How Often Should I Exercise?

People often email me asking how many days per week should they workout. For the average person wanting to lose weight and focus on fat loss, the answer is simple. They will get fantastic results by training hard only three days per week. Now for the average person, that should be manageable.
And yes, all three of those workouts should be done in less than an hour. Research shows that 20-30 minutes of interval training is more effective than 40 minutes of slow cardio for weight loss. Combine the intervals with 20-30 minutes of strength training. Do that 3 days per week, and pow, you'll lose fat fast. (With good nutrition too, of course!)

On off days, I encourage people to be as active as possible, but without making extra effort to go to the gym. Walking to do your errands for an hour is great, if you have the time. Just do some form of health-promoting exercise (which can mean a half hour walk, yoga, or aerobic training if you desire). The duration and intensity of these off-day workouts depends on your fitness level, your recovery capacity, and your nutrition plan.

For many people, New Year's resolutions mean a return to high-volume cardio programs. But I urge restraint, caution, and conservatism. Trying to re-do your old running programs after some time off is a recipe for disaster.
If you plan on resuming a former running program, please start conservatively, especially if you are running on hard surfaces. Start easy. Build up in volume. Monitor your energy levels, strength levels, and mood. Be conservative, train consistent, and superior results will be yours.

And what about for beginners? How often should they workout?
Well, if you are the utmost of beginners, and haven't done any formal exercise in a long, long time, then simply do 3-6 bouts of 5 minutes of walking each day. Every day. Progress with your walking by increasing the time you walk and decreasing the number of "bouts" per day. For example, in week 3 of your exercise program, do 3 bouts of 10 minutes per day. And by week 6, you should be able to walk for 30 minutes straight. That is a place to get started.

At the same time, combine your walking program with a professionally designed bodyweight 3-day strength program that you can do at home (heck, most beginner exercises are even done lying on the floor!). After 6 weeks, you can increase the intensity of your workout, as outlined by your personal trainer. Eventually, you can progress into a more intense 3-day per week program.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

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Do 8-Pack Abs Really Exist?

Are 8-pack abs a myth or magic? You may want to know if it's really soon after you acquire your 6-pack abs. But the first question you need to ponder on is, is there any difference between a 6-pack abs and an 8-pack abs?

Before you start counting on the number of packs, think that an 8-pack abs is actually a super defined 6-pack abs. If you cannot see any difference between the two, as there exists but only so subtle, remember that an 8-pack abs will give you physical advantages not available to those having a 6-pack abs.
The eight pack of an 8-pack abs can be found in the lower abdomen just below the six pack and it is actually a midsection that is lean and well-toned.

While both eight pack and six pack compose the rectus abdominus muscle group, it is the tendons that separate and distinguish each from the other.

Unfortunately, not all gentlemen are endowed with a gift of further achieving an eight pack. Genetics plays a main role in getting an 8-pack abs and will serve as a final arbiter if a 6-pack abs is all that you can make. There are some signs that manifest if you have the genes for achieving an 8-pack abs. See if the tendons of your lower abdomen are still large ad taut and if they are you may be lucky to further develop that pay of your abdomen for an 8-pack abs.

People who are consuming terrible portions of fat, sugar, and alcohol won't be getting either of the 6-pack abs or 8-pack backs. It goes to show that only the determined and the disciplined ones will be getting them.
If you have worked your way out to achieve a 6-pack abs through rigorous exercise and a strict diet, developing an 8-pack abs also consists of the same mechanism: tone up muscles and lose fats.
The twofold tasks can be accomplished with having a low fat, low sugar diet, weight training, and cardiovascular exercise. It sounds similar to getting a 6-pack abs but reaching to the other level is difficult and can even be frustrating sometimes.

Your diet should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and poultry, fresh fish, sufficient fiber, and lots of water.

Aside from the aerobic cardiovascular exercises, you will also need to incorporate 20-30 minutes of cardio exercises into your daily routine. It is okay to be persistent but don't tire yourself by adding another 30 minutes extra.

Free weight training also helps in burning fat and building muscle through elevating your body temperature. It is important that exercises should focus on your midsection when you're doing your abdominal routine. Do exercise with high resistant and low reps to make your abdominal muscles grow and eliminate fats.

An 8-pack abs is yours to achieve given the following formula: good genes, proper diet, and abdominal exercises that focus on the midsection.

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How To Exercise To Get Rid Of Fat Hip and Thighs

Trying to lose weight in the thigh and hip area is one of the hardest challenges in weight loss. Women in particular have a tendency to accumulate fat in the thighs and it can get very unsightly especially when the thighs begin to get flabby.

Before you get into an exercise regime to remove that particular area of fat, understand that you will need to lose overall body fat and that focusing on only one area does not work. And although you will lose fat from all over your body, you will not lose it equally. If you happen to be pear-shaped woman, be patient about getting the results that you want because hip and thigh fat can be quite stubborn to get rid of. In other words you cannot spot reduce fat and hope to lose only your thigh fat or butt.

Cardio exercise is key to changing the size of your butt and thighs. Cardio includes exercises such as jogging, running, jump rope, climbing, jumping, cycling, kickboxing - anything that gets your heart pumping and increases heart rate.

In cardio exercise, your heart rate must get to at least 65% of its maximum. Your maximum is 220 minus your age, multiply that by 0.65 to the 65% maximum. You need to do this 5 days a week for between 30-60 minutes a day. Eating healthy diet is necessary for any successful weight loss.

Here are some specific tips on how to lose your thigh fat:

* The stepper is an effective way to lose thigh fat because it focuses on the butt muscles and because the gluteal muscle group is the largest muscle group in the body, more calories are burnt using this compared to the other cardo machines.

* Another great exercise for butt and thigh is squats. This can be done with dumbells or with just the weight of your body. You must do this properly and should not get too far forward otherwise it focuses excessively on the knee and front of the thigh.

* Weight training helps in well toned and sculpted thighs, and because the lower body has the largest muscle groups, these muscles can elevate metabolism benefits. With increased muscle in the thighs, you can burn more calories while running because the thighs are now more powered to run longer and faster.

* For an even effective reduction of fat on your thighs, cut down on your carbs intake like potato, rice, grains, pasta. Use brown carbs instead like sweet potatoes, whole grain bread; increase your lean protein intake such as chicken, egg whites, cottage cheese, protein shakes etc.

Just remember that your body responds in different ways to fat loss or gain, depending on your age, gender and genetic make-up. Generally men store fat in the mid-section while women store fat in their hips, buttocks and thighs. Accept that fact and then consult your doctor or fitness instructor on the most effective ways to exercise to remove stubborn fat in your hip and thighs.

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Shafir Ahmad is an Infopreneur bringing you the best information.

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