Quite simply, Tunturi make some of the best exercise bikes on the market and arguably make the best display consoles of any bike. The company makes different models to suit different fitness and feature-list requirements. The bikes range from mid-price to expensive. You could do far worse than opt for one of its machines. To help you along, here are some reviews of Tunturi bikes.

Tunturi are a Finnish company and its exercise equipment is very popular in Europe. Recently, its equipment is making inroads in the U.S., which isn’t surprising when you take at look at what’s on offer. Few competitors can match their build quality, feature-list and stylish looks.

What is fairly unique to Tunturi, though how long this will last before others also incorporate it into their products, is the ergometer function found on most of its bikes. What’s really cool about ergometers is that they provide detailed feedback on a variety of data during a workout. They’re useful if you want to repeat the same exercise routine, or monitor your calorie consumption during your workout.

Tunturi exercise bikes come with the best display consoles of any machine available. Many users, especially at entry-level, like displays that give great feed back, and are easily read and understood. A display should provide the motivation a user needs during a workout. The company provides two main types of display; T-Ride and T-Road.

The T-Ride is the base level display for the Ergometer bike range. The 3.8″ color LCD console tracks speed, distance, time, heart rate, energy consumption and effort. There are a number of landscape programs where slope affects the training intensity. Obviously, going uphill increases the intensity of the workout while going downhill decreases it. What’s nice about Tunturi’s bikes is that when in downhill mode the bike responds and feels exactly the same as if you cycling outdoors.

The T-Road is the more advanced display. The 7″ color LCD console displays the workout program as a real life, outdoor video stream. The video is perfectly synchronized with the intensity changes of the program; the faster you pedal, the faster the landscape changes.

The Tunturi F30 is the base level upright bike and retails for around $300. Its plus points are that it has built-in grip sensors and its recovery heart rate measurement evaluates fitness in just 60 seconds. It also comes with magnetic resistance of 9 levels. However, this model does lack the ergometer function and does not come with either the T-Ride or T-Road console.

The E40 is the next model up retailing for around $600. It does have an ergometer function and you get T-Ride console with 5 preset programs. You also get T-Scale, which allows you to edit and adjust the 10 pre-set HRC, power and resistance programs even whilst you’re working out. You select the training duration based on your target time and scale the training intensity based on your personal requirements. One drawback is that the wireless heart rate monitor comes only as an optional extra.

The E60 upright model retails for around $750. You get the same features as the E40 but you also get the wireless heart rate monitor. This machine would suit any serious cyclist.

The E80 is the top-end upright retailing for around $1,000. Additions to the E60 include the T-Road console, a race function, USB PC connection, 512 Mb USB memory stick included for data transfer and a versatile 20 user register for better feedback accuracy, personal settings and program memory. There is also an E85 version. The only difference between them is that the frame of the E85 is slightly different, being designed for the competitive cyclist. For the vast majority, the E80 is the better choice.

As well as uprights Tunturi also make recumbent exercise bikes. The models available are equivalent to their upright counterparts. Therefore the E40R has exactly the same features as that of the E40. Likewise the E60R is exactly the same as the E60. The E40R and E60R retails for around $800 and $1,000 resp.

They aren’t cheap but a Tunturi exercise bike does come with a ton of features and is extremely well built. If there is one criticism it is only about their price. Being imported does mean they are more expensive than other brands. But, having said that, they are still worth every penny if you take exercise seriously.

If you are trying to build six pack abs then including press ups in your workouts is a great move because they make your core stronger, strip away fat and help you to build six pack abs. Doing the same press ups though over and over won’t do you much good; you need to challenge your body and muscles so that you ensure you keep moving forward and improving your physique. Below I’m going to reveal to you 5 awesome different types of press ups that you can start to include in your workouts starting today.

Punch push ups

Punch press ups are great and certainly not as easy as normal ones. The way these work is after you have done 1 push up you punch with one of your hands out in front. You then do another press up then repeat the other side, this is one rep. A great workout is to do these for a straight 2 minutes, they are difficult but will really give your body a challenge and will shake your workouts up.

E wok push ups

A strange name I know but don’t let that fool you into thinking they may be easy. They are like normal ones except on every press up rep you have one hand out in front and one hand further back and you bounce slightly when you change. These are great for your core and will tighten up your mid section in no time.

