Exercise Bikes For A Heart-Pounding Workout

<p>By Sue Jan

Exercising is not just about keeping you fit and building muscles, it is also about working up a sweat and losing weight. That’s why many exercise machine manufacturers have made a killing with so many gyms popping up all over the country. One exercise machine that is very affordable, compact enough to fit in a moderately sized house, and delivers great fitness results is the exercise bike, otherwise known as the stationary bike.

Many people choose to buy an exercise bike because it is not big and very easy to store. Exercise bikes take up very little space, unlike other types of exercise such as jogging and dancing which need much more space. Exercise bikes are handy especially when it is inconvenient for you to go the gym.

Exercise bikes help improve fitness and stamina, and allow you to vigorously exercise both your lower body and upper body at the same time. The health benefits of exercise bikes are numerous. Aside from burning calories and losing weight, you can also improve your heart rate, strengthen your leg muscles and maintain your agility.

There are several types of exercise bikes available on the market today designed to meet different fitness and exercise needs. Some models are designed for fitness and stamina training, while other models are designed for stretching out and strengthening muscles.

So before you purchase an exercise bike, you need to first decide on your fitness and training goals.

There are three major types of exercise bikes available: the recumbent, upright, and the indoor cycling bikes.

The seat on a recumbent bike allows riders to recline against a backrest and to extend their legs forward for pedaling. It is great for people suffering from back pain as this sitting posture lessens the stress on the spine. Recumbent bikes provide a great workout to the lower body, and also provide an excellent cardiovascular workout. They are very useful when it comes to physical therapy and endurance training.

The seat on an upright bike allows riders to sit astride the saddle. It is so designed to lessen the effort to pedal as riders can use their body weight when pedalling. Cyclists often use upright bikes as a warm up equipment.

Indoor bikes, also called the spinning machine, are the most common exercise bikes offered. Riders can also pedal backwards, allowing them to exercise the back part of the leg muscles that are not exercised during forward pedaling.

Exercise bikes offer a heart pounding yet low-impact workout, while maintaining the ability to go at your own pace. They help you lose the extra pounds and help you get slimmer. They are also very affordable compared to other exercise machines.

About the Author: For more on Exercise Bikes visit cool-exercise-bikes.info. Susan also enjoys writing at Shopping and Society.

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3 Better Ways to Workout at Home

<p>By Richard Syner

Most of us now know that weight training helps you build lean muscle tissue. But did you know that lean muscle allows your body to burn more calories not only during exercise but also when your body is at a resting state. Muscles are “metabolically active” 24 hours a day and unlike fat require constant oxygen, blood flow and nutrient consumption.

If you’re interested in fast ways to workout at home that burns more calories try these three tips.

1. Choose exercises that target multiple body parts when you are training. Pick a small muscle group and a large muscle group. For example, I plan to work on arms and legs today. So instead of splitting these two workouts up I will combine them with one effective exercise for a faster way to workout at home. Using an exercise like the lunge combined with bicep curls allows me to do this and helps me burn more calories in less time.

As you perform the lunge, you are going to add a bicep curl on the downward lunge motion to train the biceps, quadriceps and gluteals all at the same time. The lunge is also a great way to get some cardio work done as it is a very dynamic exercise that requires you to concentrate on posture, balance and coordination.

2. Use a fitness ball during dumbbell exercises. Instead of sitting or lying on a bench, try performing exercises like chest flies, curls and shoulder press on a fitness ball. This helps you burn more calories because the unstable ball forces your body to activate more muscles in your core and legs to maintain balance on the ball. Dumbbells and fitness balls are cheap alternatives to expensive gym memberships and take up little space for home workouts.

3. Use “high intensity interval training” to boost fat loss and burn more calories. Recent studies have shown that interval training can stimulate your metabolism far more AFTER the workouts than lower intensity training. This means you continue to burn more calories and fat for long periods after you’re done training. Not so with low intensity training. There is a lot of research being done about high intensity interval training and how it is becoming the workout of choice versus aerobic training for losing fat. I think we will all be hearing more about this and how it can help the body burn more calories.

Ways To Workout At Home In 15 Minutes Or Less

1. Pick 3 to 6 exercises that target the upper and lower body.

2. Perform each exercise back to back 8 to 15 reps without rest. The heavier the weight the less reps.

3. After you complete all the exercises one time rest for 30 to 60 seconds. You will have completed one set.

4. Repeat this sequence again until you have completed 3 to 5 sets.

This is one form of High Intensity Training that is so popular and effective for fat loss because it burns so many “total calories”.

Be creative. Think of all the exercises you currently do and adapt them to multi-muscle exercises. You will also have a fast way to workout at home and “brand new” exercise routines to help you get out of that workout rut. You can do this!

IMPORTANT: It’s always a good idea to check with your doctor to make sure you are ready to start an exercise program.

