One of the best ways to burn off belly fat and get a flat stomach is to do cardio workouts. But not all cardio is the same. Some workouts are much better at burning fat fast than others. The better your workouts, the faster you will get lean and firm.

So, which are the best belly fat burning cardio workouts? In my mind, it’s the following:

1. Running – My all time favorite. Running is an excellent way to burn fat from all over your body because it’s intensive and incorporates all the major muscle groups (and a lot of the minor ones too). Make sure to run at changing speeds to really push your body to the limit of its endurance. This will allow you to make the most of your workout time.

2. Rowing – The reason I love rowing is that it’s a strength workout and a cardio workout. This gives you a double benefit: you’re adding muscle tissue which helps to burn calories faster, and you’re shedding fat with the cardio stimulation you’re getting. You will also tone your arms in the process which is always a great thing.

3. Walking – Walking isn’t as intensive as running, but it’s an excellent cardio workout to burn belly fat if you make sure to do it right. Try to walk fast, walk at an incline, consider walking with ankle weights or dumbbells to add to the intensity.

4. Kickboxing – My coordination isn’t great so I don’t do well at these classes, but for those of you who dislike same pace cardio, this is an excellent way to get your entire body into shape and to burn some stomach fat in the process. You won’t even feel the time go by in these classes. They always end too soon.

5. Basketball – I love this sport because it incorporates a lot of jumping. When you jump, your body is always pushed to the limit. Also, basketball is an excellent team sport and a lot of fun. For most people, ball games are  lot more interesting cardio workouts then running or rowing, or any traditional cardio. If you play a good game, you will burn a lot of calories and also have a lot of fun in the process.

Fitness is very important for people today. They are becoming more and more aware about the different fitness training programs. It is one of the most important things that people should take care of and must not avoid a single day. Cardio exercises are indeed a vital thing to do daily. Especially people who are engaged in the desk work should do these cardio exercises at home if they do not get a chance to go to gym. There are two main exercises that one can do when they are not fir physically are: standing bike and step exercises. These two exercises are very effective and can be done at the home ease.

Standing bike

A standing bike allows you to get cardio exercise at home in an expedient manner. You can sit on the bike and start peddling it. You can also do other activities like watching TV or any movie, while peddling the bike. The activities like reading can also be done, if your speed is lower and consistent.

Step exercises

Step workout can be done without any requirement of special devices at home. You can use staircase of home or some large stable box to step on it and getting down. It increases the activity of heart and pumping of blood gets rapidly, hence exercising the heart.

Repeat these exercises at regular interval and do not skip any day. You can easily get a strong and a healthy heart by these exercises.

I hope that this article has helped.

Real cardio workout exercises come from moving around your own body resistance, period! Forget about the treadmill and elliptical trainers because those are only good for collecting dust and taking up space. You need to implement the use of your own body resistance if you are serious about getting some real results. Check out the following 3 body weight drills I have included here for you for an extreme cardio workout.

Body Weight Exercises For Cardio!

1. Burpees: The burpee is a whole body calisthenic that is excellent for helping you to obtain a high level of both cardiovascular conditioning and muscular strength. This drill is performed with you executing 4 steps. Begin by standing with your feet at about shoulder width distance apart. From here the first step involves you crouching down to place your hands on the ground. Step 2 involves you kicking your feet back behind you extending your body into an upright push up position. Step 3 involves you executing a normal push up. Step 4 ends the drill with you simply standing up and preparing yourself to go through the entire process again.

2. Squat Jumps: Squat jumps are a tremendous body weight drill that is sure to elevate your level of perceived exertion and give you an awesome cardio exercise routine. Begin this drill by standing with your feet at shoulder width apart in length. From here you are going to execute a counter movement with your arms by swinging them back as you drop your hips and butt back to descend down into the squat. Once you reach the bottom of the squat you are going to forcefully and explosively execute a triple extension of your hips, knees, and ankles with enough force to propel yourself up off of the ground. When you come back down make sure to land heel to toe and triple flex at your hips, knees, and ankles in order to recoil your body and prepare yourself for the following jump. All of the jumps should be done in continuous succession for an extreme cardiovascular workout.

