones stronger and healthier. This is especially important for women, who suffer a naturally greater tendency for weaker bones and poorer bone density as they age.

3. You Can Wear More Complementary Clothing

We have already seen that weight training is an awesome fat burner. Between the ages of 30 and 50 women lose 10% to 20% of their muscle naturally. Your body weight usually goes up during this time, in the form of fat gain. A consistent weightlifting regimen helps you regulate a healthy waist size, keeping embarrassing fat deposits from limiting your clothing choices.

4. You Will Adopt a More Nutritious Diet

For any number of reasons, it appears that women who work out with weights frequently often improve their diet as well. It just makes sense. When you see and feel yourself becoming stronger, looking sexier and burning fat, you want to keep the process going. Not only does your body burn more calories as a result of a weight training program, but you mentally find it much easier to stick to a nutritious diet when you like the way you look in the mirror.

5. You Will Be More Successful, Productive and Happy

When women lift weights as a part of a healthy lifestyle, they can see the results in the mirror. This makes them feel good about themselves, and exercise even triggers the release of "feel good" chemicals in your brain. As a result of looking and feeling great, you begin to fuel your body with healthy food as opposed to fast food, sugary sweets and processed garbage. All of these steps combine to make you more productive because you are filled with so much natural energy. This leads to success in all areas of your life, and what woman wouldn't be happy with that outcome?

Are You Being Cheated By Your Fitness Plan?

If you've been trying to lose stubborn body fat but haven't been able to - despite exercising - it could be possible that you've been cheated. What many exercise programs won't tell you is that not all methods of exercising will burn fat quickly.

So if you've been working out, but you look in the mirror and still see problem areas, there's a good chance that it's not your fault. Don't beat yourself up mentally if you've been giving it your all but your exercise program has been holding out on you.

One of the main areas where both men and women gain fat is in the stomach. We all have a dozen names that we call this area - including muffin top, spare tire, and Santa belly.

But you don't have to put up with this. If your exercise program hasn't given you the results that you want, it's time to fire it and do something that does work. What doesn't work are those weird diets that go along with exercise programs.

Performing a standard dead-hang pull up (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you have to eat unpronounceable food or you have to avoid whole food groups in the hopes of losing fat, then something isn't right. In fact, studies have shown that eating fad diets or having a meal plan where you don't consume enough calories actually causes your body to work against you. Instead of working to lose fat, it shuts down fat loss, as it thinks you're starving.

If you have to spend crippling amounts of time on repetitions, or hours on the treadmill to see results, then something's not right. Losing fat doesn't take hours.

In fact, it often only takes an exercise routine of a few minutes. The difference is the right way of exercising and that's what bodyweight training is. You get benefits of building muscle at the same time that you're losing the fat you always wanted to lose.

There are no sweat-drenching, hour upon hour cycles of cardio that you have to do. No bulky machines. You can use simple things like gymnastic rings to lose the fat you've wanted to lose when you're following a bodyweight training routine.

Bodyweight training is an intense way to work out that not only gets rid of unwanted fat, but it also builds a flat stomach and a firm butt. If you want to lose fat using natural bodyweight training methods, you may want to try a program like Body Ripped. This one is especially helpful for women.

It gets you started off with the first phase by giving you a fat loss foundation. In the second phase, you'll get a three-week body change guide. In the third phase, you'll be able to see how your body has transformed.

You can also do bodyweight training on your own, but it's always best to get some guidance - especially when just starting out - so that you can make sure you're not missing anything that could help you reach your goals faster. This is a fun, affordable program that gets results fast.

Click Here to Check Out Body Ripped...

Dispelling 3 Myths Surrounding Toning Exercises

Toning exercises have long been promoted, mainly for women, as a way to bring out the definition of muscles without the worry of looking bulky and overly muscular.  Many women have wanted the look of the muscles, without the size.  Weight lifting routines have attempted to cater to this demographic, only to fail.  Why?  Because when it comes to toning exercises, there are some myths that exist that are concealing the truth! 

Sketch of the muscles in the arm (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Myth #1:  Using heavier weights to work out will produce bigger, bulkier muscles.

* For women, this is generally not true.  It does hold true for men, however.  This is because men have more testosterone, the hormone responsible for muscle growth.

* Since women do not have large amounts of testosterone, they will not produce the large muscles that men sometimes do, unless they are taking a hormone supplement.

* In order to have toned muscles, you will have to work them out.  Using heavier weights will build muscle, but these gains will be limited by what your body will allow, so in most cases women don't need to worry about developing bulky muscles.