Push up with claps

These are a bit more advanced but are great to do as they work your core, abs and upper body. Do as many as you can but make sure you keep a solid form and do good quality reps.

Cross elbow push ups

These are a building block towards doing 1 arm press ups. Instead of actually doing them with one hand when you go down your other forearm rests on the floor so it takes some of your weight and then you do a push up as normal. They are fairly tough if you do a good set of these so start including them in your workouts.

Crucifix push ups

I have saved these till last as there the most tough and challenging. When you go up into a push up you need to bring your arms back out to your sides so that your in the crucifix position. These are very difficult and should only be attempted if you have good upper body strength

The fastest way to get flat abs and lose weight is to use a detox diet. Your diet can be greatly compromised when life becomes too busy and you are bombarded with increasing levels of stress. If you would like to get flat abs try a detox diet which will support your energy levels, revitalize your system and burn belly fat.

Through daily living, the human body is always exposed to toxins and pollutants found in the environment as well as in the food we eat. If your system is overloaded with toxins and cannot remove them naturally it will deposit them in fatty tissue adding to body and belly fat making it very difficult to get flat abs and burn fat.

The human body has a complex system composed of skin, lungs, intestines, kidneys and liver to help eliminate the toxins. The liver found in the digestive system works very hard to detoxify and purify the body and release stored and trapped toxins. If the liver is overburdened with toxins your metabolism will be sluggish. To get a flat belly a detox diet will support liver cleansing so this organ can work more efficiently to burn fat.

Detoxifying is directly associated to the food we eat and in order to lose weight and get flat abs eating an organic and nutritious diet will aid in the cleansing. A typical detox diet takes 7-14 days and can be implemented at least 3-4 times every year. If you really want flat abs fast you can fast for the first 24 hours on fruit or veggie juice or soup. This gives your digestive system a great break and time to heal. Check with your medical doctor first.

When you are under-going a detox diet, you need to refrain from smoking and drinking alcohol. Alcohol is full of sugar and works against getting flat abs and losing weight. It’s also a good idea to reduce caffeine intake and if you can, cut it out completely. You should also avoid eating any processed foods because of the low nutritional value. Drink lots of fluids to effectively remove toxins in the body. When I say fluids I mean water and herbal teas. For a detox diet you need to drink 1.8 liters of water everyday.

To get Flat Abs Eat these Foods

Taking a detox diet does not mean that you will skip your meals. You can still eat three times a day; however, for the first two days eat only organic vegetables and fruit. Do not eat fruit with any other foods. Eat it alone. If you suffer from Candida you need to fore-go the fruit and eat only vegetables and some brown rice. This will enable you to keep your usual energy levels throughout the day.

Some of the foods that should be part of your meal while detoxifying are: brown rice, quinoa, beans, lentils, buckwheat, fish, tofu, green leafy vegetables, carrots, fennel, leeks, kiwi fruit, grapes, watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, mango and green apples.

To successfully get flat abs on a detox diet, you need to avoid all fried and fatty foods, all dairy products, white bread, white rice, white flour, carbonated drinks and all processed foods and sweets.

A detox diet promises a lot of healthy benefits for your body and internal organs. This kind of diet can sweep away toxins and give you more energy and vitality and a flatter belly. Just eliminating sugar alone will restore your health.

Discover more about flat abs and losing weight with a detox diet.

For years, there has been a heated debate among fitness enthusiasts over the difference between weight lifting and body weight exercises. One camp argues that resistance from weight training is essential for developing lean muscle mass, while the other side claims that body weight exercises are superior for developing functional strength and conditioning. If you are unsure of which approach is best for you, then consider your goals and go with the training method that suits you best.

There is no question that weight training builds muscle mass and burns calories. For bodybuilders who are interested in packing as much muscle mass as their frame allows, there is no doubt that they can benefit from a solid weight lifting regimen that consists of heavy compound movements. As beneficial as weight training may be, there are some valid arguments against it. For one thing, all weight lifting exercises must be executed with proper form; otherwise, you run the risk of a serious injury. An injury can keep you sidelined and put a hamper on your progress. Dependency is another problem with using free weights. You either have to have access to a gym or own a set of dumbbells and barbells in your garage. You also need to consider what you will do for exercise if you have to travel.