3. Mountain Climbers: This is a tremendous cardio strength training drill that is sure to elevate your heart rate and help you to torch the body fat. To execute this exercise you will want to get into an upright push up position with one of your knees staggered and flexed up underneath your chest. The other leg should be extended with you supporting your weight on the balls of your feet in both legs. This almost looks like a sprinter’s start position. From here you are going to forcefully and quickly extend the leg that is underneath your body and simultaneously flex the opposite leg bringing it up to your chest. Back and forth and in rapid succession you are going to constantly switch your legs while keeping your hands flat on the ground. After only a few reps you will see why this is such a tremendous body weight cardio workout.

If you haven’t already started to implement the following 3 drills into your own extreme cardio workout routine then you are missing out. Take the time to learn more by accessing more of my articles on the subject for free. Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only the best train smart.

Last week’s vocabulary primer on weight-training lingo set the stage for today’s lesson on terms you may see on the display in bright lights on cardiovascular equipment, or hear lean runners and sinewy cyclists discussing at the gym. Words like “fat-burning,” “aerobic,” “anaerobic,” and “cardio” often leave the average exerciser or the gym newcomer wondering just what to do on a piece of cardio equipment. A smiling, bubbly aerobics instructor stops halfway through class to take a “heart rate check,” but what does that really tell you? The ferocious Spinning instructor keeps referring to “Energy Zones,” but what is he talking about? Perhaps these definitions and explanations will help clear up your confusion.

Resting Heart Rate (RHR) – your heart rate at total rest. The best way to determine your RHR is to take your heart rate for one minute for three consecutive days, before rising from bed in the morning, and ideally upon waking naturally as opposed to being awakened by an alarm. Take the average of the three readings for your RHR.

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) – the absolute highest number of times your heart is capable of beating in one minute. You do not want to exert yourself to this level in an exercise session. To determine your MHR, males – take the number 220 and subtract your age. Females, subtract your age from 226.

Target Heart Rate (THR) – your THR is a percentage of your MHR, and is determined by how hard you want to work and for how long. The type of workout, and therefore the THR, you choose is based on your fitness and/or performance goals.

Aerobic (may also be referred to as cardio, fat-burning, or endurance) – refers to activities that require oxygen and that increase your heart rate to within 65 and 80% of your MHR. It is important to work in this “zone” in order to improve your aerobic capacity and VO2 max – a measure of your ability to use oxygen to burn fat. Working in the aerobic zone increases the strength and size of your heart, meaning it doesn’t have to pump as many times to distribute blood through your body and therefore decreasing your RHR. The misleading blinking lights on the cardio equipment telling you that you are working in the “fat-burning zone” neglect to tell you that, in order to access your fat stores, you must work steadily in that zone for at least 60 minutes.

Anaerobic – 80 – 92% MHR. Usually one can remain in the anaerobic state for only short intervals. The length of the interval depends on the intensity – the harder you work, the less time you can stay there. Intervals may be performed in periods ranging from 30 seconds to 10 minutes, depending again on your fitness level and your goals.

Interval Training – periods of high intensity followed by periods of lower intensity. Working harder, at a higher intensity, or for a longer time, requires a longer recovery segment to allow the heart rate to fall. During interval training, the THR, or intensity of effort, is related to the length of the interval. The intervals can be long, with a recovery of equal time, and a lower THR (for example, 5 minutes working at a THR of 85%, with 5 minutes recovery), or short and at a higher intensity, with a longer recovery (30 seconds on at a THR of 95%, 60 seconds recovery).

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) – how hard you feel like you are working. The standard RPE scale is on a measurement of 1 – 20, with 1 being very very light and 20 being very very hard. I prefer a 1 – 10 scale, with 1 being “I’m sitting on the sofa eating bon-bons and watching Seinfeld reruns,” and 10 being “someone please call 911!” My scale of 1 – 10 seems to correspond nicely with the THR percentages given. For example, when I ask people to describe their effort level on a scale of 1 – 10, someone who answers “7” is usually working near the 70% range of their MHR, and is capable of carrying on a conversation with some breathlessness.

