Top 3 Cardio Machines for Your Home Gym
There are many different ways to get cardio exercise. You can play your favorite sport, go for a jog, or go biking. However, sometimes it is more convenient to get your cardio exercise in your own home. There are many different types of machines for cardio and many different features and designs of each type. So which is the best?
1.) The Treadmill
The treadmill is probably the most popular choice for a cardio exercise machine. They allow you to run in a stationary spot at different speeds. This makes it possible for you to get a killer cardio workout in the comfort of your own living room, garage, or home gym. They come with variety of different styles and features. As a result, they vary drastically in price depending on the brand, type of features, and overall performance. For example, some treadmills come with heartrate monitor and some don’t. Some of the high end treadmills even have LCD screens so you can watch TV during your workout. When choosing a treadmill, you will need to decide which features are most important to you and go from there. In comparison to some other machines, the treadmill probably takes up the most space – something to consider.
2.) The Elliptical
The elliptical is a great machine for cardio and usually doesn’t take up as much space as a treadmill. It is similar to a stair climbing movement, but much more gradual and fluid. Not only is it a good machine for cardio, but it strengthens the muscles in the legs and glutes. Just like the treadmill, they come in many different configurations. They usually have adjustable stride lengths which make them flexible to use for different people. The prices also vary drastically depending on the amount of features. If you just want a good workout and no gimmicks, I recommend getting a lower cost bare-bone model. Just make sure it has a good build quality.
3.) The Bike
A Stationary or Recumbent Bike is a good option for those who want to do cardio, but lack mobility. It does a great job of elevating your heart rate and burning calories. There are basic models and feature loaded models. Choosing one for you boils down to personal preference. If you just want to good workout and nothing else you can settle for the less expensive models. If you are willing to spend more money, there are features such as a heart monitor, LCD screen, and some even have a virtual video game which is very cool.
When deciding which cardio machine is best for your home gym, it all comes down to personal preference. All of these machines will allow you to burn calories and assist with your weight loss/fitness goals.
The Concept of the HCG Diet
In case you haven’t heard already, the HCG diet is very quickly growing in popularity. Basically, the idea is to take HGC along with a low calorie intake and you will lose a lot of weight in a short period of time.
HGC is a hormone produced during a pregnancy. For weight loss, it is being used to reverse the feeling of fatigue, sluggishness, and overall lack of energy on a very low calorie diet. HGC supposedly transforms your body from trying to conserve as much energy as possible, to pulling the extra calories it needs from fat storage.
The amount of calories on this diet is very low. This plays a major role as to why there is such a large amount of fat loss in such a short period of time when combined with HGC. Normally, on such a low calorie diet without HGC, your body will try everything it can to conserve energy and fat loss will not be as significant and you will lack energy.
With the HCG diet, it is very important to ensure that you are getting the nutrients your body needs. There are different styles of the diet – for the most part they recommend minimally processed foods that have the vitamins and nutrients needed to maintain health.
Before starting the diet, you will need to get in contact with an Associate physician for examination and evaluation so they can help you follow the diet in a safe manner. While you are following the program, you will need to be monitored by a trained professional to ensure your health and safety. In fact, this is a requirement.
If you are considering this diet, make sure you do all of the proper research before coming to a decision. It is very important that you talk to a doctor about it before you begin. Such a calorie deficit can be very dangerous if not handled correctly.
How Much Should I Weigh? A Look At Height And Weight Ratios
One of the most common questions that gets asked is: how much should I weigh? You can look at charts that will tell you an estimated weight range that would be appropriate for your height, age, and gender, but it is important to note that there are other factors that contribute to your weight as well.
Muscle Versus Fat
The most commonly overlooked factor when it comes to how much a person weighs is their lean body mass. Lean Body Mass or LBM is how much you weigh minus bodyfat percentage. If you take the same volume of fat versus an equal volume of muscle, the muscle is going to weigh more. In fact, muscle weighs about 2.5 lbs more than fat. So make sure you keep this in mind before completely freaking out with the number that pops up on the scale.
Frame Size
Not everyone at the same height and weight has the same exact body type. People have different types of frames and bone structure. You have to set a weight goal in mind that is suitable for you and your body type.
With these factors in mind, you can begin to checkout a ballpark of how much you should weigh.
Reaching Your Goal Weight
Once you have an idea in mind of how much you want to weigh, you need to structure a diet and exercise plan that will help get you there. If you are overweight and want to lose weight, then you need to eat less calories than your body is using to maintain itself. You can do this by using a BMR calculator. For example, if your BMR is 2000 calories, you are going to want to eat around 1700-1800 calories each day. The idea is that your body will begin burning fat for energy instead of taking the energy from food. Be sure to eat high protein foods such as chicken, fish, tuna.
If you are too skinny and want to gain weight then you will want to eat more calories than your body is consuming (a surplus). Eating on a calorie surpolus along with a solid weight training program such as reverse pyramid training or starting strength can go a long way.
Exercise
Whether you are trying to cut down on fat or trying to gain muscle, weight training is great for both. Lifting weights actually burns quite a lot of calories and it comes with a very nice bonus: your body is still burning calories after your weight training session. This is because your body needs the calories to repair muscle tissue.