This is where the benefits of body weight exercise come in. It can be done virtually anywhere at any time. There is also a reason body weight calisthenics are used extensively by the military and gymnasts. They develop core and functional strength. Proponents of body weight training believe that weight lifting develops bulky muscles that are purely for aesthetic purposes. Having large muscles may look good, but the extra bulk also makes you slower and hurts your conditioning as well.

So does this mean that body weight exercises are superior? Not exactly. With free weights, you can easily add an extra plate or move on to a heavier dumbbell to increase resistance. With exercises like pushups and squats, there is really no way to increase resistance; you can only add more repetitions. Of course, with an exercise like the pushup, you can make it harder by elevating your feet or changing the position of your arms, but this also changes the muscles that are worked.

The best solution is to mix things up a bit. Work out with weights for several weeks, then switch it up with some body weight exercises for the next several weeks after. This will give your body a feel for different exercises. The debate over which type of exercise is better is a waste of time. They are all exercises and will get you into better shape.

Like all the other blood types, the O group also has unique dietary requirements; especially when it comes to protein. According to research, it has been proved that this blood group needs a high protein diet because it is consider a universal donor. It is essential to provide your body with the required nutrients it needs; in order to maintain healthy cells and tissues; and maintain overall health and vitality. The most prominent characteristic of Type O is that they do very well on a high protein diet. It is said about them that they thrive on intense physical exercise as well as animal proteins. Protein is essential in building muscles, restoring and replacing tissues, and maintaining a healthy immune and hormonal system. For people who are physically active, more protein is needed in their diets.

D’Adamo believes that people with type O blood should eat the kind of diet that are synonymous with the earliest humans; i.e. a diet that is rich in fat and animal protein. The more stressful your job or demanding your exercise program, the higher the grade of protein you should consume. The best sources of proteins include beef, lamb, mutton, veal and venison. Type Os can efficiently digest and metabolize meats specially bacon, ham, goose, pork. Cold-water fish are excellent for Type Os e.g. cod, herring, and mackerel.

Over the years, nuts and seeds have been among the best sources of protein for people of all types. Examples of these nuts are almonds, cashew nuts, peanuts, and walnuts. These can be consumed by type O’s in any form; whether they are chopped, eaten raw, or roasted. Other rich sources of protein are legumes; which are edible dried beans (seedpods) and include chickpeas, flagelot beans, kidney beans, split beans, haricot beans, and lentils. Eating protein rich cooked grains and cereals can also promote muscle building; which perfectly falls in the type O range. Algae, which are a type of seaweed, spirulina is among the best protein-rich foods there are; and is a very healthy option for type O individuals to consume.

With today’s technology, fruits can be eaten canned, frozen, or dried. Regardless of how these foods are prepared, fruits are still nutritious and included in the list of protein-rich foods. Seitan is a meat substitute. It is prepared from whole-wheat flour mixed with a sufficient amount of water, kneaded and rinsed in water, expelling starch and bran. The protein is simmered in a soya sauce to become seitan. Seitan broth can be added as a flavoring on any food; and is also a wonderful alternative for type O’s. All the above mentioned food nutrients are the best protein rich foods for people of the type O blood group.

High levels of uric acid (UA) in the body can lead to gout which is a particularly painful type of arthritis. So people who suffer from gout generally need to lower their uric acid and maintain it at healthier levels. One of the most common ways to do this is through a uric acid diet.

To better understand why people with gout may benefit from a uric acid diet it is worthwhile first getting to know what UA is, where it derives from, and why it can cause gout…

What Is Uric Acid?

UA is a compound of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, and is created when the body breaks down purine nucleotide molecules during its metabolism process. It is then excreted out of the body in urine as a waste product.

Uric acid is beneficial to us because it is a powerful antioxidant, accounting for around 50% of the total antioxidant capacity of blood serum. It is able to fight oxygen radicals that cause things such as cancer, heart disease, and aging, etc. For example, it is important in helping to prevent damage to your blood vessel linings.

So when UA is between the generally recognized normal levels (referred to as ‘the reference range’) of 3.6 mg/dL to 8.3 mg/dL, then this is a healthy thing. However, levels above this — a state called ‘hyperuricemia’ — and below this range — ‘ hypouricemia ‘– are not so good. Here we are concentrating on the former, hyperuricemia.

What Causes High Uric Acid in the Blood Leading to Gout?

There are several possible reasons for hyperuricimea; hereditary reasons, diet, kidney problems that prevent them processing UA effectively, too much UA production for the kidneys to handle, some medical conditions and medications, excessive alcohol consumption.