Keep in mind that the percentages referred to above are based solely on your age. For a more accurate prediction of your THR for different types of workouts, you should also factor in your resting heart rate using what is known as the Karvonen formula. A 35-year-old male, with an RHR of 65, wanting to exercise at an intensity of 70%, would determine his THR as follows:

220 – 35 = 185 (MHR)

185 – 65 (RHR) = 120

120 x 70% = 84

84 + 65 (RHR) = 149

Therefore, this person would want to maintain a THR of approximately 149 bpm to work in the desired aerobic zone.

So, with these facts and figures in mind, you should have something to ponder when you begin your next cardio session!

Looking to get into super great shape this summer? Tired of the same old cardio workouts like running? Below are some of the best cardio workouts that will present a totally new challenge for some, and are fantastic for burning carbs and strengthening the upper and lower body, so when the suns out you’ll be in great shape to flaunt your assets!

1. Rollerblading

Now this might sound like a bit of a massive challenge to begin with, being that you have to get to grips with balance while you’ll obviously have the odd full – but fear not.

Pad yourself up and find a quiet flat stretch to initially get your feet wet, then when your confidence increases start taking on the hills.

Perfect for a lower aerobic and anaerobic workout, you’ll work the glutes, calves and hamstrings, really strengthening the legs while improving your aerobic and cardio energy.

2. Hiking

Try and get out at the weekend.

An essential for mind, body and spirit, a good 2 hour hike depending on the terrain will burn at least a 1000 calories and do wonders for your overall color!

Another lower body workout, however if you were to make it a weekend and camp, then obviously the equipment you’ll carry will make it a complete body workout.

3. Beach Volleyball

Short sharp movement on sand is an intense cardio workout and this sport will also really work the glutes and upper body strength, especially toning the stomach muscles.

A great outdoor team sport, it’s probably the most physically demanding of short cardio workout sports second to boxing or Muay Thai.

4. Tennis

Similar to beach volleyball in that it requires short sharp sprints, the fact that you play one on one means this regularity in body movement promotes the speed at which you burn fat, therefore creating a faster natural metabolic body rate over time.

5. Swimming

This has to be the best cardio workout working both upper and lower body through low impact stress, so perfect for strengthening joints and muscle tissue that surrounds the joints, tendons and ligaments.

Swimming is therefore the perfect complement for high impact cardio sports, and will burn calories super fast once you build up your reps, or laps making sure to alternate strokes so you work the different muscle groups.

Bottom line:

Not only are these considered perhaps the best 5 cardio workouts for super fast weight loss, they’re extremely exhilarating and promote, mental and physical strength.

I am here to tell you my friend that if you are wanting to achieve a mind blowing total body blasting cardio workout you have got to include the ancient style of kettlebell training into your personal workouts. To be more specific you need to implement timed kettlebell swings into your cardio strength training in order to lose weight, to get ripped, and to develop and unmatched level of cardiovascular fitness that will blow away anything you have ever tried.

If you have heard of the kettlebell by now you realize that this ancient strength and conditioning device has been around for a long time. Kettlebells certainly do not fall into the same category as those silly pieces of fad fitness equipment that you see on those infomercials that try to sale you something that is here today and gone tomorrow. No, this particular device has been around for over three centuries. One of the base lifts of the kettlebell is known as the double arm swing. This particular kettlebell lift is a tremendous strength endurance lift that incorporates hundreds of your muscles and about 80% of your body’s total effort to pull it off. This particular exercise basically involves you having to swing the iron bell with both arms back and forth like a pendulum from between your legs up to at least chest level. This sounds easy, but trust me you will not think so after executing 20 or 30 of these in a row with perfect form and with a moderately heavy bell. To step up the intensity of this particular exercise even more you can implement a tactic that I like to use that involves timed sets. For instance, you may set a time limit of like 30 seconds to execute a set of swings. The objective is to try to execute as many repetitions of the swings as you possibly can within the 30 second time limit. Once again, you will want to be 100% confident in your technique before attempting this particular strategy. You will also want to perform this strategy with a workout partner so that you can have him or her keep up with both the time and reps while you are swinging and then you can switch roles. This is certainly a hard hitting cardiovascular exercise for superior weight loss and it will also give you the cardiovascular fitness of a race horse!