About the Author: Richard is a physical therapist who specializes in health, fitness and rehabilitation. Want some home workout routines? Visit his site at Ways To Workout At Home!

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The Easiest Fat Burning Workout Ever

<p>By Rob Jacobs

Fitness is great, as is any kind of exercise, but reducing body fat levels will make more difference than anything you can do. So it’s important to get started in a great fat burning workout. Yeah, there are a few products out there that claim to do this, but more often than not you’re only going to malnourish your body, doing more harm than good. Silly starvation type diets and gimmicky living room exercise equipment are even worse. So the fat burning workout is definitely the route to take, and now you can get in a high-intensity one while watching TV. Here’s how:

The aspects that are stressed in a workout like this are increasing muscle strength and repetition of motions. Counter to the popular misconceptions out there, an effective fat burning workout will not limit your range of motion, make you muscle-bound, or give you bulky muscle mass that you can’t do anything with. An effective one will emphasize a full range of motion for all exercises.

Okay, so here’s a no-nonsense, quick plan you can try out now. Bear in mind, though, that this isn’t the rule of fitness, but can be a fun and effective part of your overall workout program.

Sit down to watch your favorite television program. Any recorded DVR program or scheduled time that you sit down to watch a show as it comes on will do. When the first commercial break comes on, get down on the floor and start doing push ups. Don’t be mad if you can’t make it through the first break when you start out with this fat burning workout.

Then as the next commercial break comes on, do sit-ups, and don’t stop until your show is back. This fat burning workout variation is great especially when you don’t want to leave the house. The colder darker months are great for this, and you an save money on gas. It’s funny how it almost changes your perspective on commercials. Most people hate them, but when you’re getting good at this fat burning workout, you’ll find you’re now anticipating the commercial-breaks, waiting for them. Those shows I thought were so annoying on some cable channels, how they come back to the show for about 3 minutes then go back to commercials are a blessing when you’re using this fat burning workout.

You can get a great workout by following these simple steps as well. And the best thing, it’s totally adjustable. You can do it all day, or just long enough for short bursts, while you’re building your endurance up to a more intense program. I advise all of my clients to enjoy what they’re doing above all, because the people who do what they like, as far as a fat burning workout, are the ones most likely to stick with it and see results.

About the Author: Rob Jacobs has helped thousands of casual dieters and hardcore bodybuilders turn their minds and bodies around through his cutting edge fitness lifestyle training. He’s consulted in Sacramento, CA for 20 years and is a licensed nutritionist. For more information on Rob’s approach, please visit Fat Burning Workout

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An Easy Home Workout

<p>By Rob DeMaio

Do you want to exercise but can’t afford a costly health club membership? Don’t despair, with a little dedication and this home workout you can begin a simple and effective workout routine. If you are a seasoned fitness enthusiast you should be able to implement this home workout without skipping a beat from your normal routine. If you are new to exercise or are coming back from a long layoff then it is wise to consult your physician before attempting this home workout.

There are a few basic guidelines to follow in order to minimize the risk of injury and get the most out of your home workout.

• never perform the home workout two days in a row

• start with 2 laps of the home workout and build up to five

• never perform the home workout if you are feeling any muscle soreness

• proper form is most important

• the last few reps of each set should feel difficult

CIRCUIT WORKOUT

Pushups 10 repetitions (full or modified-keep body straight from knees to shoulders)

Squats 25 repetitions (feet wider than shoulder width, toes pointing out)

Ab Crunch 25 reps with knees bent to 90 degrees followed by 25 with legs straight in air

Standing Straight Leg Raise 25 reps each side (lift leg out to the side)

Ab Crunch (same as above)

Stationary Lunges 15 reps each side (keep front knee directly over your toes)

Standing Calf Raise 25 reps each (keep legs straight & hips still)

Dips 15 reps (using a chair, hands next to hips)

Ab Crunch (same as above)

Stationary Wall Sit 1 min. (knees bent to 90 degrees)

Low Back Extensions (lie on stomach with arms and legs straight in superman position, lift both arms and legs about 6 inches off floor, pause, lower and repeat)

Regardless of how many laps you do of the home workout, only perform 1 set of the low back extensions at the very end of your workout. This is to minimize the risk of back injury. For fit individuals this workout may seem a little less intense than their regular resistance workouts but remember that something is better than nothing. This home workout will prevent significant loss of muscle strength and endurance while you are away from the gym. Others may find this home workout to be quite a challenge. Start slow and don’t give up on yourself. Keep trying and within a half-dozen workouts you will notice huge improvement.

About the Author: Rob has been involved in the development of health and fitness programs since 1989. His journey started with an interest in competitive bodybuilding in high school. For more free workouts and fitness advice visit:
http://FitnessDiet.info

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