Another great perk from weight training is that you get to maintain an attractive body composition. Someone who has muscle tone is going to be more attractive than someone who is all skin and bones.
The Basics of Building Muscle
There are a few different factors that contribute to the growth of muscle. It is important to do all of these things to get the best results. Picking and choosing will simply not work for building muscle. You have probably noticed many people who lift weights 5 times per week but never gain muscle mass. This is likely because they are not getting enough calories and protein.
1. Eat Lots of Protein
It is recommended to get at least 1g/lb of lean body mass. Your LBM is how much you weigh with your body fat percentage subtracted out. For example, a person who weighs 200lbs and 10% bodyfat has a LBM of 180lbs. It would be ideal for this person to take in at least 180g of protein per day to build muscle.
2. Eat Your Carbohydrates
Eating a lot of carbohydrates on your workout days will allow your body release insulin. This hormonal release is necessary for your body to develop your muscles. It is recommended to get complex carbohydrates like oatmeal, rice, and potatoes. Complex carbohydrates digest more slowly and will give your body long lasting energy.
3. Calorie Surplus
Although it is still possible to put on muscle eating below a maintenance calorie level, you should eat at a calorie surplus if you want to put on muscle faster. Building muscle while eating at a calorie deficit is often a very slow process. You can calculate your maintenance calorie level by calculating your BMR and then using the Harris Benedict formula which factors in your activity level. For example, if my BMR is 1900 and my activity level is 1.2 – 1900×1.2= 2280 calories. This means I need around 2280 calories per day to maintain my current weight. If I wanted to put on muscle quicker, it would be ideal for me to eat around 2500 calories per day.
4. Lift Heavy Weights (This goes for the women out there too!)
Lifting heavy weights is necessary to stimulate muscle growth. You muscle needs to lift heavy in order to break down and repair. This process of repairing the muscle is what makes your muscle tissue grow. You should keep track of how much you are lifting each week so you can set goals, and increase the weight over time. Increasing the amount of weight you do will be necessary to continue building new muscle tissue.
It is important to incorporate all of these tips in to your muscle building plan. Like I said before, picking and choosing will not yield you the results you are looking for. Staying informed and looking at different sources will help keep you motivated so you will achieve your muscle building goals!
Supplements Like Sytropin HGH Spray A Good Option?
When looking for an effective supplement, it is important to do your own research before getting caught up in some salesy pitch. What I do and highly recommend others to do as well is look up the ingredients individually as well as the supplement itself on sources like PubMed. This way you can find any published study on the supplement or ingredient and make your own judgment as to whether it is worth trying.
Sytropin HGH spray is designed to help people look and feel younger. This is because as people age, their naturally produced Human Growth Hormone, or HGH begins to decline. This means that the level at which your has produces healthy replacement cells has significantly declined. As a result we see wrinkles, gray hair, loose skin, loss of muscle, lower energy, fat gain, and the list goes on. However, synthetic HGH is only intended for very specific uses, mainly treatment of deficiency if growth hormone. Before looking to supplements as the answer, you should try getting more sleep and exercise. These two things will help your body produce more growth hormone naturally. In addition, resistance training has shown to have a significant exercise educed growth hormone response.
If you are still deficient in growth hormone after a decent period of good sleep and consistent exercise, ask your doctor about supplement options for treating HGH deficiency.
The real question about Sytropin HGH spray is does it actually work? There are many studies out there that prove that HGH deficiency leads to a higher amount of abdominal fat, muscle loss, and poor body composition. So if you are someone who is HGH deficient, it is very likely that you will see benefits of something like HGH spray as long as you are taking the recommended dosages. However, you should always talk to your doctor before you using an HGH supplement.
Determining Which Diet Plan is Right For You
When you are struggling to lose weight, you may find yourself looking for a good diet plan that will help you achieve your goals. There are many things you should look for when tackling a diet plan because you want to make sure that the diet will provide you with all of the nutrients your body needs in order to function effectively.
Crash Diets
Many diets, referred to as “crash diets” are meant for quick weight loss and are generally not recommended. This is because you are depriving your body from the amount of calories and nutrients it needs. Crash diets can lead to fat loss, but loss of lean muscle too. Losing a lot of muscle is not an ideal way to tackle weight loss. Your goal should be to lose body fat, while retaining as much muscle as possible
Low Carb Diet Plan
One of the most common diets you will find is a low carb diet plan. Low carb diets can help you lose weight. This is because the excess carbs you may normally eat with a high calorie diet plan won’t get stored as fat. In addition, a low carb diet will also help you limit the amount of calories you eat. This is because most calorie dense foods are relatively high in carbohydrates. Many people get the false notion that carbohydrates are bad and lead to fat gain. However, your body does need carbohydrates for energy. Therefore, you do need a sufficient amount to give you the energy you need to get through the day.
When you do a low carb diet plan, make sure you get lots of protein to help prevent muscle breakdown. The recommendation for protein intake for athletes is about 1-1.5g per kg of lean body mass. You can calculate lean body mass by measuring your body fat percentage then subtracting it out. Someone who weighs 170lbs with 8% body fat has a LBM of 156.4 lbs.
