Posts Tagged ‘cardio’

Mon / 03 / 12 / 12

3 Ways to Attack Cardio Intervals

Written by Drew Schultz, Personal Trainer @ O2 Fitness Falls/540

cardio

Cardiovascular exercise is extremely important- not just for cosmetic fat-burning, but more importantly, for heart health. One way to boost your performance and results is by using cardio intervals.

Have you ever come in for cardio and said to yourself, “Well, I guess I’ll hop on the elliptical for 30 minutes at level 5″. Fill in the numbers with your own- most people do something like this, and find that their progress stagnates. There are so many variables that you can use to your advantage, but lets go over a few:

Change your heart rate. Its important to know your target heart rate. A basic way is to take the number 220 and subtract your age. This number is your estimated maximum heart rate. 65%-85% of this number is your target heart rate. You want to stay in this range to be assurred of burning fat, and challenging your heart to perform more efficiently for long term cardiovascular health. If you are maintaining a steady heart rate throughout your workout, try spiking it to the 85% or even 90% for short bouts- then bring it back down. We will now talk about how to do this.

Change your level. A simple way to introduce yourself to a cardio interval is to hop on the upright bike. If you are relatively new to exercise, spin at 95-100 rpms at level 5 for one minute, then double your level to 10. Maintain 95-100 rpms for one minute. Alternate this for three times, equalling six minutes. You will start to breathe heavier, sweat, feel exertion. This is also a time to use the “talk test”- you will find it difficult to speak, a sure confirmation that you are in your target heart rate range.

Change your exercises. Once you have been exercising for a few weeks, try different cardio machines. The bike scenario is great to start with; if you’ve been at the club for some time, try the same thing on the elliptical, treadmill, arc trainer, etc. The levels will be different, and you have mph and inclines on the treadmill. Your level of experience and endurance will determine which level/resistance you start with, and what you raise it too in order to increase your heart rate.

Contact O2 Fitness today to get your cardio/fat burn jump started with an individually tailored cardio interval program!

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Tags: cardio, cardio interval training, cardio training, cardiovascular exercise, cardiovascular intervals Categories: Fitness Tips

Tue / 01 / 24 / 12

O2 Fitness Encourages You to Just Dance!

Written by Casey Johnson, Group Fitness Manager, O2 Fitness Fuquay

hot party

Have You Danced Today? Easing into the dance fitness craze with Sh’Bam and Zumba at O2 Fitness

Its no secret that dance has gained extensive popularity in the past decade, as evident by popular series such as Dancing With the Stars, and So You Think You Can Dance. The fitness industry has responded in turn with dance fitness classes being, often, the most packed classes in clubs across the nation. The Amercian College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has even named dance fitness classes in their top ten trends for 2012.

Dance has always been a backbone of the group fitness industry and dance fitness classes were around long before they so widely popular. Jazzercise was one of the first programs to hit the mainstream market and was actually developed in 1969. Since then, most fitness clubs have always offered some form of dance fitness from hip-hop classes to dance step.

SO why the growing popularity now? With less time and more stress in most people’s lives, gym-goers need a way to have fun, burn calories and stay healthy at the same time, without the seriousness of a dance studio atmosphere. The two most popular dance fitness programs O2 Fitness offers are easy to follow and appropriate for any fitness level.

Sh’Bam debuted in early 2011 as Les Mills’ answer to the dance fitness class appropriate for anyone. Sh’Bam boasts an average of 506 calories burned each class and there is no shortage of fun in the process! The moves are simple, with most songs consisting of two primary combinations or movements that repeat during throughout the song. Each class blasts those calories off in only 45 minutes and consists of 12 different songs, ranging from current hits, to latin selections, to 80s and 90s hits and remixes.

What can Sh’Bam do for you? Simple. Fun aside, it is a serious cardio workout. By taking participants through alternating periods of work and rest, the workout does challenge the cardiovascular system, resulting in a leaner body composition, reduced blood pressure, decreased total cholesterol, and improved overall heart function, among many other benefits. It also helps to improve coordination and agility by moving participants in various directions and through different dance steps. Finally, especially important for women, Sh’Bam helps to build bone density.

Zumba is another program designed to burn calories and shape and tone the body while giving participants an hour of fun. Zumba’s slogan, “Ditch the workout, join the party,” most effectively describes its creator’s goal to this latin-inspired dance workout. Developed in 2001by Alberto “Beto” Perez, Zumba classes are now offered in clubs, studios and even basements and parking lots all over the country. Like Sh’Bam, the moves are easy to follow and repetitive in each song, so participants learn quickly and can easily get their heart rates up for a great workout.

No Zumba class is the same! Each instructor brings the basic, easy to follow steps into their classes, but no two classes are alike. Each instructor varies the music selection and pattern of movements per class and can even use Zumba basic training with their own music selection versus the traditional latin mixes.

