Lots of people who want to lose weight (actually, they want to lose bodyfat) head to the treadmills, and walk and walk and walk.
Or run, run, run …
Or they jump on the ellipticals and stride, stride, stride …
But is what they’re doing really going to do the job?
Get them the results they’re looking for?
How many times do you see someone on a treadmill day after day after day, churning out minutes and miles, and they look pretty much exactly the same as when they started a few months ago?
Sure, there is nothing wrong with cardio, but walking or running on a treadmill every day can get monotonous; boring; no fun. Who wants to do something every day or even several times a week that is no fun?
Maybe that’s why so many people who head to the gym with good intentions disappear after a while, eh?
So what to do?
How about strength training?
Adding muscle mass to your body actually increases your metabolism, and not just while you’re exercising but your everyday, overall metabolism. Adding muscle turns your body into more of a fat-burning machine.
Seriously!
And we’re not talking about getting all muscled up. Just adding a little lean mass to your frame, with the side benefit of making your bones stronger, too.
If nothing else, do pushups, bodyweight squats and lunges, dips, pull-ups.
If you do work out on a treadmill, how about adding some intervals to your session?
That’s right, intervals. Here’s what you do:
Walk at a comfortable pace for a few minutes to get warmed up, then speed it up a little. For example, I would warm up at around 3.5 or 3.6 mph, then increase it to 4.0 for a minute or two, Now, jack that speed up a few notches and walk faster for 30 seconds or a minute, then come back down to 4.0 or maybe 3.7, 3.8. You should be slightly out of breath. If not, you didn’t go high enough.
After a minute or so, increase the speed again and keep it there for a half a minute to a minute, then back down. Keep alternating back and forth like that, and rev up the ol’ metabolism.
Same thing on an exercise bike.
Get in a good warmup for four or five minutes at a comfortable pace, then increase the speed and go as hard as you can for 30 seconds. Come back down to your comfortable pace for a minute or two, then back up. Over and over like that.
Good job.
So add some interval training to your cardio, and add some strength training to the mix.
You’re gonna love what happens.