Myth #2: Doing more repetitions (reps) using less weight will produce toning and definition.

* If you flex a muscle, and it is still soft to the touch, it does not necessarily mean you lack toned muscles.  What is does mean is that the soft tissue is a layer of fat that is covering your muscles. 

* The only way to bring out definition and that toned look in your muscles is to shed that layer of fat on top of them.  You can have all the muscle you desire, but if a layer of fat is covering your muscles, you'll never really see them.  This is why you don't really see the individual muscles on competitors in a "Strongman Competition."  Having a layer of fat on their muscles is not a worry to them.  Instead, being strong is their main focus.  But no one would dare argue that they are not muscular. 

* There is one purpose to doing more reps with less weight, however.  If your goal is muscle endurance and not muscle growth, such as a long-distance runner, then you would follow this routine.  More reps with less weight promote endurance, not growth. 

Machines like the cross trainer can be used to warm up & exercise muscles in both the upper and lower body. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Myth #3: Cardiovascular training does not help to tone muscles. 
 
* If taken at its most basic level, this statement is true.  Generally, cardio training is not  related to toning exercises, although it may depend on the type of gym you go to, and what type of exercise you are doing. Some exercises, such as calisthenics, provide cardio exercise and also build strength at the same time. 

* If we follow the premise that in order for muscles to be seen, the layer of fat between the muscles and the skin must be shed, we can see the importance of cardio training. 

* Although weight training can shed calories and fat to a certain extent, only cardio training will give you the chance to work at a fat-burning zone for an extended period of time.  This is therefore the most effective way to burn fat - especially if you use the interval training method. 

So there you have it!  Three myths about toning exercises have been dispelled.  If toning your muscles is your goal, you do not need to decide between lighter or heavier weights.  Use weights that will challenge your muscles, and they will begin to show through as your cardiovascular training gives you the definition you seek. 

How to Run On the Treadmill + 3 Treadmill Interval Workouts

Running on the treadmill has some obvious advantages over running outdoors, especially in bone-chilling winter weather.

It's no surprise that many people like running because of its calorie-burning effects. After all, since running is weight bearing and recruits a large amount of muscle, it is the best form of cardiovascular fitness training to burn calories and fat. Besides, when was the last time you saw an overweight runner?

Use Intervals

Treadmill (Photo credits: Best Buy)

Whether you are a hardcore runner is of no importance. You can still benefit tremendously from the treadmill workouts you're soon about to discover. As you'll see, these treadmill workouts are based on interval training.

Interval training is a powerful method of maximizing your peak cardiovascular fitness and burning fat because it enables you to run at a higher intensity for a longer period of time since bouts of high intensity are interspersed with bouts of lower intensity. As a result, you get a cardio fitness training effect and boost your metabolism for several hours after your interval workout.

This post-exercise metabolism boost is known as EPOC or "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption" and can be responsible for several hundred calories expended while you are rest for up to several hours after your interval training workout.

What's even cooler about intervals is that they allow you to spend less time exercising while providing more substantial fitness and fat burning improvements compared to long, boring cardio sessions. In just 15-20 minutes of interval training you can accomplish what most exercisers never come close to achieving in an hour of cardio!

So now that we've established the benefits of interval training, let's have a look at some interval treadmill workouts that will save you time and give you huge fat burning and cardiovascular benefits! I know you'll enjoy them and find them both challenging and invigorating compared to traditional long, boring cardio workouts.

Each of these running workouts should begin with a light 5 minute warm-up (ie. jogging). Note as well that these interval training workouts are fairly challenging so give them a shot and see how you do. Try the first one a few times before you move on to the second, and the same with that before moving to the third. A few weeks from now, you'll be fitter, leaner, and have more endurance!

Interval Workout #1:

Work = 2 minutes @ 85%
Recovery = 1 minutes @ 65%

Repeat 4 times for a total of 12 minutes.

Interval Workout #2:

Work = 1 minute @ 95%
Recovery = 1 minute @ 65%

Repeat 10 times for a total of 20 minutes

Interval Workout #3:

Work = 30 seconds @ 100%
Recovery = 90 minute @ 65%

Repeat 10 times for a total of 20 minutes.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Yuri Elkaim is one of the world’s leading fitness and sports conditioning experts. You can take his Treadmill Trainer interval trainin running programs for a free test spin by visiting http://www.cartville.com/app/?Clk=5153122 and learn more about the best running workouts to get you fitter and running faster than ever before!
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Video - Fun Interval Cardio Dance Fat-Burning Workout

This 20-minute fat-burning workout uses both strengthening and toning exercises along with cardio to boost the metabolism and burn fat fast.* Alternating intense intervals of heavy muscle use with short periods of rest strengthens the heart muscle and improves the immune system, along with increasing your metabolism so you will burn more fat even while at rest. And it's fun and not overwhelming since you get little breaks of lower intensity throughout the workout.

