Archive for June, 2009
Exercise Bikes: The Perfect Fitness Partner
Tried and trusted exercise bikes have been a fitness companion for many people for years. They are simple piece of equipment and you can use them any time and do not need to prepare too much before you leap on!
They give your legs a fantastic workout and condition your cardiovascular fitness too. They are great if you already enjoy cycling but live in a very built up area and want to avoid the traffic.
Exercise bikes build your athletic fitness and leg muscles in particular. Leg muscles are the strongest in the body so exercising them will lead to an improvement in many areas of your fitness, especially running and walking, playing with the kids and running up the stairs.
Your stamina improves tremendously and using an exercise bike allows you to build up stamina safely because, unlike with running for example, there is no impact. By doing only two sessions a week and increasing the length of session and resistance per session, you will start to notice the difference after the first week and you will be able to run or walk longer distances too.
If you want to train for an event there are many settings on exercise bikes to help you. They can simulate a race with different resistances to help you build up your distance and speed over time. You can program you own course or use the default on the bike.
All exercise bikes will increase your fitness levels, however there are a myriad of features to make it more exciting and here are few to get you thinking.
The two main types are upright and recumbent. Upright bikes are the most common and you ride it just like a normal bike in the same upright position. Your legs are in front a little and you are leaning forward to hold the handlebars.
Recumbent bikes mean you are leaning back onto a padded backrest. Many feel this position is far more comfortable if you are riding for a long time. This bike also comes recommended if you are recovering from back or knee injuries.
Some features to look for include magnetic resistance pedaling motion. This uses magnets to add resistance when you pedal. It will feel like you are dragging something along behind you, giving a more challenging workout. Make sure you get a bike that allows you to combine the levels of resistance and create your own programs.
A heart rate monitor is essential to get a measurement of how hard your heart is working. The bike detects your pulse usually through special sensitive pads on the handlebars. The most effective exercising heart rate for most of us is roughly 70 to 80% of your maximum.
A good digital display is essential to inform you of your distance traveled, your speed and time. Look for controls near the display area which let you change the program or make a new one.
So whether you want to get fit, lose weight, train for an event or even just have fun, there will be a range of exercise bikes out there to choose from to support your healthy lifestyle.
Tags: exercise bikes, exercise, fitness
The Treadmill Workout And What It Can Do For You
A fast, fun and varied treadmill workout is a fantastic way to keep you motivated and keep up your exercise routine in the cold winter months along with having you burn a serious amount of calories! Many people think of treadmill training as monotonous and boring but it really does not have to be. And despite this bad reputation, the trusty treadmill is the most common piece of home fitness equipment. People love them!
But you may ask, why not pay a visit to the great outdoors and walk, jog or run outside? Well, treadmill workouts have some distinct advantages over going outside and here’s why.
People generally like running for the large amount of calories that inevitably get burnt. Running engages a huge amount of muscle groups in the body and is also weight bearing, serving to keep your joints in healthy condition. So it comes as no surprise that running is the best form cardiovascular exercise to burn fat and calories.
Interval training on your treadmill is the optimal method to keep you enthused and inspired and also get the best all over body workout. And, you don’t need to be a top runner either. Interval training is an intensive method of burning fat and increasing your cardiovascular fitness so it is at its peak. This is because it allows you to run at an intensity higher than you usually would for a longer time period. Stints of lowered intensity are interspersed with stints of heightened intensity. This leads to a serious boost in your metabolism and an optimal cardiovascular fitness training effect for about 3 to 4 hours after the workout.
This phenomenon is called an EPOC or "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption". It means that you are still burning up to 300 to 400 calories even when you are putting your feet up after your interval workout.
The time efficiency is so much greater than going for a run outside. Treadmill interval training workouts give you a far better fat burning and fitness improving workout than a long, cardiovascular session. Plus you spend less time in the process. About 1 hour of traditional cardio training doesn’t even come close to what you can achieve in 20 minutes of an intensive interval training session on your treadmill.
If you use interval training treadmill workouts combined with resistance training for about two to three times a week, you will notice real differences in how you feel and look. Expect substantial fat burn as a result of your consistent treadmill workouts and you will see that you do not need to spend time doing time intensive cardiovascular sessions. Fat loss boils down to short intensive bursts of activity like sprinting. Sprinters are not fat! Far from it. It is kind of like working smart, not hard!
Remember that any workouts should start with a gentle five to six minute warm up like jogging or stretching.
A good, interval designed treadmill workout is the most fat burning, time efficient way to all round physical health and fitness.
Tags: treadmill workout, fitness, calories, cardio training