When we have the situation where someone has hyperuricemia, the excess acid in the blood can cause microscopic needle-like crystals of urate to accumulate in the joints and connective tissue over time.

The body’s natural inflammatory reaction — which seeks to expel the ‘intruder’ and start the healing process — is to increase blood flow around the area by dilating the blood vessels. This healing process gives rise to the symptoms of gout; redness, swelling, inflammation, heat and great pain.

Why a Uric Acid Diet?

Where does a uric acid diet fit into all of this? As well as existing in the human body, purines also exist in the foods we eat. Some foods have relatively high concentrations, some moderate, and some have relatively low concentrations of purines. This means that someone who eats a diet high in purines has a higher risk of hyperuricea and thus gout. The average person in the U.S. consumes between 600 and 1,000 milligrams of purines in their daily diet.

So a uric acid diet is a diet that has a better balance of foods such that the amount of UA produced during the metabolism process can be effectively processed by the kidneys so that the acid levels are maintained within the reference range outlined above.

Typical high-purine foods are fatty red meat, game, organ meat, fish and shellfish, poultry, dried legumes, yeast, yeast extracts. And some vegetables such as asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, and spinach are moderately high in purines.

Foods that are relatively low in purines are essential fatty acids, complex carbohydrates, low-fat dairy products, high vitamin C foods, green leafy vegetables, and fruit.

Uric Acid Diet List

A uric acid diet is a special diet that avoids or reduces medium to high purine foods and injects foods that are low in purines in a healthy, balanced way. Here is an example list of foods to consider in your UA diet…

(1) Breakfast

Select from:

wholemeal toast

fresh fruit salad

grapefruit

melon

banana

porridge

honey

low-fat yogurt

muesli with low-fat milk

soft boiled egg

(2) Lunch

Select from:

mixed salad

poached eggs

baked potato

grilled kippers

tomato soup

accompaniments:

cottage cheese

wholemeal toast

oatcakes

yogurt

scrambled eggs

grilled tomatoes

(3) Dinner

Select from:

chicken curry

stew with small amount of lean beef

baked / grilled wild salmon

veggie burgers

grilled chicken breast

vegetable casserole

accompaniments:

potatoes

carrots

parsnips

broccoli

oven baked french fries

scrambled egg

brown rice

grilled tomatoes

cabbage

Try to keep your total consumption of meat, poultry and fish down to 6 ounces per day. And limit yourself to 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks per day, as alcohol can inhibit UA excretion. Eat plenty of fruit such as cherries, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, etc., and drink plenty of water (2 to 3 litres per day) to help your kidneys flush uric acid out of your body.

Those treadmill reviews finally sold you on a particular model. So, you went ahead and purchased the unit. Now, you have it all setup in your home and you’re exercising regular. However, those treadmill reviews didn’t explain what comes next. Do you just keep walking forever at the same pace? Well, you can, but you’ll eventually plateau in terms of working out your muscles and in your cardiovascular workout. You’ll also be limiting results to just a fraction of what the treadmill can do for you.

Overview

By design, a cardiovascular machine, such as a treadmill, works all of the major muscle groups in a repetitive nature. This repetitive nature affords the exerciser high caloric expenditure while also increasing heart and lung strength. One of the greatest aspects of the treadmill, an aspect that the treadmill reviews often herald, is that it offers other benefits than simply working the cardiovascular system. One very popular benefit is thigh toning.

However, no matter how strenuous a workout is, it will begin to lose effectiveness over time. One might begin walking gently for 15 minutes every morning, but they will begin to achieve less and less as the body grows accustomed to the workout. This is called plateauing. When a treadmill workout becomes “too easy”, the exerciser has the options of lengthening the duration of the walk, increasing the speed of the walk, and increasing the incline of the walk. This is why treadmill reviews spend much time focusing on these efforts.

Another way to avoid leveling out is to avoid the repetitious movement. For instance, our natural walking motion works our quadriceps and our hamstrings. As we increase the cardiovascular elements of our routine, we can also mix in diversity to work on other parts of our body, such as focused toning and slimming of the thighs. Treadmills naturally tone the thighs, but with focus we can maximize use of the treadmill’s features for improve the efficiency of our work.