What Plan is Right for Me?
There are many plans that work for weight loss. It is up to you to make an informed decision to what diet will fit your lifestyle. At the end of the day, if you are burning more calories than you consume, your body will burn fat. The opposite is true if you are consuming more calories than you burn.
The Garmin 910XT Sport Watch Is Your Next Best Training Partner
If there is anything different from today’s sports world and that of the past, it is the incorporation of technology to assist with certain aspects of each sport. Even some people can be seen using more than one piece of technology as they train. The most popular use of technology in today’s athletic world is probably the mp3 player, but now there is one more and more products which use GPS technology as a tool for a variety of sports. Multi sport watches are become increasingly more popular and the one that stands out as one of the best is the Garmin 910XT and its new slim design.
The 910XT is one of the smallest multi sport watches on the market. It can be used to track your speed, distance, and time as you run or bike to break your new personal record. It even has the ability to track your heart rate and elevation as you scale the terrain.
Swim With The 910XT
One makes the 910xt stand out as one of the best multisport gps watches is that it is designed for swimming. It offers very detailed swim metrics such as swim distance, identifying stroke style, and it can even calculate pool lengths and count the amount of strokes you are taking. It can also calculate your SWOLF score as a measure of your swimming efficiency. It is also great for other water sports such as paddle boarding.
The Forerunner 910XT can seamlessly transition from sport to sport just by the press of a button. So if you are running a multisport event you won’t be distracted by trying to find which sport to select. It also displays the path you traveled during any activity so you can view it afterwards online.
On Land
In addition to its advanced technology that is able to highly accurately calculate your distance, pace, and speed, it also includes a barometric altimeter which can very accurately calculate elevation data.
Overall this device is designed to get the most information about your performance while performing a variety of different sports and activities. Its amazing how many different types of technology are packed into a slim design.
Get Into The Best Shape Of Your Life With Beach Body Challenge Packs
Many people who struggle with weight loss seem to get caught up in an endless cycle of fad diets. The sad thing about this is the fact that they really want to get into shape and they have already committed themselves to it, but they just can’t get the results they are looking for because of all of the misleading garbage that floods the fitness world. Thankfully there are programs out there that are just waiting for people who can be dedicated and not looking for a quick fix or a magic pill to lose some weight.
The best way to lose weight is obviously to eat the right foods and the right amount and to follow a exercise program. The problem is that many people have no idea what to eat and what their exercise program should look like so they either lose the motivation to stick to a plan, or they get stuck on a plan that doesn’t really bring the results. If you are someone who needs direction and wants to get into great shape, then I recommend trying beach body challenge packs. If you haven’t heard of p90x or insanity, they are basically intense workout programs which are cardio based high intensity interval training or HIIT workout plans. I have personally seen some of my friends get into the beachbody thing and they are all getting in the best shape of their life. This is because the training is intense and delivers a great workout that will make you lose weight. They also offer supplements like shakeology which will greatly help you get the nutrition you need without having to cook healthy meals that are so tough to do on a busy schedule. Continue reading
60 Minutes of BS – Is Sugar Toxic?
A recent episode of 60 minutes, with a special guest Dr. Sanjay Gupta, went on to attempt to poison our minds. It’s a shame, but if I had to sit and listen to this for an extended period of time, I’m not sure I would survive. The real question here should not be how much sugar we can handle while sitting on the couch without croaking, it is how much propaganda can we take from a man attempting to use pointless research to further his popularity with a rightfully health conscious community.
Here are some of my problems with the idea: the body is only designed to handle so much of any substance at one time. How would you react if I told you that water is toxic? Hopefully your instinctual reaction is to slap me in the face; but here is the deal, under the right circumstances, it is; causing acute death in people. If you eliminate salt from your diet, your body cannot absorb the water, and it begins to flush out electrolytes from your system. You will dehydrate and die. Simple as that. So now you come to me and say Adam, it is not the water that is causing the death, it’s the lack of sodium. Water is necessary and we need some sodium in order for our bodies to use it properly. Continue reading
Weight Training Versus Cardio Exercise For Fat Loss
When it comes to having to lose weight, the first thing people think they need to do is go jogging or hit the treadmill. While this is an effective method of losing body fat, there is a completely different type of exercising that is often overlooked – weight training. Weight training is a very effective means to burning calories and it also helps preserve and build muscle mass. So which type of exercise does the best job for weight loss? While the answer may be surprising, it is also very definitive.
While it has long been difficult to measure caloric burn in weight training programs without error, there was a recent study from the University of Southern Maine that showed that a weight training circuit burned 71 percent more calories than was previously known. More specifically, 8 minutes of lifting weights burned between 150-235 calories. In other words, there was about 25 calories burned per minute on a very basic training program.
It gets even better – not only does weight training allow you top burn calories during the exercise, but well after the exercise when your body is repairing muscle tissue it is burning calories in order to do so. In other words, it gives a temporary boost to your metabolism after your workout.
A Few Great Weight Training Exercises Continue reading