Timed kettlebell swings will get you to where you are wanting to go if you are about getting results my friend. If you are interested in other cool training strategies like this one feel free to access the rest of my articles on the subject for free. Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only the best train smart my friend. Give it a try!

In my last article I wrote about free radicals and what it can do to your body. My last article stated that free radicals can ruin the body and they come to the surface as a result of doing the wrong cardio exercises. In this article I want to expand a little more about the effects of doing the wrong cardio exercises. Here are 4 more side effects on your body as a result:

• Degenerative Joints: When you doing the wrong exercises, you can cause wear and tear to your joints and bones. So degenerative joints are joints that has a lot of wear and tear.Think about marathon (as well as triathlon) runners. These guys put their body and bones and joint under a heavy, steady load for hours at end. See how thin their muscles look as a result of that. Bones and muscles always go together, if you do not have strong muscles they will not support your bones and joints.
• Immune Function Reduction: Again, as a result of doing the wrong exercises, you can increase activity of free radicals, and that is linked directly to bad immune function. It is also worth mentioning that degenerative joints as well as the other two side effects I will mention below all contribute to a weak immune system.
• Muscle Waste: Look at marathoners physic, their muscles are wasted because they train all their lives for a steady pace running. Now look at 100 meter sprinters physic, like Usain Bolt. Good looking fellows, much more attractive than marathoners. This is because they train at bursts of excursion for their races, and that produce a lot of good stimulus in their body.
• Pro-inflammatory: Activity that promote inflammation. And this is again due to performing the wrong exercises.

All in all our body is one force. It function as a whole. That is why many people making a big mistake when they try to isolate muscles when the do their workout. So you can see from the four points above how one thing leads to the other and how if we are doing the wrong thing it can have a domino effect on our health, a negative domino effect that is.

In my next few articles I will lay out what GOOD cardio you can do to get fit and lose weight and why it is more beneficial to your body health wise. Stay tuned because there is more valuable FREE information to come.

Traditionally, a cardio workout has consisted of a leisurely hour-long trek on the treadmill or exercise bike. Can you say, “Boring!”? Those types of cardio sessions are falling by the wayside. They take too long, and aren’t as effective as once thought. Now, people are starting to look to more effective methods, like cardio workouts with weights (if you’re in fair shape to start with).

A more intense program, like a cardio workout with weights, will give you more bang for your buck than twiddling away the hours on the treadmill. Weights add both resistance and intensity to your workout, increasing both the efficiency and effectiveness. This translates into better results in less time.

The advantage of resistance is that it helps you keep (and build) muscle. If your goal is fat loss, you want density in your muscles. That’s what will give you the look you want. If you don’t have firm muscles, then you still won’t look muscular and fit – even after you’ve burned off a good bit of fat. Compare the physiques of a sprinter and a long distance runner. The sprinter is more muscular because of the short, intense exertions. The long distance runner may be thin, but they often lack muscle density.

Thrusters

While not all weight-training exercises lend themselves to cardio training, there are several that do. If you want to add weights to your cardio exercise routines, consider thrusters. Descriptions and even videos are easy to find online, and they can be done with barbells, dumbbells, or kettlebells.

Sandbag Training

Sandbag training is another option. Cardio workouts with weights aren’t limited to standard barbells and dumbbells. Make a sandbag and simply pick it up and put it down. Stand next to something a few feet tall (a pickup tailgate for example), and pick the sandbag up from the ground and put it on the tailgate. Then lift it off the tailgate and put it back on the ground. Repeat as necessary. Or for maximum simplicity, pick up a sandbag and carry it as far as you can.

Kettlebell Training

Other great options are the kettlebell swing and kettlebell snatch. Kettlebells offer excellent bang for the buck. Both the swing and the snatch will fulfill any cardio need you may have – heart, lungs, and fat burning. I’ve personally gotten my best overall fitness results with kettlebells. They’re highly recommended.

Cardio Before or After Weight Lifting?