So, which is better? They are both so awesome, good luck deciding which one to try first! And if you’ve already been to one, then consider yourself trendy in the fitness world for 2012.

References:

American College of Sports Medicine. (2011, October 17). Survey Predicts Top 20 Fitness Trends for 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2011. www.acsm.org

http://www.lesmills.com/southeast/shbam/shbam-group-fitness-class.aspx

Les Mills International. (2011). The Exercise Science Behind Sh’Bam. Sh’Bam Program Manual. (pp. 14-15). www.zumba.com

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Tags: cardio, dance, dancing with the stars, fitness Categories: GroupX Classes

Fri / 10 / 07 / 11

HIIT Training | NC Fitness Clubs

Submitted by: Lee Holcomb, NC Personal Trainer at O2 Fitness Fuquay

What is HIIT Training? And how can it benefit you?
HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is about mixing high intensity bursts of exercise with moderate intensity recovery periods. It’s brutal but has incredible benefits. It’s the fastest way to get fit, lose fat and improve sports performance. It has been proven to burn 9 times as much fat than steady state cardiovascular training.
HIIT Sessions usually last less than 20 Minutes
This may seem like a very short space of time but believe me if you do the workout correctly you will be exhausted by the end of it. The goal of HIIT is to hold an anaerobic state for a long cumulative time. It’s designed with rest intervals to allow you to sprint harder for longer. Take this as an example, if you were to sprint for 100 meters, you would go full out for about 15 seconds (depending how fast you were). In an advanced HIIT workout you would probably spend about 7 to 8 minutes going full out in a 15 minute workout. If you are a beginner you should start with 4 to 6 minutes total workout time.
For Maximum Benefits make sure you are using Major Muscle Groups
There are a range of activities that you can do with HIIT. When choosing an activity try to pick one that safely uses the largest muscle groups in your body. High Intensity Interval Training will try and tap the energy sources found inside the muscle. The larger the muscle group being exercised, the more the benefit.
The absolute best for HIIT is sprinting. If, however, you have injuries or other problems which prevent you from sprinting by all means pick something else which you can manage safely. The second best would probably be a stationery spinning bike.
Do HIIT every Second Day
An HIIT workout should not be done on consecutive days. The workouts goal is to operate at a high intensity. So when you do your reps, you do them as hard as you can. This will allow you the most benefit. The workout burns energy from your muscle systems and it needs time to replenish it. If this doesn’t happen you will not be able to workout with as much intensity and you have much greater chance of injuring yourself. The benefits happen in your body during your rest period and the more rested you are, the more intensity you can put into your workout.
Obliterate your Fat when you combine Good Nutrition and HIIT
A lot of people, including yours truly, believed that if you wanted to maximise weight loss it was best to do HIIT on an empty stomach. Recent research is showing that this just isn’t so and in fact the opposite is true. Make sure you have had something to eat about half an hour before you exercise, make sure it is something balanced and easily digestible, you do not want something heavy while you are exercising.
Alternate Your Interval Training Routines
One of the key principles around High Intensity Interval Training is preventing any type of plateau. It’s designed around pushing your body to constantly adapt, and your body will invariably adapt to this type of workout. When this happens your improvements slow down. To counter this, always keep your body guessing, after you have done about 8 weeks on a particular HIIT program, give yourself one week off then start a new one.

So what are you waiting on? Ask an O2 Fitness professional about HIIT today!

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Tags: cardio, exercise, high intensity interval training, HIIT Training, Interval Training, work out, working out Categories: Fitness Tips

Wed / 09 / 21 / 11

Try Agility Training with Your O2 Fitness Personal Trainer!

Submitted by Brian Kenney, General Manager @ O2 Fitness Wilmington

If the thought of pedaling a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill brings about thoughts of medieval torture devices as you head to one of our O2 Fitness locations, you are not alone. In fact, most member’s view cardio as a necessary evil instead of an enjoyable exercise. However, what if we told you that cardio training can be fun, increase performance and help you drop that extra ten pounds without once stepping onto a cardio machine?

Agility Training

Agility training is another form of cardio fitness that can be fun and create more helpful results for the body than simply increasing cardiovascular efficiency and decreasing body fat.

Weekend warriors and those simply racing through the daily grind can benefit from adding in a few agility training drills to increase performance.

Agility training teaches the body to start, stop and change direction quickly while maintaining proper posture. Agility challenges you to control your center of gravity over a changing base of support while changing directions at varying speeds. It is important to remember that we move at varying speeds and in various directions each day.

