Anyone trying to get in shape or lose body fat, consider it a “fact” that they need “cardio workout routines” to accomplish these goals. I Am going to show you why you never have to do any traditional cardio to lose weight.

Some of the leanest and meanest people I know (men and women), NEVER do any type of normal or traditional cardio. Jogging,treadmill etc. When you hear cardio, what do you think of? Most people think cardio is working out on the treadmill,stationary bike, or maybe the elliptical machine. Well this is cardio but what I call “traditional cardio exercise routine”.

Cardio is ANY type of exercise that strengthens the heart muscles, improve respiration, provide muscle tone and increases bodily energy and endurance. To clarify, it’s any thing that gets your heart pumping.

Pick up some weights and started doing some reps and you will feel your heart going if you have a weight that challenges you, you are conditioning your heart. Don’t think because its weight training that it’s not a cardio workout routine. If you lift light weights, lift them properly, and take very few breaks during the workout, you will get an excellent cardiovascular workout and also build muscle.

Here are a few examples of good cardio workouts to name a few…

Clean and press exercises, kettle bell swings, try 20 reps of one arm swings, or two arm swings or dumb bell step ups. How about trying 5 minutes straight of rotating body weight squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest between. Notice your heart pounding and sweat pouring off of you. I go into more detail about these exercises on my website. It needs to be intense with with very little rest between sets.

It doesn’t matter if you are lifting 250 pounds or just the bar bell at 45 pounds. If you are getting your heart rate up its working. Once you do these you won’t be saying that it is not conditioning your heart. Most people you see at the gyms and going steady on the cardio machines, many watching TV and reading magazines. Let’s get serious, if you can read or watch TV while doing any exercise then your not focused enough on what your doing not to mention probably not working out hard enough to see any results.

Look around your gym, find the people that have fit, sculpted bodies; I bet you won’t them see spending endless hours on the treadmills but most likely you will see them lifting weights. Don’t get me wrong cardio machines do have their benefits if done properly BUT if you want to burn fat and get that sculpted body then lifting weights is vital.

These styles of a cardio workout routines will save you time and strengthen and condition every major muscle in your body. Muscle burns fats so build more muscle and burn more fat. This sure beats long boring exercises on the treadmill.