One question that often comes up is whether you should do cardio before or after weight lifting. In workouts such as these where your cardio is your weight lifting, two birds have been killed with one stone. However, it’s often a good idea to focus on one or the other for a time. In this case, I recommend doing your weight training first, then finish with your cardio. If you’re lifting relatively heavy weights, you want to be at your strongest – not worn down from a cardio session. First, it’s a safety issue, secondly, your progress will suffer.

Cardio workouts with weights can greatly improve your progress. For information about actually putting together a routine, check into circuit training and interval training. If you’re in fair shape, stop wasting time with casual low-intensity cardio workouts such as walking, slow jogging, or lazy bike pedaling. You can get better results in less time with weights and/or higher intensity.

There is a common misconception that only men have issues with abdominal fat. The fact is that almost every woman suffers from this problem at least once in their lifetime. Pregnancy, menopause, polycystic ovaries and genetic predispositions can make women lose their waistlines. Of course, diet is one of the options you should consider when you want to lose weight, but the combination of proper nutrition and exercising always give the best results.

Our tummy is one of the most stubborn body parts for losing weight. Only teenagers can build up six-pack abs quickly. The rest of us have to put some serious effort in the procedure. After you start trying, it becomes clears that doing endless series of sit-ups are far from enough – you do shape up your abs by doing them, but they stay buried under layers of fat.

If you are trying to burn your extra belly padding with cardio exercise, you probably already know that not everything is in intensity and length of the training. Forcing yourself to go beyond your limits can be even dangerous – it might happen that you injure yourself, or endanger your health, especially if you haven’t exactly been a fitness guru in last couple of years. Remember that it took you months and years to accumulate that extra weight around your waist and that you need some time and persistence in order to get rid of it.

So, if you are a woman who wants to lose weight in the abdominal area, you should definitely start slowly and exercise regularly. Most of the women want to do something creative with their time and they get easily bored with the intense cardio workout if it is monotonous. If you have problems with the lack of motivation, choose one of the group trainings at least three times a week, and do the rest all by yourself. That will keep you active even if you don’t want to do it.

Devote 20 minutes of every day to intense cardio training on any gym machine or group activity you like or at your own home. You could even walk or run outside, as long as you feel happy and confident with what you are doing. After a workout, do 15 minutes of low cardio and feed yourself immediately, because your body is looking for the calories you lost. Smoothies and protein shakes are the best food you can get after a workout.

And don’t forget about one of the most important components of weight losing process – always believe in yourself no matter what you do and stay faithful to your goals. Soon, you will be delighted to look at the mirror and see a nicely shaped figure in that magnificent long-forgotten dress that is languishing in the back of your closet somewhere.

Elliptical trainers have become very popular in healthclubs all over the country in recent years. They also have a growing popularity as the preferred piece if home fitness equipment. You may be wondering if an elliptical helps cardio fitness. Here will explore its benefits in this respect.

Home fitness equipment can broadly be divided into two types. Resistance equipment that can help build muscle strength and cardiovascular (cardio) equipment that can help improve stamina and endurance. Resistance equipment is typically weights and weights machines. Cardio equipment includes treadmills, rowing machines and of course the elliptical trainer.

The elliptical can be a great way to increase cardio fitness for several reasons. Because you are working out the arms at the same time as the legs you are using more muscle groups. This means that the heart has to work harder to supply the oxygen hungry muscles of the arms. This is a benefit over treadmills, which primarily work out the legs.

Most people find that using an elliptical machine is also more enjoyable then a treadmill. Some complain that using a treadmill to improve your fitness is simply a bit boring. An elliptical also has a variety of inbuilt programs that can further add to the variety that it offers.

It is a good idea to chart your progress when you are using an elliptical trainer. You can make a record card to measure your resting heart rate (RHR) and the type of exercise that you have performed. You should record the distance covered (if your elliptical allows this measurement) and the time spent. One of the measures of cardio fitness is the length of time that it takes for your heart to return to normal resting heart rate after exertion. You can also record this figure at regular intervals. As time goes by, you should be aiming for a lower RHR and quicker return to RHR after exercise.