Step 1

Many people learn just enough about their treadmill to get them by. Think back to those treadmill reviews, and all of that discussion of how one model offered particular advantages. Let’s start leveraging those advantages. If you haven’t already, learn how to adjust the speed, and then to adjust the incline. Using a combination of speed increase and incline increase, the exerciser can achieve a more rigorous workout.

Step 2

Just because you can work out at a certain speed or incline doesn’t mean you should start there. Warm up and then start slow. Work up to your top speed or incline gradually. Not only is this better for your health, it more effectively tones your body. Perhaps walk at a brisk pace for a couple of minutes, and then increase that to a light jog, and continue at that rate for 3 minutes.

If you can handle it, turn up the speed to run at 80% of your maximum for 30 seconds, and then turn it down so that you are at 50% for a minute. This is a great way to manipulate your heart rate effectively. Do you remember all that talk of heart rate monitors in those treadmill reviews? If you have one, this would be a great time to start using it.

Continue alternating at this rate a dozen times, and then finish the workout with a low-intensity 5-minute jog. Keep in mind that this type of workout is very intense. It’s a great way to work out those thighs and increase your caloric expenditure. However, don’t take the plunge too soon. Work your way up to this rigorous level.

Step 3

At this stage, it’s time to perform incline intervals. Incline training is amazing for its cardiovascular benefits, and it increases the workload on your thigh muscles. Step 2 will provide the perfect warm-up to Step 3. First, turn the speed down slightly. Now, increase the incline until at a grade of 3 to 5. The range is generally 0 to 10.

Run at this incline for one minute, and then decrease incline to zero, and increase speed. Jog at this new configuration for 2 minutes. Then, turn the speed down, adjust the incline back to where you had it, and jog for a minute. Repeat this cycle a dozen times. When this becomes too easy, stop alternating, and perform the entire step in an inclined position.

Step 4

Remember to work out on a regular basis. Whether you want to improve conditioning or tone your thighs, it’s not going to happen through casual use of the treadmill. Four times per week at 30 to 45 minutes is a good target. It’s all right to divide the workout further as long as you are experiencing the full range each time. Also, use creativity to alternate workouts to keep things interesting. For instance, do all flat work one day, and all incline work the next.

How to Work Out the Front and Back Aspects of the Thighs

Step 1

Toning the front and back of the thighs, the quadriceps and hamstrings, will occur naturally when you follow the steps above. However, some people do their calisthenics work elsewhere, and use the treadmill simply for toning. In this case, the repetition is most important, so set the speed and incline at whatever allows for brisk walk or an easy jog.

Step 2

Perform interval training as described above, but there’s no need for it be as high stress. Alternate between an inclined and a flat level walk as often as needed to achieve proper recovery.

Step 3

However, the focus should be on lengthening the stress period, which is where the best toning occurs, and shortening the recovery time.

How to Work Out the Inner and Outer Aspects of the Thighs

Step 1

To work the inner and outer thighs, the exerciser stands on the treadmill sideways. In other words, face the handrail. Securely hold onto the handrail, and turn the treadmill on at a slow speed. Walking sideways will tone the abductors and adductors, or inner and outer thighs.

Step 2

Stick with the slow speed for a while. Even at a slow speed, this is a great workout, and the point now is to gain the balance and coordination that will allow you to handle this workout at higher speeds.

Step 3

Once you have the flat walk down at the lowest speed, raise the incline one grade. Once you have the feel for it, go ahead and raise it to a medium level. Repetition helps toning while incline works more of the leg muscles, and thus creates more defined thighs.

Step 4

Concentrate on moving your legs apart and then back together. While facing the handrail, move the left foot to the front of the machine. Now, bring the right foot to meet it in a side skipping or sachet motion. Now, switch sides and repeat the process.

Step 5

Only increase speed and incline when you’re comfortable with the current speed and incline. As you master this exercise, you can vary the incline and speed levels throughout the workout to increase intensity.

Tips & Warnings

• Always warm up. Yes, you should warm up prior to walking for extending periods.

• Use proper footwear. Failure to do so could damage your feet and legs over time.

• Consult with a doctor prior to doing anything more than a natural walking motion.

• Do you remember the discussion of the kill switch in those treadmill reviews? Learn how to use it.

• Using the incline requires a slower pace than a flat surface due to the increase in gravitational resistance.

• Treadmill reviews make a point of discussing handrail quality. It’s an important feature, and make certain you have a strong grip on them before performing inner or outer thigh work.