Training to improve movement not only increases functional capabilities, but will help you avoid injuries by teaching the mind and body to work together and move at different speeds using the correct muscle at the correct time in the correct plane of motion. Agility training can provide numerous overall training benefits such as challenging your core, legs, balance, reaction capabilities, increasing your cardiovascular efficiency and best of all decreasing body fat.

Agility work can be done using cones or lines and is best performed on a basketball court, tennis court, grass field or in an aerobics room. Performing agility drills on concrete is not advised and may be harmful to your body. Opt for surfaces that provide better control for short, quick movements and avoid surfaces that may have loose gravel or feel slippery. With agility training, the proper surface can make all the difference.

For more information regarding Agility Training Programs please contact an O2 Fitness Personal Trainer for a complimentary Fitness Assessment

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Tags: agility, agility training, cardio, cardiovascular exercise, personal training, plyometrics, stationary bike, treadmill Categories: Fitness Tips

Wed / 07 / 06 / 11

The Health Benefits of Rest and Recovery

Written by: Christin Ruud, Personal Trainer @ O2 Fuquay-Varina

When people start exercising they often focus on how many days per week they do strength training or cardiovascular exercise. They use this as a measure of their own self-discipline to their workouts. I am guilty of this tactic, as well. I even keep a record of my workouts in my personal planner. This helps me to stay accountable to myself and make sure that I work each part of my body equally while strength training and also getting in adequate cardiovascular exercise to keep my heart strong.

Sometimes I notice that I have not taken a day off during the week from my workouts. This can lead me to become physically exhausted or simply dread working out. Also, I notice that I am stiff from not stretching enough or feel an injury creeping it’s way to my body. This injury phase would simply be from overuse.

I titled this blog Rest and Recovery, because as much as we focus on exercise and nutrition, we have to realize the importance of rest. Rest allows our bodies to repair muscle and refuel our energy storage systems (Anabolism) to get us through our weekly workouts. Most researchers recommend 1-2 rest days per week. For me, I notice that if I take 1 day off during the week, I usually am re-energized and do not regress in my training. Every time I try the 2 consecutive rest days, I end up feeling more sluggish heading into my workouts. This sluggishness takes a few days to overcome. I have gradually figured this strategy for my body through years of exercising.

My advice is to try both at some point in your workouts. You may even want to split your rest days up during the week. For example: workout 3 days, rest 1 day, workout 2 days and complete a final rest day. Just make sure that you are not creating more rest days and less workout days. That’s when things head south. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “We were made to move, not be sedentary!”

Speaking about rest and recovery, I would be negligent if I did not discuss the importance of adequate sleep. Not only does sleep help us to feel physically well, but it also does wonder’s for our mental outlook. When was the last time you only had 3 hours of sleep and felt like a million bucks all day after? Probably not often. Now I know the next statement will be, “I simply don’t have time to get adequate rest every night!” My response will always be, you don’t have time not to get 8-9 hours of sleep every night. This is because consecutive nights of sleep deprivation has been shown to weaken the immune system, decrease insulin’s ability to utilize glucose in your blood stream (a symptom of type 2 diabetes), increase the amount of cortisol hormone secreted in your body and even set’s you up for depression. The list of effects of sleep deprivation goes on forever and none of them are good.

That being said, you may want to make a list of things that are preventing you from going to bed at a decent hour every night. Then brain storm ideas on how thing’s can be changed in your life to ensure that your sleep quota is being met. For example, you could try turning off the TV or internet distractions about an hour before you plan to go to bed, limit caffeine intake in the afternoons, prepare dinners in advance for the week so you are not up extra late cooking and cleaning, or even pack your lunch in the evening so you can sleep an extra bit later in the mornings.

I challenge everyone to track your sleep hours this week and see if you are making the cut!

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Tags: active rest, cardio, cardiovascular exercise, exercise, fuquay varina gyms, fuquay-varina gym, personal trainers, recovery, rest, strength training, workout, workouts Categories: Fitness Tips Meet the Trainers

Mon / 03 / 14 / 11

Cardio Cardio Cardio!

Submitted by Michael Olander, President/CEO of O2 Fitness WomanonTreadmill1

Have you ever thought that it’s important not only to do cardio training, but that it’s also important to decide on the best time of day and the right intensity? Everyone seems to have their own opinions on the key moment to optimize your chance to burn fat in relation to aerobic activity, but many of these opinions are based largely on anecdotal evidence or personal interpretations of scientific studies.

Here’s everything you need to know to avoid missing a chance to burn a little fat.