Add this to your workout rotation a couple of times a week and see what a difference it makes!

* Note: Be sure to consult with your healthcare practitioner before beginning any new workout routine, especially if you are starting at a lower fitness level.

Denise Austin: Ultimate Fat Burn Workout
Denise Austin: Ultimate Fat Burn Workout is designed to boost metabolism and blast away calories through a series of explosive cardio interval exercises that...


And Try These Fun Fat-Burning Workouts Too:
   

Cross Training for Fitness & Fat Loss

Although it may fly in the face of conventional "wisdom," the numbers on your scale do not indicate whether you are fit or fat. Far more significant than your total body weight is the composition of your body tissue. If a man’s fatty tissue is more than 14% to 15% of his body mass, or if a woman’s is more than 20% to 22%, he or she is overweight, or more precisely, overfat.

A small amount of fat is needed for padding the internal organs and as insulation under the skin. Fat also makes up most of our brain tissue, and cell walls, so some fat is important for good health. However, excess fat leads to such diseases as diabetes, gout, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and gallbladder problems.

The problem with most people who want to lose weight is that they focus on the numbers on the scale, and not on achieving the proper fat-to-muscle ratio for good health.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It would be more accurate to think of the human body as a heat-exchange engine that works on the basic principles of energy physics. Caloric balance equals the total calorie intake minus the total calorie expenditure. Some of the calories people ingest are used for basal metabolism. As people get older, their bodies require fewer calories for this basic upkeep. Some calories are excreted as waste products. Some go into “work metabolism,” the energy expenditure required for any physical activity.

Hence, if people take in more calories than are used by these functions, there is a definite caloric excess. By the laws of physics, energy is transformed rather than destroyed. In this case, each excess of 3,500 calories is changed into a pound of fat. If people want to reverse this process, they have to burn up 3,500 calories to lose a single pound.

Winning the War Against Fat

When you think of fighting fat with exercise, you probably think of hours of hard, sweaty exertion. If this is the case, then, you will usually not get any farther. This is because if you always focus on losing more by exerting more effort you'll tend to get bored and "burn out" before you ever reach your goal.

Then you give up, stop doing your routine exercises, and end up sulking in the corner with a bag of chips! Sound familiar?

Okay, so what is the answer?

While different methods may work for different people, my favorite is cross training.

After some intensive studies and experimentation, health experts came up with the concept of cross training in order to overcome or break the monotony or dullness in an exercise program.

Cross training refers to the integration of diverse movements or activities into a person’s conventional exercise routine. The main purpose of incorporating cross training into an exercise program is to avoid overdoing the same exercises (which can damage your muscles), and to put a stop to imminent boredom.

swimming (Photo credit: Jim Bahn)

Three of the most commonly used activities in a cross training program are swimming, running, and cycling.

In cross training, distance is one way to extend your activity as your condition improves. For this reason, you need to traverse a measured distance.

If possible, swim the course and measure the distance. If you will be using a running track, such courses usually are a quarter-mile per lap for a complete circuit.

Cross training offers a variety of benefits for fitness and fat loss. It builds up the strength and endurance of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. It has also some tranquilizing effect on the nerves, and it burns a lot of calories in a fairly short period of time, due to the varying intensity and activities, which challenge your body in different ways.

Cross training has three basic components:

1. Endurance exercises to condition the heart, lungs, and blood vessels and to induce relaxation. These begin with a carefully planned walking and jogging regimen, depending on fitness level.

2. Exercises to strengthen the muscles, particularly those important to good posture. These include a variety of activities that are selected to encourage some people who are already burnt out with a particular routine.

3. Exercises to improve joint mobility and prevent or relieve aches and pains. These consist of a series of static stretching positions that are safe and effective for most people who wish to try to lose some fat.

Indeed, cross training is a great way to modify the concept of exercising and losing fat without having to endure hours of one monotonous activity. In fact, the idea behind a successful exercise program is to like what you are doing. With cross training, you may find yourself enjoying your workouts so much, you'll lose weight without even realizing it!

When you boil it down, cross training is a great way to have fun while exercising and reaching your fitness and fat loss goals.