• Respect the machine. People underestimate the level of injury a treadmill can cause.

As a skinny guy you’re probably pretty proud of your naturally low body fat percentage, and your great set of six pack abs.

However, gaining some extra pounds of muscle mass would be awesome right? Think of how all those girls’ heads will turn when you walk by them on the beach, muscular and super ripped with washboard abs.

Only problem is that bulking up is not that simple. The biggest danger you’ll face is packing on pounds of excess fat along with the extra muscle, causing you to lose those precious abs.

Traditionally, you’d be pretty much stuck with your lot…i.e. bulking up and then having to trim down later, with no guarantee you’ll get your six pack back.

However, thanks to better understanding in recent years about how our bodies store fat, there are some techniques that you can use to bulk up fast without losing your abs.

Shorten Your Bulking Cycles

A big mistake that many skinny guys make and one of the main reasons they lose their abs is simply that their bulking phase is TOO long.

If you’ve ever noticed significant muscle gains at the start of a bulking phase only to see those gains tail off and plateau, then you’ve witnessed the effect of a long bulking phase.

Typically, once those muscle gains begin to tail off the fat gain increases. Why stay on a long bulking phase if you end up getting fat?

Shortening your cycle will allow you to bulk up faster without getting a fat stomach.

Time Your Meals For Maximum Effect

Eating the right nutrients is vital to avoid losing your abs while bulking up.

However, equally important is the need to time your meals properly. Eating at the wrong time will ruin your hard work and make fat gain much more likely.

The pre and post-workout windows are THE most important meals for building muscle and minimising fat gain. High amounts of carbs are best before a workout, while quickly-absorbed protein is best after a workout as it will be easier to utilise at this point.

The rest of your meals should be equally spread out to keep your metabolic rate consistent and avoid spikes and crashes in your blood sugar levels which will contribute to fatty, sugary cravings.

Harness Your Body’s Own Anabolic Power

Research shows your muscle building hormone production peaks out after 14 days, which means that after this time your body is gradually less efficient at gaining muscle, resulting in more and more fat gain, since the excess calories are partitioned to the fat stores more than the muscles.

This brings us back to the first point about shortening your bulking phases to 2 weeks. You can follow it up with a week of cutting, and then repeat the process.

Doing this ensures that you maximise your body’s natural ability to produce those essential muscle building hormones, and are able to capitalise on it in a way that most guys can only dream off (they often resort to junk hormone supplements and other nonsense).

Want to lose weight fast? A 3 day diet is perfect if you need to lose weight for a special occasion, like a wedding, or a graduation, or even a job interview. Depending on how much you weigh now, you can lose five to seven pounds.

This weight loss can help you to look great on your special day because your clothes fit well. A 3 day diet can also motivate you to keep on losing weight. However, be aware that you should never stay on one of these diets for longer than three days — they can harm your health.

Aim to eat around 1000 calories a day for the three days — if you don’t have a calorie counter, get one before you start.

Big tip: go on this diet during the work week. You’ll be busy, and won’t have time to spend thinking about food.

Low Calorie Breakfasts

Don’t try to cut calories by going without breakfast. You’ll feel very hungry by mid-morning, and may break your diet. Here are some easy breakfast ideas: a hard boiled egg with a slice of toast; two slices of toast with honey; three tablespoons of oats cooked with skim milk; or a small tub of yogurt.

Low Calorie Lunches

For your lunches, consider any protein plus a small salad, and a piece of fruit. Your protein options: a slice of beef, chicken or turkey, or a small single-serve tin of tuna. Cheese is also an option.

Low Calorie Dinners

Follow the “protein plus vegetables” theme for dinner. Ensure that you broil or roast meat, rather than frying it. Fill your plate with vegetables, and you won’t be hungry at all.

If you’re in doubt about the calorie count of a meal, look it up in your calorie counter.

Low Calories Snacks

Fruit needs to be your first choice when it comes to snacks. You can chop up apple and other fruits for a quick fruit salad to take with you to work.

Once your 3 day diet is over, go back to eating a normal diet. If you stay on a very low calorie diet for too long, your metabolism will slow, which means that you’ll put on weight very easily.

I know that all of the elliptical and treadmill worshipers are probably fuming at me now after that article headline, but the fact is, ellipticals and treadmills are one of the least effective methods of working out in existence. With this article, I’ll show you how to get a much more effective fat-burning workout without wasting time mindlessly exercising on a boring elliptical machine or treadmill.