Cardio first thing in the morning gets your adrenaline pumping and fires up your metabolism for the rest of the day. Given that when you wake up your body temperature and adrenaline release are at a minimum, if you get into a consistent habit of training in the morning, you’ll actually change the phases of your biological clock. Unfortunately, although the most fat is burned in the morning, it’s not just fat that gets burned. The proteins in your muscles do too, so in order to protect your hard-working muscles, only do cardio training after you’ve eaten a high-protein breakfast.
Cardio before and after weight training: if you decide that morning cardio isn’t for you because you’re just not a morning person, you have other options. Like the old saying goes, “Which comes first, the cardio or the weights?”
Some studies conducted in the sports physiology department at the University of Kansas (USA) recommend doing your cardio before weight training, since it might be difficult to run or ride your bike after an intense weight training session. To achieve the intensity and duration needed to burn enough calories to lose weight, the best solution is to do your cardio and then lift weights. Unfortunately, as many studies stress, to a certain extent this can compromise strength and the development of lean mass.
Basically, if you’re working toward muscle mass, we recommend the opposite approach. Do your weight training right after warming up, when your energy levels are their highest.
Cardio on the days you don’t lift weights: if cutting fat and developing muscle mass are both important for you, do your cardio on the days you don’t lift weights. Scientific literature indicates that overall energy consumption is higher if aerobic training and weight training are done on different days. This requires more training days each week, which has a greater effect on the basal metabolism, leading to even more fat loss.

Conclusions
Regardless of when you decide to do your cardio, remember that a little cardio is always better than none. In any case you’ll benefit: higher calorie consumption, larger reduction in fat, and a general sense of well-being, to mention just a few. The best way to maintain a consistent training program is to do cardio training at the time of day that best suits your life and your commitments.

Source: http://www.technogym.com/blog/

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Tags: cardio, cardio training, exercise, fat burning, workout Categories: Fitness Tips

Thu / 06 / 17 / 10

The Secret to Burning More Calories

Written by Stephanie Platz, Membership Consultant, O2 Fitness Fuquay Varina

A lot of people focus primarily on cardiovascular training when trying to lose extra weight because they see the number of calories they can burn in an hour. What most people don’t know is that you burn more overall calories from resistance training than from cardiovascular training!

You’re probably asking yourself, how is this possible? Here’s why you should focus on coupling resistance with cardiovascular training when focusing on weight loss and overall health improvement….

Initially, cardiovascular training does burn more calories than resistance training; there’s no lying about that. When it comes to cardio a lot of the calories you burn off are from extra water weight. Once you’re finished with cardio for the day your body is no longer burning any extra calories. However, when you resistance train you may burn less calories while training, but your body will continue to burn calories for up to 48 hours after finishing your workout! Lifting creates small tears in the muscle tissue, which eventually repairs itself over time. It will take up to 48 hours to complete this process from your resistance training, during this time your body will continue to burn calories for you!

These days most people are looking for the quickest way to lose five/ten pounds the healthiest way possible, and this is why people up the cardiovascular training, but wonder why they aren’t seeing the results they had hoped for. Try cutting back twenty minutes of the extra cardio and add some resistance training to your workout. The overall health benefits from both are worth it!

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Tags: cardio, cardio training, cardiovascular exercise Categories: Fitness Tips

Tue / 01 / 26 / 10

10 Healthy Heart Tips from O2 Fitness

10 Steps You Can Take to Have a Healthy Heart

Don’t smoke: Not only can smoking cause lung problems, but it can also hurt your heart.
Maintain a healthy body weight: Your heart has to work harder if you’re carrying around excess pounds.
Get regular physical exercise: You don’t need to run marathons. Simply getting regular cardiovascular exercise helps maintain a healthy heart. Not sure where to start? One of our O2 Fitness personal trainers can work with you to come up with the perfect fitness schedule to suit your physical needs and health goals.
Eat a balanced diet: Eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, and make sure that you get plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Get regular physicals: Risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and diabetes may not have symptoms that you can see. That’s why regular physicals are so important. If you have any of these conditions, see your doctor right away for treatment to help lower your risk for heart disease. It’s not uncommon for people in their 30s and 40s to have heart problems. And heart disease is the number one killer of women, regardless of race or ethnicity.
Eat less sugar and fat: Read food labels and be sure to stay away from trans and saturated fats.
Minimize stress: Too much stress can raise your blood pressure, which can strain your heart.
Know your family history: If heart disease is common in your family, let your doctor know. He or she can work with you to help you avoid developing heart disease yourself.
Ignore stereotypes: Heart disease isn’t limited to older people and men. It’s not uncommon for people in their 30s and 40s to have heart problems. And heart disease is the number one killer of women, regardless of race or ethnicity.
Don’t trick yourself or ignore possible symptoms: Think that feeling in your chest is just heartburn? Let a doctor decide. And talk with your doctor if you’re thinking about taking aspirin on a regular basis

[source: Sutter Health]

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Tags: cardio, cardiovascular disease, health tips, healthy, heart, heart disease, heart healthy, personal trainers Raleigh Categories: Fitness Tips

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Posts Tagged ‘cardio’

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