Now first let me state that if you really honestly enjoy your elliptical machine workouts and treadmill exercise routines, then I give you my blessing to keep doing what you love. The reason is that even though ellipticals and treadmills are relatively ineffective compared to other types of exercises, whatever you actually enjoy doing the most is going to benefit you most in the long run because you will be more likely to stick with it more consistently.

However, don’t say that I didn’t warn you that you might be wasting your time with all these boring mindless cardio machine workouts.

I’ve talked about this previously with my ezine subscribers… I actually do not believe in cardio machines as a good form of working out at all. This might surprise you coming from a fitness nut such as myself, but I don’t think I’ve personally used an exercise bike, treadmill, elliptical, or any other cardio machine for at least 8 years or more.

In fact, I don’t even use cardio machines anymore for warm-ups before my workouts. I actually think it’s a much more effective warm-up to do dumbbell and/or kettlebell swings, snatches, clean & presses, etc, mixed with bodyweight exercises as a great full-body warm-up before working out.

Why do I think cardio machines are so awful? Well, here’s 5 reasons:

1) Treadmills and ellipticals are just a very ineffective way to workout compared to other options. Why should you do treadmill or elliptical workouts when you can get better results by doing more interesting forms of training that actually stimulate a fat-burning hormonal response and stimulate your metabolism to a greater extent.

2) Elliptical machines and treadmills are insanely expensive and a waste of money for people that work out at home… there are so many better things for home workouts you could have spent your money on rather than wasting it on an elliptical machine, treadmill, or exercise bike.

You’ll see plenty of ideas below for better home workouts if you don’t like going to a gym to work out.

3) I have seen several studies that indicated results that treadmill running may be less effective than outdoor running for various reasons such as stride abnormalities on treadmills vs natural running, slightly less caloric burn compared to outdoor running, and so on.

(although I never recommend just “jogging” anyway… variable intensity walking/running or sprinting are much more effective, training your heart rate in a much wider range instead of the same heart rate range the whole time).

4) Steady state exercise (that doesn’t require concentration on what you’re doing) while watching tv or reading a newspaper or magazine creates a mind/body disconnect resulting in extremely poor results compared to exercise that requires focused attention.

5) Elliptical and treadmill workouts are just mind-numbingly boring!

So what are some good alternatives to elliptical machine and treadmill workouts? Some of my favorites are:

• Outdoor wind sprint workouts – This is the ultimate workout for a rock hard lean body… just look at the powerful yet super-lean and ripped bodies of world class sprinters, and compare that to the withering weakling physiques of typical marathoners… what would you rather look like?
• Jumping rope – incredible mind/body connection and actually fun (you can try speed jumping, crossover jumps, and double jumps once you get good at it)
• Kettlebell workouts – nothing will get your heart pounding and sweat pouring like high rep kettlebell swings and/or snatches (or clean & presses)! These can be done with dumbbells too, but I prefer kettlebells as they have a better “feel” to them and the unbalanced nature of KBs makes you work harder)
• Bodyweight exercises – mountain climbers, bodyweight squats, push-ups, jumping drills, lunges, bear crawls, plank holds, and so on.
• The good old fashioned rowing machine – I don’t really lump this in as a “cardio” machine per se like elliptical machines and treadmills… Rather, I think the rowing machine is actually a great full body workout that actually uses real resistance)
• Hill sprinting – running as hard up a hill as possible, followed by walking down and repeating as many times as you can for a full workout (yet another classic drill for a rock hard lean body)
• Shadow boxing… a killer workout, but if you are shy, this is best done at home since you will get some crazy looks doing this at a typical gym!
• Swimming sprints – a more muscle toning workout compared with steady pace distance swimming… I actually love the upper body pump I get from sprint swimming (instead of swimming slow and steady, with sprint swimming, you swim as fast as you can exerting as much force as you can for 1 lap. Then rest for 15-20 seconds before doing another swim sprint).
• Heavy bag punching/kicking workouts, speed bag, rebounding bag… all are tremendous workouts and much more fun than boring cardio machines (requires an very intense mind/body connection which increases results).

I hope this article gives you lots of ideas you can use to go out right away and bring some more variety into your workouts instead of relying on the same old dull elliptical machine and treadmill workout routines. Have fun!